Blood Pact (New Breed Book 4) Page 3

  And Lina enjoyed the company, too. On some level, even though Mrs. Anders knew so little about her past, she felt she could truly be herself around the woman. Because she could be odd and confusing and Mrs. Anders didn’t care. Because she was odd and confusing too.

  Lina sat on the counter and averted her gaze from Mrs. Anders as she got undressed. Lina had never been especially modest, but she tried to give her boss a measure of privacy. “He fought off some men in front of me. Some very big, scary men. And it was like it wasn’t even a problem for him. He wasn’t scared or anything.”

  “Sounds like the start of a love story.”

  “It wasn’t attractive.” Mrs. Anders gave her a skeptical look as she turned on the faucet. It took a few long seconds for her to turn the knobs, and Lina had to clench her fists to stop herself from helping the woman. “I was jealous. I don’t like that I was in that situation to begin with. Before I got away from—” She winced as she tried to think of a better way to phrase it. “After I got out of my last relationship, I told myself I’d never be scared or trapped again. And then it happened again. I was helpless. If not for this stranger, I might never have made it back to you.”

  “Like I said,” said Mrs. Anders. “You need a man to take care of you.”

  Before she could protest, Mrs. Anders stepped into the shower, and she knew any other conversation would fall on deaf ears. Literally.

  She sighed and let her head fall back against the wall. She was still hungry and annoyed about what had happened, and she couldn’t stop thinking about Aidan. Who was he? What did he know about the Vopura? Was it stupid for her to put herself so close to a Vopura hunter?

  No stupider than remaining as vulnerable as she was. She just wanted to not be afraid anymore. She just wanted to be free of her past.

  If she needed to play nice with Aidan to do that, so be it. If there was anyone who could resist his charms, it was her.

  Talia glanced down at the paper in front of her and then back up to Aidan. “You’re not as charming as you think you are.” At the moment, she wasn’t exactly charming either. Her shock-white hair was pulled back in a tight knot, and her dark eyeliner and bright-red lipstick only added to her stern expression. Stern, angry expression.

  Aidan gave her a flash of his bright-white teeth. “That stings coming from you, Grandmother.”

  “I sent you on a mission and you failed. I don’t know why you’re here groveling when you should be helping the humans.”

  Yep. His charm wasn’t going to get him anywhere here. “I don’t see what the problem is. You sent me to help the humans with the Vopura problem. I have officially helped. Now, if you’ll release me, I can stop pestering you and we can both move on.”

  “Aidan, dear. You’re being punished. It’s not meant to be pleasant. I gave you a very simple task to complete to free yourself, and you failed. It’s not rocket science. Find the Vopura who has been feeding on men in the City of Angels and then you can consider your debt paid.”

  Aidan sucked in a deep breath and held himself back from saying what he really wanted to say. Talia wasn’t the type to change her mind easily. A family trait they had in common, not that he was feeling all that familial to her at the moment. “It’s just one Vopura. They’ve been spreading through the continent like an infection. Surely there are better uses of my—”

  Abruptly the door to her plush office pushed open, and Jacques, her assistant, rushed inside and stared intently at her. There was a brief pause before Jacques turned and left. Whatever they’d had to say, they’d said it telepathically so he wouldn’t overhear. He stiffened in his seat. Now he was being excluded from family business? It wasn’t as if he’d killed anyone. For him to be cut out completely was a massive overreaction.

  But Talia wasn’t in a reasonable mood. “I’m done with this conversation. My people know better than to second-guess me once, let alone multiple times in the same conversation. Finish the job I’ve assigned you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve been called away.”

  “That’s it?” he demanded. “You can’t tie my hands behind my back and then order me to fight this war.”

  Talia glared at him, and immediately electricity started crackling in the room. He knew her control over her powers was immeasurable, so this was a very intentional move to let him know he crossed the line. “I’m not making you do anything. I have something you want, and this is how you get it. If you were anybody but my grandson, you might not even be getting this chance. Maybe instead of coming in here and whining like the petulant child that you are, you should be thanking me for this opportunity.”

