Page 11 of Black Wing and Shadows
They both nodded, and I made my way down the tower. I heard the bell tower signal that it was now zero-five hundred, and I knew the halls on the seventh floor would soon be filled with cadets heading to formation and the dining hall. I headed straight down the stairs to the third floor. Among all the wings, the third floor had a connecting hallway.
The third floor of the Alpha and Charlie Wings housed classrooms, whereas the Bravo Wing was dominated by two large gyms primarilyused for sparring. Although we hadn’t begun sparring yet, I was aware it was upcoming during basic training and would be a significant part of the Rider’s branch training. I was also curious to see the overall gym and sparring mats. I pushed the door open, stepped inside, and froze in surprise. Shit.
There was the guy from the courtyard yesterday. Fuck. I expected to be alone in the gym, coming at this hour while most others were lining up. I noticed I hadn’t shifted since walking in, my eyes fixed on him. He cleared his throat, which made me lower my gaze from the floor.
“Um, I’m… I’m… sorry. I didn’t think anyone would be here.” Shit. I was stuttering. This was great. Fan-fucking-tastic.
“No need to apologize, I am only trying to get some weight training done.” Gods, his voice was deep and had that perfect amount of roughness to it.
“That was my plan. I think we will start sparring next week.”
“Yeah, that usually happens during weeks three and four. Although if you want to spar, I am a good sparring partner.”
“Um, what are the rules around here? I don’t want to die during basic, that would be humiliating.” I let out a soft laugh, but the reality was that sparring caused some of the highest numbers of injuries within first and second-years.
“No kill blows, period. I also don’t want to die. No weapons, no intentional bone breaking. First to tap.”
“Sounds easy enough.”
“I am Zane, by the way.”
“Auriella.”
We both stepped onto the mat nearest the gym equipment. I offered my hand out to shake, and he shook it. I bounced on my heels a couple of times, feeling the mat becoming one with it. This was simply like every other sparring I had done. I threw out a right punch. He backed up just enough to miss it and moved to throw a half-right back towards me. I bounced a little closer, watching his shoulders, waiting for a strike. I took a step forward at the same time I threw a right hook, which he moved hisshoulder back just in time, which was exactly what I wanted. I immediately threw a left punch and connected with his chest.
His face gave him away—he hadn’t expected me to swing. He countered fast, driving a right into my left side. Pain flared, but I sucked in a breath and fired back. Two rights, then a left. The second right barely grazed him. He was quick, already picking apart my combos.
He struck again, fist slamming into my solar plexus. Air tore from my lungs. My body folded forward, chest burning, desperate for breath that wouldn’t come.
I knew I needed to take a breath and straighten the hell up fast. The moment I stood straight up, I felt his legs curl around my ankles, and down we went, him pinning me under him. Shit. Shit. Shit. I didn’t want to be in this position, not after we basically eye-fucked in the courtyard yesterday. Why did I even agree to spar?
“Now what are you going to do?” he grumbled at me.
“I’m going to work on the problem… in my head.” I lifted my shoulders off the mat by pushing my head backwards, I worked my right arm in between us and did a hard hip thrust and rolled myself onto my stomach. I tucked my chin into my chest and rolled out and jumped to my feet.
“Like that…” I countered him.
“Nice.” He was already on his feet, moving side to side.
I threw a series of precise body shots, landing a few accurately. He countered with a few punches of his own, but I let one strike my shoulder and moved closer to him. I swept my leg, aiming at his feet. He staggered, and I pushed him, causing us to tumble to the ground with me straddling him.
“Now, what are you going to do?” Like, I didn’t realize he was much stronger, holding back on me, and could flip me with ease.
He let out a low growl. “I am going to let you soak in this moment, and I am going to enjoy the view.”
My eyebrows shot up high. He caught me off guard with that. I shifted my gaze from his chest to his eyes, something I had been avoiding. Our eyes locked once again, and my entire body tensed with a tingling sensation Icouldn’t explain, something I had never felt before. What about him made my body react this way?
“Your eyes are stunning,” he muttered.
“Thank you.” I shot to my feet before I did something I’d regret. I had promised myself—no random hookups, not here, not at the school where I’d spend the next four years. But gods, he was handsome. His eyes caught the light, pulling me in like a bee to a flower. I told myself to run, but my legs wouldn’t move.
He rose, and I struck first. A right, a left, another right, another right, and a left that cracked hard against his cheek. Dammit—I hadn’t meant to hit that hard. His eyes flared with fury.
I dropped low, grabbed his leg, braced for the next move. He hooked his arm under mine and yanked me sideways, wrenching me off balance and slamming me onto my back. His weight crushed my collarbone, pinning me. I jammed my forearms and elbows up into his ribs, sharp and fast. He grunted, shifted his grip, and rolled us over. Suddenly I was face-down, his chest pressed to my back, his weight driving me into the floor.
This was a fucked position. I tucked my chin tight, fighting to keep him from locking my head. His breath skimmed my skin, his lips brushing the back of my neck. Heat shot through me, sharp and wrong and wanted all at once.
Trouble—more than sparring trouble. If he pushed, if he took me here on the mat, I knew part of me would yield. My body betrayed me, aching for it even as my mind screamed no. I couldn’t give in, not here, not like this. I thrashed, elbows snapping back, but the strikes hit weak, barely a distraction. The fight tangled with the pull inside me, every move caught between the need to resist and the dangerous want rising under my skin.
