Runaway Mortal (12 page)

He rolled his eyes at that. “You are so melodramatic, Kat. That wasn’t strangulation; it was a pressure point squeeze.”

His words only added to my worsening mood. “You always treat me like a child. You assume that I can’t protect myself.” My bottom lip quivered involuntarily.

Gah. Why was I letting this get to me so much? I shouldn’t care what some guy thought of me.

Loire’s expression changed and his face grew serious. He took a step forward so that his forehead was almost pressed against mine. He was so close that I could see where the blue in his eyes became grey, and the image of “getting it out of my system” became a motion picture in my mind.

I inwardly groaned and cursed Tyrone for putting that image in my head.

His voice was low, steady when he spoke, sending thrills up my spine. “I do not think you are a child, Kat. You are perfectly capable of protecting yourself. I know this because I have seen it firsthand. If you couldn’t protect yourself then you wouldn’t have lasted a day on the outside or been able to elude my triad for so long.”

“But you said-”

He clamped a hand over my mouth, leaning in so that his lips were right beside my ear. “I know what I said, Kat. My memory is in perfect condition. I’m trying to teach you to control your temper because until you overcome it, you’ll never master your own abilities. It will always get in the way. Always.”

He released me and started to walk back inside, but I reached out and grabbed his bare arm. He turned and stared at my hand on his arm in question, and I felt an inexplicable pull between us. The same pull I’d felt since the day I’d first met him.

Feeling uncomfortable, I released him and looked down at the ground, suddenly at a loss for words. My anger had subsided and I was feeling stupid about losing my temper in the first place. It made me seem childish and volatile; qualities that weren’t desirable in a SRECON agent.

“Um, look, I’m sorry about getting mad, okay? I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

His expression softened, and he ran a hand through his hair, seeming relieved that we weren’t touching anymore. “It’s fine, but maybe you need to see the counselor?”

I groaned. “I have nothing to say to some shrink.”

“Well, you should try. People need counseling after traumatic events.”

“Traumatic events? Then I’m pretty sure that you, Tyrone, and Very Tassels need it more than I do. It must be traumatizing being outsmarted by a seventeen-year-old.”

Loire actually laughed, which made me feel like I’d accomplished something. A warm feeling burst in the center of my stomach, filling me with satisfaction.

“Very funny, Rookie,” he said, “but you saw the naked, lifeless body of your Headmistress. I’m pretty sure you need counseling.”

“When you say it like that of course it’s going to sound bad,” I said, pulling at the strands of hair that had come loose from my ponytail.

A silence stretched between us as Loire studied me in a way that made me uncomfortable all over again. Finally, he spoke. “What you need is more discipline. You say you want to be SRECON one day, well, believe it or not, but you need discipline for that.”

“Then why don’t you discipline me?” I blurted out, and then felt my face flush at his raised eyebrow. “I mean, why don’t you train me so I don’t get my ass kicked by you anymore?”

Loire looked surprised. “Train you? What do you need me to train you for?”

I sighed, not sure how to make my case. “I want to improve my abilities and since you’re SRECON, I’m pretty sure you’d be able to help me.”

He looked thoughtful for a moment, and then by some miracle began to slowly nod. “So, you want me to train you? Okay, I can do that, but we have to do things my way. No whining, no complaining, no girly hissy fits, got it?”

I nodded enthusiastically, hardly daring to believe that he had agreed to train me. Ever since I’d come back to school, I knew I had something to prove to everyone. I loved that I was a mortal and that physically I was stronger than angels and demons. I loved that I was naturally a better fighter with stronger senses.

But if I wanted to really have a shot at proving Parla Hampton and the rest of Parlum wrong, then I would have to train hard to improve my abilities. And who knew? Maybe it would help me find the Mortal Blade somehow.

Since Loire was a SRECON agent who was around all the time, he seemed like the best candidate to help me. Besides, he wasn’t too bad to look at either.

“It’s a deal,” I said. “No dramas from me.”

“Now, why do I have a hard time believing that?” Loire shot me an incredulous look. “Alright, we’ll start by training twice a week. Tonight will be your first lesson, so meet me back here after seven.”