  He clenched his jaw, knowing all the words that came to mind would do absolutely nothing to help the situation.

  “Now, believe it or not, I have problems bigger than you to deal with. If you want to go back home with your tail between your legs, be my guest. Otherwise, do what you’re told. If it still makes you uncomfortable, I’d suggest finding a distraction. A silver lining to make your time more bearable. The next time you come to me, I expect it to be with progress and not complaints.” The lights quickly flared back up in the room, as though nothing had happened, and Talia turned and left.

  Aidan clenched and unclenched his fists, not used to this lack of control. She might be his elder, but he wasn’t some goddamn child to be scolded.

  But she was right about one thing. If he had to be in this shitty situation, he might as well find a happy distraction. And he knew exactly what kind of happy distraction he wanted.

  Lina was full. Very, very full. She’d made a point to feed multiple times before she came here. She was already putting herself into a compromising position with this vampire hunter. The last thing she wanted to do was be in close quarters and lose control of her appetite.

  But she no longer thought she was foolish for doing this. She’d spent so much of her life doing what she was told, keeping her head down and trying to keep the peace. She wasn't a fighter.

  She’d always told herself she wasn’t a fighter because that’s how she was born. She was a woman. Delicate, and rare. Meant to be protected at all costs.

  But here, surrounded by so many people of the opposite sex, it became apparent that she wasn’t a fighter because she always told herself she wasn’t. No one had been willing to teach her.

  Things were different now. She was living the American dream: she could be whatever she wanted to be, and she wanted to be a badass.

  That being said, she was currently too afraid to get out of the car. She was in an unfamiliar part of LA.

  The strip mall in front of her had a few various businesses. Some retail stores, an accounting firm. But it was the little tae kwon do studio where she was going. It was eleven at night, so it obviously wasn’t going to be a normal class. She didn’t know how Aidan had gotten access to it. Maybe he knew the owner? Though he’d also bragged about how well-off he was. Maybe he rented the place out for the whole night. Would he really spend that much money and time just to help her?

  He hadn’t exactly hidden his intentions, but it wasn’t him she was worried about. It was her.

  Because she felt it was very possible she could fall for his charms. She’d been surrounded by handsome, powerful men her entire life. She could spend an hour or two around this one without falling under his spell.

  She took a few deep breaths, trying to build up her courage. This would be fine. She’d go in, get some self-defense tips. He would flirt with her, and she would convince him that they were all business. Nothing to be afraid of.

  Besides, if he tried to do anything, she was still a lot stronger and faster than him. He wouldn’t know what she was. He couldn’t. Besides those two who had seen her at Puncture that night, none of her kind knew she was alive. Since then, she hadn’t gone back. Not even once. She’d been hopping around to other various bars and nightclubs to feed. It wasn’t ideal, but it was a good reminder that she shouldn’t get too comfortable with anything. Not even with Mrs. Anders.

&nbs
p; If she wanted to keep this life she was living, she was going to have to be able to run at a moment’s notice without any second thoughts. It was an odd form of freedom, but one she was desperate to protect.

  With that thought in mind, she built up the courage to walk into the tae kwon do studio. Even though the hours clearly stated it closed at ten, the door was unlocked. “Hello?” she called.

  She could hear some papers rustling in the back, then some soft footsteps before Aidan appeared. She’d been so confident about keeping herself safe from his charms, but even she had to admit she forgot exactly how good he looked. He was barefoot and wore loose black workout pants and a black V-neck T-shirt. It seemed to be a size too small, but instead of making him look bad, it just clung to his muscles. Unlike the Vopura who were born strong, he had to work to get muscles. That thought, oddly enough, made her mouth go dry.

  She took a deep breath and glanced down, forcing herself to look at anything besides his muscles. “Hey,” she said awkwardly.

  “I’m glad you made it. Could you find the place okay?” he asked in his deep, rumbly voice.

