Howlin' For You [#Wattys2015]

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Jeff's wooden knife pressed onto my neck for the fifth time.

"Dead."

An agitated groan escaped my lips before I could stop it.

"Bree, if you can't even disarm me when I'm at human speed, there's no chance that you're going to survive a minute with a werewolf."

I glared at him with as much fury as I could muster. My hands rested on my knees as I tried to catch my breath while Jeff stood there unaffected by my efforts.

"Again." Jeff flipped the wooden knife around his fingers before getting into his fighter stance once more. He kept his arms close to his body and bent his knees slightly.

My body screamed with protest as I straightened myself up.

My sweaty feet stuck to the blue padding below us. I tried to convince myself that it was for a good cause, because, well, it was. Learning how to protect myself against rogues sounded fun at first. When Jeff suggested the idea, I thought it would be a good change. I'd train a bit, then I could go read or bake some cookies. However, it was quite the opposite.

He made a strict schedule for me. From six in the morning until eight, I'd run. Those two hours were the highlight of my day. It was the only time I could see Paxton before a dreadful long day of training. I knew that he only agreed to this schedule because I wouldn't be at home to mourn. It kept my mind off of my mother, something I couldn't do without training.

After running, I was given an hour to eat breakfast before a whole day of activities that Jeff would plan for me. I was stuck in this smelly gym for the most part.

"I'm tired and I want to shower," I groaned.

"I know," he said softly. "Just one more time and we can be done for today."

I focused my attention on the knife in Jeff's hands. He swung lazily at me, causing me to jump back and keep my distance. My hands curled out of their tight fists.

"Never keep your hands in fists when your opponent has a knife," Jeff's voice rang through my mind, a tip he offered me days ago.

Punching a knife wasn't going to do me any good.

I waited until he advanced towards me, swinging the knife in the direction of my stomach. I let the knife come dangerously close to my body before something inside of me screamed to get out of the way.

I sidestepped to the right. Quickly, I grabbed Jeff's outstretched arm and elbowed down onto his elbow. In a real fight, I would have to hit hard enough to break his arm, but this was practice. Simulating a real fight, Jeff's grip on the knife loosened, as it would if I had hurt him hard enough. The knife slipped into my hand and I quickly kicked him in the groin. He fell down on the floor and groaned, I kicked a little too hard but I couldn't help but cheer in success. It was the first time I was actually able to disarm him.

"Nothing's fighting dirty when your life is on the line," I giggled, repeating his words back to him as he grunted.

"You shouldn't be celebrating," a loud voice said, interrupting my thoughts.

My laugh was cut short as I was thrown off from the unfamiliar voice. I hadn't heard anyone walk into the gym. My body swirled around the room, trying to locate where the voice had come from. There wasn't anyone here but Jeff and I.

"Did you hear that?" I said warily.

Jeff rolled over from his stomach to his back.

"Hear what?" He winced.