Eternal [HS]

Chapter Twelve

THE WEEK PASSED WITH A STRANGE sense of peacefulness, and she had trouble trusting it for long enough to enjoy it since every other moment of peace she has found in this new world has been followed with violence and sorrow.

The fleece-lined sweatpants and sweatshirt that she borrowed from Harry's dresser in the guest bedroom aren't enough to shield her body from the perpetual chill that lingers in the empty gym he brought her to. She has pondered it since they got here but thinks that none of the walls in any of these buildings are insulated. Considering that the constructors were all vampires, they didn't see a need for warmth in any of their homes, businesses, or gyms, and they probably didn't think any human would be welcome here either.

Despite the cold temperature that makes her teeth chatter, though, her body sweats beneath her layers of warm clothing from the constant exercise Harry has put her through since they arrived this morning. At home, at least they have tons of blankets and space heaters that he bought for her, in public places like this, no one considers humans needing warmth.

She gulps down every breath of air with her hands on her knees.

Harry is watching with no sign of exhaustion on his face, and she has never been more envious of his immortal strength. In all fairness, some of it is due to his own discipline in exercising and boxing, but it doesn't hurt that he doesn't need to worry about getting as winded as her.

"C'mon," he says, waving her back over to him, "I want to teach you how to escape being pinned down."

"Give me a second."

His answer is immediate, "No, if someone is attacking you again, they're not gonna care if you're tired or not."

Her mind flashes back to when Issac pinned her into the ground in the yard. Knowing how to escape someone pinning her down would've been good, but she's far too tired from all that they've done already. He made her run a mile around the forest before they left, then shifted to weight-lifting—which, she learned, she is not good at. He truly wasn't lying when he said she has the muscle tone of an eleven-year-old boy.

Jo groans, ready to collapse where she stands, and pushes off of where she was crouched on bent knees to make her way over to him. This morning has been frustrating enough to make her want to fistfight him, yet now that she's faced with a chance to, she's too exhausted to even try.

The mat beneath them feels comfortable enough as she inspects it with her chunky work sneakers, giving it a slight bounce to test it out. And she's glad she did so because as soon as she steps up onto it, he hooks his leg around the back of her knee and sends her careening for the floor without a chance to prepare herself for impact.

They hit the mat hard together, his stronger, heavier body pinning her in place with his weight, and she feels as though the air has been knocked out of her lungs in one go—just like it had that morning in the yard. It almost takes her back to that dark place in the moment that she feels his body pressed up against hers and the air refusing to enter her windpipe. The memories of that day come rushing back tenfold: foul-smelling breath, a low voice that said such terrible things, and fangs sharper than daggers.

But, then Harry's voice breaks through the chaos and, for once, makes her heartbeat slow down.

"It'll go against every instinct y'have, but you need to stay as calm as possible."

When she opens her eyes, which shut in anticipation as the memories returned to her, those green eyes are staring back at her with no malice or bloodlust, but compassion and encouragement. They may not truly be his eyes, since he revealed to her that he only keeps them this color to appeal to her, but they do keep her calm. It makes him more human-looking than the rest of the vampires she has met so far, and she's grateful for it at this moment.