  Apparently looking away wasn’t enough. She’d also have to plug her ears to protect herself from the odd effect of being around him.

  “I did. Mrs. Anders knows I’m here, by the way. And she knows your name.” Both of those were a lie, but she wanted to let him know that she wasn’t just here alone with him with no thought of her safety. She’d given a lot of thought to her safety. Most of it was all for nothing, though.

  “And I’m sure Mrs. Anders will be a formidable foe if you don’t get home safely,” he said with a curve to his mouth, obviously amused by her attempts at protecting herself.

  At least he wasn’t annoyed. That was a good sign. Right?

  Lina shifted her weight and looked around at the studio they were in. Along one long wall was a set of full-length mirrors that would show every action they made, and along the opposite back wall, there were bright vibrant stripes in red and blue. If the sun were high in the sky, she was sure all the colors would be too much to bear. And the entire floor was a slightly padded blue mat. The better for falling over, she assumed.

  “Okay, so I’m here. Where do we get started?”

  Aidan let out a chuckle. “No foreplay. Right to the main event. I like it.”

  “I’ve never had self-defense lessons before. I don’t know what kind of foreplay is needed.” It was only belatedly that she realized he was making a sexual innuendo, and her cheeks flushed. Hopefully he didn’t notice and just kept going.

  Still smiling with his eyes, he said, “Let’s start with what you want. What’s your main goal out of these lessons?”

  Her main goal? Simple. “Freedom. I don’t want to be terrified that I’m going to end up in an alley surrounded by three guys all a lot stronger than me, left to imagine all the horrible ways they’re going to punish me.”

  “Punish?”

  Shoot. She’d misspoken. “Hurt. English isn’t my first language. Sometimes I... mess up.” But they would punish her. A female who had run away? Oh, they’d make sure she forever regretted that.

  He nodded. “I thought there was a bit of an accent to your voice. You hide it well, though. Russian?”

  “I don’t like talking about my past.” She said it bluntly and clearly. It wasn’t up for discussion. Her secrets were her own. If he had a problem with that, these lessons would be over before they began.

  “Fair enough. Okay, so you don’t want to get cornered by three men in an alley? I have the number-one key bit of advice for you, but you’re not going to like it.”

  “I can take it.”

  “Run.”

  She fought the urge to roll her eyes. “I know that. Don’t you think I would’ve run if I could’ve?”

  “Yes. But once you know a few self-defense techniques, I don’t want you to go around thinking you’re Superwoman. The best way to win a fight is to avoid it. Don’t get cocky. Don’t think you’re bigger than you are. Number-one option always is to get the hell out of there.”

  “Fine. I totally agree. Now can you actually help me, or are you just going to state the obvious the whole time?”

  He let out a little snort. “You really did come here looking for a fight, didn’t you?”

  “I came here ready to learn. Besides, you didn’t run from a fight.”

  “Okay, that’s lesson number two. I’m a moron. I’m arrogant and I have too much confidence in my abilities. Do as I say, not as I do. Understand?”

  “You just admit you’re arrogant? You don’t even try to hide it.”

  He shrugged. “Truth is truth. When I went into that alley, I was outmuscled and outmanned. If they’d all come at me at once, I never would’ve won. I knew that. They didn’t. If I had acted scared, they would’ve thought I was just prey. It’s the same thing as if you come across a bear in the woods. First of all, you want to avoid coming across a bear at all costs. But if you can’t avoid it, you make yourself seem bigger. Like when you came in and let me know that your friend knows where you are and who you’re with. You’re making yourself seem bigger and more powerful. Same idea. If you act like a victim, you’ll be treated like a victim. If you act like a threat... you might be treated like a threat.”

  “That’s better.”

  “Is it?”

  She didn’t even have to think about it. “I’m not a victim. I’m a threat. That’s how I want to be seen, and that’s what I want to be.”

  “All right. So let’s get started. I want you to come at me.”

