The Devil (BOOK I + II)

5 | "I Can Beat You With My Eyes Closed"

Chapter Five
"I Can Beat You With My Eyes Closed"

"girls should never be afraid to be smart."
— emma watson

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   I really underestimated Daemon.

   After our first boxing and martial arts practise together, I assumed that was the end of that. Normally, guys didn't like to fall on their ass because of a girl.

   But no, Daemon returned. Multiple times, actually. And not only that—he surprised me.

   I wouldn't humble myself. I knew I was good: at fighting, at training. But Daemon could hold himself against me. Too well, to be honest.

   It was the first Friday of August now, almost a week since we'd first fought with each other. Since then, he'd come by another three times. One time, he got me on my back.

   I might have unbalanced my feet before his take-down, but I chose to ignore that memory before recalling two days ago—the last time I saw him.

   We were upstairs after I closed the shop, almost an hour into training. We were slowly moving in circles, keeping our eyes locked on one another.

   Like before, his jacket was off, sleeves rolled up. My shoes were gone too.

   "You doing good, Rose?" His chest rumbled as he spoke, and there wasn't a lightness in his tone. His eyes were hooded before the dropped, analyzing my movements calculatingly before returning his gaze to mine.

   I smiled innocently. "I should be asking you that." His brow lifted faintly, and I continued by cocking my head. "I mean, I can beat you with my eyes closed."

   "Really?" Even with his lips pressed together, he couldn't hide the amusement as he spoke.

   "Really, Shadow," I confirmed with a small smirk.

   But instead of continuing to move slowly in a circle on the mats, he surprised me when he glided forward, standing in front of me in, what felt like, less than a second.

   I avoided to appear shocked as I hiked my head upward, so our gazes could collide. I hated how my body instantly reacted by sucking in a breath. God damn, his eyes were so cold but so pretty.

   "Okay, Rose," he muttered calmly. "Hit me. If you can."

   "Gladly," I chirped before pushing out my foot into a low kick. He easily dodged but didn't bite back an amused smirk this time.

   I didn't share his amusement.

   We continued to go back and forth until after what felt like thirty minutes, I got him onto the ground. We ended the session there, but I couldn't help but bite my lip at the memory of what he told me, seconds before he left the room.

     "I'll be seeing you, Rose. Soon."

   Before I could bite back a retort, like "I hope you don't fall into a sewage pipe till then," he was already out the door.

   I began rubbing my right shoulder blade unconsciously. But just as I remembered what resided there, I snapped my hand away, just as the sound of my phone ringing took me out of my daze.

   I was standing behind the cash register, leaning my lower back against the counter across from it while simultaneously avoiding pressing    my back against the wall.