My enthusiasm faltered. “Wait, what? We’re starting tonight? My back-”

“Is that a problem, Katerina? Because I could always reconsider my generous offer. I have a life too, you know?”

“You have a life?” My mouth fell open in mock-surprise. “I thought your life was all about following me around.” For some reason, my tone was flirty. Crap! I didn’t want to come across like that.

“You know how much I love following you around.” For some reason, a sexy smile was creeping onto Loire’s face. “Now get out of here before I change my mind.”

I tried not to show how much a single smile from him affected me—my heart rate was increasing and those damn flutters were starting up again in my stomach. “I’m going the same way you are.”

“No, you’re not. I want you to go up to your room and get some rest. I’ll tell Professor Martin that you hurt your back when I whooped your ass.” With a sly grin, Loire turned and walked back inside the gym, leaving me standing in the gentle rain.

I wondered if I was going to regret asking for his help and if there was any way the motion picture in my head would go away.

Chapter Twelve

After dinner I made my way down to the gym, leaving Anna and Greggy in the library together in their usual corner.

If those two were a couple then they were doing a great job at hiding it. I mean, I guess they’d have to hide it anyway, but I never noticed any stolen glances or either of them making goo-goo eyes at each other.

As for Misha, she chose to be far away from both the library and Anna. A vague text message from her had informed me that she was “hanging out with a guy”.

The air was cool and crisp when I walked out the back doors, goose bumps rising on my skin from the autumn chill. In my haste, I’d forgotten to grab a hoodie, but I was pretty sure training would warm me up, so I wasn’t too worried.

As I hurried across the grounds, distracted by thoughts of Loire and what was to come, I heard scuffling from behind me. Whatever it was made me stop and turn, my eyes scanning the darkness behind me. There was very little light illuminating the grounds, so I couldn’t make out anything specific. It had probably been a squirrel; there were plenty of them running around the grounds.

Brushing aside the noise, I continued the rest of the way to the gym without hearing anything else. Once I got there, I found Loire lying on the grass outside the doors. He seemed deep in thought, so I tried not to make a sound as I stepped closer.

His eyes were closed and he looked like a vision, so beautiful and vulnerable, that I felt like I had intruded on a private moment. His face was so peaceful, the well-defined jaw relaxed, his forehead smooth and clear. I didn’t want to disturb him, so I stood there in silence watching him. I kind of felt like a creepy voyeur.

“Aren’t you cold?” he asked suddenly. I should have known that his advanced hearing would’ve picked up on my footsteps long ago.

My awe quickly dissipated as he opened his stormy eyes and sat up, looking around at me with a soft smile on his face.

I gave a little shrug. “A little, but I’ll be alright once we warm up.”

Loire stood up and approached me slowly, his eyes flickering over my body before snapping back to my face.

My face flushed when I realized that I’d thrown on my clothes without a second thought. I was wearing my usual workout outfit; a tank top, cotton shorts, and trainers, which seemed pretty normal to me, but Loire had only ever seen me in such little clothing once before. Maybe I should have worn track pants.

Loire cleared his throat, seeming a little uncomfortable. “Well, then warm up however you like.”

With a nod, I began stretching in my tiny shorts, suddenly feeling very hot under his watchful gaze. After I was done with my stretches, I did a slow jog around the edge of the field with Loire keeping pace beside me.

I wondered if he was staring at my ass the way I stared at his. A flush spread up my neck as the thought of him staring intensely at my ass came to mind.

Once I’d warmed up, Loire began speaking. “For your first lesson, I want you to learn patience and endurance. We are going to build up your strength and resistance until you have a higher pain threshold. How does that sound?”

It sounded pretty damn boring, but I remembered that I’d promised Loire I wouldn’t complain about anything. “It sounds
amazing
,” I said with false enthusiasm.

From the look Loire gave me, it was pretty clear he knew I felt quite the opposite. He had this way of knowing when I was being genuine or not, or maybe I just wasn’t very good at hiding my feelings.

“So we’ll be doing the sambo move I demonstrated in martial arts class today.”

