Page 12 of A Song in the Night

“You’re enjoying this too much,” I mutter, still wavering.

“Quit stalling, Travesty.” With that, he turns and walks out, leaving the door open behind him.

I hurry to follow Noah out of the office and down the stairs. Seconds later, I find myself in a basement. There are no lights on, and I move forward with a flutter of trepidation in my stomach. The air smells musty, and I can hear water dripping somewhere.

If I wasn’t sure Noah has no interest in killing me, this would be terrifying. It still is, really.

Then he flips a light switch. Several fluorescent lights flicker as if they’re desperately trying to stay lit. My eyes adjust quickly, and I take in the room with a single glance. It’s a simple setup—there’s a bench press, a rack of dumbbells, and a treadmill. The concrete floor is padded with blue exercise mats. There’s also a mini fridge in the corner, humming softly.

Noah strides to the other side of the room. A moment later, he tosses a pile of clothes at me.

I pull them apart, pursing my lips at the tiny shorts, sports bra, and crop top. “I’m not wearing this. There’s barely enough material here to cover… never mind. I’ll just work with what I have.”

“Suit yourself.” Noah nods toward the treadmill. “Warm up. Ten minutes.”

With a sigh, I set the clothes on a stack of folded mats and walk over to the machine. Once I’m on it, Noah presses one of the faded buttons, and the belt starts moving. The pace isn’t too fast for me, but after a minute, the incline becomes significantly steeper. My heart rattles in my chest—I’m not used to the exertion—but I don’t stop. I stare at the LED screen and watch the seconds tick by.

Noah disappears again, and he doesn’t come back until I’ve finished the warmup. When he returns, I’m standing next to the treadmill with my hands on my hips, trying to breathe normally. He drops resistance bands and a skipping rope onto the mat, then sits on the bench.

“What now?” I ask, trying to hide my dread.

“I need to see what we’re working with. I can show you all the self-defense moves in the world, but they won’t be effective against your enemies if executed incorrectly or without enough strength behind them.”

“You’re going to make me lift weights, aren’t you?”

“Don’t sound so thrilled.” Noah picks up a set of ten-pound dumbbells and holds them out to me. “You’re part human, which means a lot of things. In this case, it means you have to train twice as hard to stand a chance against an attacker that isn’t.”

I take the weights, swallowing past the dryness in my throat from the cardio. “Does that mean I’ll be able to kick your ass once we’re finished?”

This time, I get a wry grin. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” he says.

Noah and I spend the next hour going over several weight training exercises. I practice them until my arms are so tired that I drop one of the dumbbells.

Noah catches it before it hits the floor. He takes the other one from my shaking hand and sets them both back on the rack. “I want you doing these every day.”

“Why do you hate me?” I groan. Secretly, I’m grateful for Noah’s help and excited about what we’re doing. But I’m not about to tellhimthat. I sit down on the mat, my arms already aching.

Amusement colors the vampire’s features. “Charlie, I can count on one hand the number of people I like. That includes Sylvia and myself.”

“If you’re not going to say I’m one of them, too, then this is a terrible anecdote.”

His lips twist in that grin I hate that I don’t hate. “Aren’t you curious who the others are?”

I glance away as if it’s the last thing I’m interested in. “Probably a couple of your conquests.”

“Perhaps. Theyarequite special. There was one who did this thing with her tongue—”

“Noah!”

He waves off my protest, his expression becoming serious. “What are your strengths?”

The abruptness of the question makes me frown. “Is this a job interview?”

“Lose the tone and answer the question.”

I swallow a sigh and consider it. The shortness of the list makes me wish I were back upstairs. “I’m pretty quick on my feet, I guess. But as you’ve already pointed out, I’m only half vampire, which makes me slower than most of my potential opponents.”

He nods. “It’s a good thing I’m going to teach you how to fight those you can’t outrun.”

---