Page 30 of Blood and Hexes

She wasn't fooled. "When is everyone going to stop treating me like a porcelain doll?"

"When you stop being one." He was entirely unapologetic.

Greer moved to kick his nuts, but he blocked it. Once in twenty-four hours was enough for him.

"Want to try it on me?" Diana offered, oh-so-innocently.

He wasn't dumb. It clearly was a trap. But he couldn't resist falling right into it.

"Sure."

They started a few yards apart, and he ran straight at her, like she'd instructed. He was surprised she stayed in place, letting him leap on her shoulders. But she lifted her forearms against her breast, holding her fists to her chin. When he tightened his thighs to hold her in place, she thrust her arms apart. He fell on his ass, hard. Mikar groaned as the girls laughed at him.

Dammit, he'd known it was coming.

"This is one of the ways you can block it. You wanna see another one?"

Mikar got to his feet. "I'll pass." He groaned, rubbing his ass.

"Come on. Be a good sport for the class."

This truly felt like a class, and damn if she wasn't a good instructor, too.

After glancing at Chloe and Greer, who should absolutely learn whatever Diana had to teach, he sighed, and launched himself at her again.

This time, she let him flip her, but on the way down, she shot both of her legs in a straight candle, and slid them to the side under her arms, ending up on top.

"You guys want to practice these two counter-moves? They take a bit of fiddling to get right."

Mikar watched her give pointers as the girls tried to replicate her maneuver. He joined her next to Greer. "You're good at this."

The admission sounded reluctant, but at least he'd said it.

She didn't spare him a glance. "I’ve taught a few yoga classes, here and then. And the occasional self-defense lessons, too."

He lifted his chin. "We could use that around here. Cat's a good teacher, but she specializes in sword fighting, more than anything else. And the rest of us…"

"Treat the girls like delicate flowers," she finished for him.

Not exactly, but she had a point. Levi would never fight with Chloe like she just had. Nor would Mikar, for that matter. Ruby absolutely would, but like the berserker she was, she had more of a wild animal style than actual technique.

"I don't mind giving everyone a lesson or two while I'm here," Diana said. "I have to admit, it's been a long time since anyone made me sweat like this."

"Oh, I would have made you sweat if we hadn't been interrupted." Mikar absolutely intended the double entendre, and he wasn't sorry.

She finally turned to face him. Her dark, hooded eyes fixed on him. Fuck if he wasn't captivated by their depth. She cocked a brow. "I mean, I'm sure you could, but let's face it, you don't have the balls to take on a woman like me. You restrained me as soon as you could. That's not exactly fun."

His dick shot right up, standing to attention. Oh, he'd show her fun. "If you don't think restraints are fun, it sounds like you’re the one in need of a lesson or two."

He was flirting. Actually, honestly flirting.

Mikar wasn't a flirt. That was Seth's department. Or Fin's. Or Alexius’s. Basically, everyone except him. He’d kept things simple for the last few hundred years. When he wanted a woman, he went straight at her and told her he was going to take her. Then, if she was amenable—they usually were—they had sex. The end. He didn't even bother with names. Hence why he took his pleasures outside of Oldcrest, with strangers he wasn't likely to see again. Mikar avoided vampires, because he sucked at relationships, and the likelihood of coming across an old lover was considerably higher when they could live forever. Regular humans were too fragile for him. He preferred shifters and witches, typically. But there was no doubt in his mind that he wanted Diana Helsing. Hell, he'd even wanted her at the border, when he'd believed her to be an enemy. His usual approach wasn't an option here. Not only was she someone he'd known in the past, she was a resident of Night Hill. Or at least, a resident's sister. Same difference. If he was going there, he needed to be cautious, and make sure they parted ways on friendly terms. Ergo, flirting. He needed to ease her into the notion he wanted her, then see if she was up for some simple, no-strings-attached fun.

Diana rolled her eyes. "It's cute you think you could teach me anything. I've known men like you. You're all brute strength. You have more than most, I'll give you that. Spoiler: I don't know one woman who actually likes that."

Before he could think of any retort, she stepped away to correct Blair’s posture.

---