My ears perked up and I stepped forward, eager to learn the technique he had demonstrated so well in the gym earlier on. He had my full attention now. That move was definitely something I wanted to add to my arsenal.

“Great, just tell me what to do.”

“Well, it’s simple really.” A smile was playing around his lips, making him more desirable than he already was. “You try and attack me, and I flip you over.”

I waited for the punch line but none came. “You can’t be serious!” I exclaimed, hands on my hips.

Loire didn’t flinch. “I am very serious. Are you?”

I was so annoyed that I actually stamped my foot like a three-year-old would. “Of course I’m serious about this! That’s why this whole lesson is pointless! My abilities aren’t so basic that I can’t do something a bit more advanced than that. Don’t treat me like I don’t know anything!”

“I’m not treating you like you don’t know anything. I am trying to help you and this is the best way to do it before you can move onto anything more advanced,” Loire said calmly, completely unfazed by my spitting rage.

I took a deep breath, held it in, and then let it out, trying to maintain a level of calm similar to Loire’s. Somehow I managed to make my head move up and down in a nod. “Fine, we’ll do your stupid exercise,” I said, my tone bitter.

Without warning, I rushed towards him, my fists flying as I tried to land a punch on his left pectoral. But just like he had done earlier in class, he grabbed me under the armpit, spun me over his shoulder, and threw me down onto the ground. This time, he didn’t press down on my throat, but stepped back instead, giving me room to recover from the sheer force of his attack.

I lay splayed across the wet grass, the cold biting at me as the warmth left my body once again. I dreaded getting up. I didn't want to see Loire's smug expression. I didn't want to believe that my training wasn't up to scratch. If it wasn’t then how else would I have survived on the run for so long?

"Get up, Kat," Loire said firmly.

I closed my eyes, hoping to shut him out. "No."

"That's an order. Get up."

"Is your age affecting your hearing? I said no."

I heard footsteps approaching, and all of a sudden my world shifted as Loire swung me up into his muscular arms. A moment passed between us as our eyes met, our faces inches apart. Then, just as effortlessly, he placed me down on my feet.

"If you ever refuse an order again, I will make sure you get a strike of disobedience on your record. Let’s see if Academia thinks you’re fit to be a SRECON agent then. Now, three laps around the field."

"Yeah, yeah, no need to be so pissy," I muttered, before setting off at a brisk pace.

I could hear Loire behind me, and I knew he would easily catch up to me, so I put a little more effort into it and pushed myself to run faster.

"Slow down! You're not going to be able to finish three laps this way!" Loire snapped from somewhere behind me.

His know-it-all attitude was really getting on my nerves, so instead of slowing down, I sped up. A quick glance over my shoulder showed that Loire was falling behind. It made me feel good that I could outdo him in something, even if it was something as insignificant as running. It was then that my foot connected with something quite solid and I lost my balance, falling heavily onto the ground. Pain shot through my leg and I cried out.

"You alright, Kat?" Loire asked as he reached me.

Shaking my head, I held my foot and scoured the ground for whatever I had fallen over. The strange thing was there was nothing there, but I knew my foot had hit something hard.

“I can't see what I tripped over."

"There's nothing there. I told you to slow down." Loire kneeled in front of me and stretched my leg out. He pulled my shoe and sock off to reveal the large swelling around my ankle.

"It was
something
! Look at my foot!"

Loire sighed. "I'm perfectly capable of using my eyes."

I chose to ignore him. "What did I hit? It was a rock or something."

"Maybe you kicked it away,” he said with a shrug. "You really should've listened to me when I told you to slow down. It's not a race, it's about endurance."

"Well, maybe you should've specified that before I started running," I said sulkily.

"You didn't really give me a chance to. Now I have to write an incident report, so thanks for increasing my paperwork."

“I’m sorry I’m such a nuisance,” I said darkly.

Loire sighed again and stood up, his tall frame hovering over me in frustration. I could sense that I was getting on his last nerve, but it didn’t bother me. I took pleasure in seeing him lose his self-control.

“Look, Rookie, I know you think you know everything, but let me assure you that you definitely don’t.”

