Shield - A New Species Fanfiction (Wild at Heart Chronicles, Book 1)

Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26

A distracted fighter becomes prey.

A distracted fighter becomes prey.

A distracted fighter becomes prey...

Paige felt heat rise to her cheeks as her eyes followed the treacherous drop of sweat sliding down Shield's chest. His very naked chest. She attempted to school her features to one of deep concentration while she circled him for an opening, but she could tell by the humorous glint in his amber eyes when he tracked her progression she wasn't fooling him one little bit. She rolled her eyes when Fall Out Boy's "Irresistible" reached her ears from the training room's speakers just then, which coaxed a grin from her impertinent male.

She should've never insisted they play music while she trained.

"Laugh it up, sunshine," Paige grumbled in a low voice. "You're sleeping on the couch tonight."

"We both know that is an empty threat," Shield whisper-growled back to her, bold as brass. "You would miss Mr. Happy's company too much."

Paige felt more heat crawl all the way up to her scalp at his words, for not only were they the absolute truth, but he had the gall to actually say them with an audience present. An audience that not only consisted of a room full of Species who had really, really good hearing, but she was certain by the black scowl on her mother's face this was not a topic of conversation she cared to hear.

Crap.

Shield chuckled. "My little warrior is shy."

"Zip it," Paige hissed, lifting her leg to strike him.

Shield grinned and crouched on the padded floor, deflecting her attack by catching her ankle mid-air before it could connect with his head.

It was Day Five of her training course in the Coliseum, and she'd begun her early morning session with two unexpected surprises. The first one was that she'd somehow gotten herself thrown into a match with a full-sized Species male. Not that she'd officially graduated from a pint-sized one, seeing as she had yet to beat Noble at a sparring match, but at her mother's command Paige had no choice but to comply.

The second surprise came in the form of Justice North gracing them with his presence during her warm-up, accompanied by his (very pregnant) mate, Jessie, along with Tammy, Ellie, and Trisha.

Initially, Paige had feared the NSO leader's attendance would trigger Shield's rage, but her male had barely spared him a glance. This was because his attention had been riveted to Jessie's swollen belly while introductions were being made. He'd made no move to approach the Senator's daughter when Natasha was formally acquainting Paige with the mothers of the children she would be protecting in the near future, opting to observe them from afar instead. Despite his abhorrence to associate with other humans, his demeanor had remained calm and inquisitive—even with Justice present.

Another New Species behavioral trait: Males would never attack a pregnant female.

Paige really could've used that to her advantage in her current predicament, because Shield chose that moment to yank on her ankle, causing her to hop forward on one foot much to the amusement of the Species children observing the match. From somewhere above them, perched on one of the suspended platforms, she heard Bishop bark out a laugh at her ridiculous display.

Okay, enough.

Paige hopped one more time and then launched herself at Shield, catching the male by surprise. She used her momentum to hook her other leg around his neck, effectively wiping the cocky grin from his lips when she twisted and used her weight to pin his back against the padded flooring. Paige flicked his nose, rolled off of him and jumped to her feet, lifting her gloved hands up while she locked her legs into a defensive stance.