Sharpen the Blade (The V V Inn Book 6) by C.J. Ellisson

Author:C.J. Ellisson [Ellisson, C.J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781938601385
Publisher: Red Hot Publishing
Published: 2017-04-25T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

RAFE

Asa steps forward, almost as if he’s squaring his resolve, his face settling into a blank mask. He bounces on his toes and side steps, crossing one foot in front of the other, circling the smaller form of my wife, looking for an opening. It’s like he thinks controlling his outward appearance will make a difference when going toe to toe with a vampire who can read your mind.

Then again, it’s not like Dria needs to slip into his head to beat him, nor would she when sparring. Knowing her, she could probably trounce him blindfolded while wearing a silver hood. I glance once more at his stance. I doubt he’s aware of it, but the young man broadcasts his next move, a split second before he acts.

Poor guy. He has no idea what he just opened himself up for.

Dria sees the opportunity and adjusts her response, countering with a solid hit that sends him to the mat. The soldier is like a jack-in-the-box, popping back up, seemingly without effort, to dance the opposite direction.

After a few minutes of attack and smack down, sweat dribbles down his scalp and his fancy footwork from earlier seems to have slowed. I give them another couple minutes and then he’ll be done. There’s no way he’ll be able to last much longer. Hopefully, she won’t crush his self-confidence too badly. It’s always easier to witness someone else suffer at the hands of a master, rather than endure the beating yourself.

Very soon, the only sound in the still air of the dojo is of Asa’s labored breathing, wheezing raggedly in and out. Whoever said vampires don’t need to breathe never witnessed one fighting with a master vampire. The sweat I noticed a few minutes ago now drips off his nose. He won’t be able to say he didn’t get a good work out, that’s for sure.

As their sparring continues, Asa begins to shout when executing a move—either as a distraction or in an expression of frustration, I’m not sure. In a series of moves almost too quick to track with the human eye, my wife throws the younger vampire, hard and fast. The thump of his head reverberates through the floor, releasing a pained yell from his lips.

The young man lies in a heap, dazed and slow to react. He grunts and rolls over, not popping up like he did the first few times he went down. “Holy crap. For a tiny thing, you sure do hit hard.”

Vivian doesn’t respond, just continues to watch him carefully.

I chuckle. “That’s the understatement of the year.”

Asa glances at me then back to Vivian and scowls. “You don’t even look winded.”

“But you,” she says, “on the other hand, are showing serious signs of wear. I’d rather not continue and risk you getting injured. Great session, Asa.” She smiles with good humor. “You did really well.”

He grunts his agreement, looking like he’s holding back spewing obscenities. Yeah, I get that. I want to swear at her after we spar, too.

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