“Thanks for the lecture, Grandpa.”

He made a sound like an angry cat and began walking off in the opposite direction to the school. I watched him go, not the kind of girl to chase after some guy. Besides, I’d had enough of him. This whole training thing had been a big mistake.

I slowly rose to my feet, wincing in pain as a day’s worth of injuries bore down on me. My back was aching as I began walking back towards the school. My leg twinged in pain each time I put any weight on it. It was so unlike Loire to leave me outside in the dark, but I guess he’d finally reached the end of his patience.

At first I thought my mind was playing tricks on me when I heard rustling in the bushes. Then I remembered the squirrel from earlier, except I’d never seen the supposed squirrel. My heart began hammering in my chest as I turned around. My reflexes were in overdrive as I sought out the source of the noise.

The noise stopped and I breathed a sigh of relief. But then a whistling sound filled my ears and an object came at me from the darkness. I threw myself to the left, barely avoiding it as it flew past me. I looked around and didn’t see anything suspicious; only the grass and some rocks.

Something moved and I squinted, trying to make out what it was. My eyes widened as I tried to process what I was seeing. Suddenly, I was barraged from all sides, pelted by hard, objects that stung painfully as they made impact with me.

It was agonizing. It was like I was being drowned by them; I couldn’t fight them off. Warm blood flowed from fresh wounds in my body. I was starting to lose consciousness. All my body could feel was pain.

A moment later, everything grew dark and I felt nothing.

* * *

There was a soothing silence. My head was light, like it was floating away from my body. There were nothing harmful where I was. There was only a peace and serenity.

And just as swiftly as the pleasant sensation had begun, it ended. I opened my eyes, crying out in shock. It was like my entire body had been buried in snow. The pain was unbearable, like my skin had been torn off, leaving a burning in its wake.

There was shuffling as a figure leaned over me. “Kat, are you alright?” I recognized the voice as Loire’s. He sounded worried—agitated, too—which I didn’t expect from him. I wondered if I looked that bad.

My mouth felt dry when I tried to speak. “W-where am I?”

“You’re in my room. It was closer than Healer Junas’ office so I brought you straight here. He’s just finishing up fixing your injuries.”

“Oh,” I said. “How long have I been out?”

“Thirty minutes, maybe. I was walking back to the school when I found you.”

My eyes cleared up a little and Loire’s face came into focus. He looked concerned; his eyes were downcast and his expression melancholy.

“She seems to be responding to my healing,” Healer Junas said, bending over to study me. He was an angel gifted with the ability to heal from a single touch. He wasn’t the best healer around—I knew some healer angels could heal with their mind—but obviously he got the job done because I wasn’t feeling too bad. “I think she should stay where she is for the night and rest up, but that is up to you. Come and see me if she does get worse.”

“I will.” Loire walked Healer Junas out before returning to my side.

“What happened to me?” I asked, sitting up slowly.

“You were attacked by, well, I don’t even know what. When I came back no one was there. Nothing to show who had done it. But you were bleeding everywhere.” His voice shook. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

His words triggered an image in my mind; the last thing I had seen before I had blacked out. “Rocks. I was attacked by rocks.”

The words hung in the silence, the absurdity of it growing by the second.

“Rocks?” Loire sounded uncertain. “That’s what you remember?”

I sighed. “I know it sounds stupid, but that’s what I saw.”

“Okay, I guess I’ll go and ask the trees if they saw anything.”

“Loire!”

“Sorry, sorry, bad joke.” His face became thoughtful. “So, you didn’t see anything else? A person, I mean?”

“No, there was no one there, but I kept hearing a noise. That’s why I stopped actually, and then I almost got hit by, it was a rock, okay?” I gave him a look as if daring him to contradict me, but he made no attempt to object, so I continued. “I saw it lying on the ground, but I didn’t realize that that was what had attacked me until it started moving.”

“Moving?” Loire asked, looking alarmed.

I nodded, half reassuring him and half reminding myself that I wasn’t crazy. “Yeah, it was moving, like there was a magnet below the ground pulling it along.”

“And then what happened?”