  She blinked a few times. “Now? Without any teaching?”

  “You’ll learn through doing. Now come at me.”

  She glanced around, wondering whether he was kidding her. She thought there would be lessons. Diagrams. A picture of the human body with various pressure points. Not just getting right to it. She took a nervous gulp before shrugging off her denim jacket and slipping off her sneakers.

  Her black leggings and worn shirt she’d picked up at a thrift shop had seemed like a good enough training outfit. It was loose and comfortable. Not too sexy, because she was trying desperately not to give Aidan the wrong idea.

  Just go at him? She couldn’t go full speed or he’d know what she was. So she moderated herself and ran at him, aiming her hands at his throat.

  Before she could even come in contact with him, he’d ducked away and snatched her wrist out of the air, twisting her around in front of him so he had her pinned against his body. She sucked in a shocked breath. He’d moved faster than she expected a human to move, and even though she’d been holding back, it wasn’t as if she hadn’t been trying at all.

  But Aidan had gotten hold of her effortlessly. A sobering reminder of why she was here. She shoved at him, breaking his hold and turning to face him. “Are you just trying to make me feel bad?”

  He scoffed. “I’m trying to show you what I mean. You were running at me, and I threw you off-balance and used that momentum and your balance issues to get the upper hand. Now I’m going to come at you. See if you can stop me.”

  She took a deep breath and steadied herself. She hadn’t expected this competitiveness to come out in her, but she was determined to stop his assault this time. She set her feet shoulder-width apart and held her hands in front of her in fists. She’d have to remember to not let her emotions get the best of her because not only did she not want Aidan to know what she truly was, but she also didn’t want to hurt him.

  When he came at her, she had to admit she was overconfident. She imagined he’d go for her throat or wrist, but instead he hooked to the left and used a foot to sweep out her ankle, causing her to tumble on her ass.

  She bit back her groan of pain as she glared up at him. “That’s not fair,” she muttered.

  “Do you really think fair is in the cards?”

  “No one’s going to run at me in an alley and kick out an ankle!”

  “Right. But you could do it if you’re cornered. People expe
ct certain things in a fight. If you go against the expectations, you can keep the element of surprise, even when you think you don’t have any more cards up your sleeve.”

  She pushed herself up and rubbed her rear end. This training session wasn’t really giving her what she wanted so far. “Can you at least give me something that I can use? A concrete tip?”

  “Okay. If you’re in a real-life situation where someone is running at you, I know exactly what your first reaction is going to be. You’re going to freeze.”

  She clenched her teeth. He was right about that. When she’d been cornered by those Vopura, she’d been unable to comprehend fighting back. She’d just stood there, motionless, as they’d talked about what they were going to do to her. “How do you stop yourself from freezing?”

  “Knowledge. You freeze because you can’t think of any options. What we’re doing right now will combat that. If you get used to me coming at you in fifty different ways, each one stupider than the next, you won’t get that panic. But that kind of fear isn’t something we can practice. All we can do is make sure you’re armed with as much knowledge as possible.”

  “That’s great, and I admit it’s smart, but it’s still not a tip. Give me something I can use to fight. Go for the balls? For the eyes? Give me something.”

  “Okay, you’re right. You want to know the vulnerable areas. But if you’re going to go for them, you’re going to be in close quarters already. Remember, the idea is to get away before it gets to that point. So let’s get close.” He closed the distance between them.

  She could smell his cologne and wanted to look away, but she knew she needed to focus on what he was saying.

  “You have five main limbs to attack with: your arms, your legs, and your head. Let’s start with the basics. Go stand against the wall.”

  She glanced at the wall and back to him. “There?”

  “I don’t care. Pick a wall. Put your back against it.”

  She wasn’t sure whether he was trying to hit on her in some weird way, but considering she had literally just been pinned against a wall by those Vopura, she couldn’t fault the lesson plan. She went back to the cinderblock wall painted with the bright-blue and red stripes and leaned her back against it.