Her punch came in from the side, but he wasn't there when it came.
He dodged to the side, letting her fist fly past, followed by her body. He stuck his foot out, tripping her up and causing her to fall towards the floor.
Just as he thought she would face plant into the blue mats covering the concrete floor of the sparring room, she broke her fall, catching herself with her arms.
He shook his head.
She had quick reflexs.
He had to pin her to the floor for at least thirty seconds.
With anyone else, that wouldn't have been a struggle. But with Elise... With Elise, she never stayed put long enough for him to get her into a position where he could pin her long enough to win. However, she was not quick when it came to guessing what he would do next.
As he continued evading her or scoring blows on her padded suit, he could see she was tiring. Her exhaustion showed in the droop of her shoulders, her heavy breathing, and the way she struggled to maintain her initial spry speed.
He grinned. All he had to do was outlast her. Sooner or later, she would make a mistake, and when she did, he would be waiting and ready.
She grunted, flipping back up to her feet. "You, Chenn Covalenti, are relentless..." She murmured.
He was certain she didn't intend for him to hear it, but he had good hearing. Most people didn't account for that, and he heard a lot of things they never meant for him to hear.
He smiled at her. "I try hard."
Her eyes widened, and she stammered, "You... You heard that?"
"Yeah... Wasn't I supposed to?" He asked, eyes wide with fake innocence.
She shook her head, still stuttering. "N..No..."
He laughed. "Pity."
She glared at him. "You are going down!"
He rolled his eyes. "We'll see."
After that, they didn't talk.
He made a sudden lunge for her, but she just managed to evade him. The girl was good. But not good enough to win. She was too small, and she didn't know how to anticipate her opponent's next moves based on body language.
She was also weaker.
And predictable. So very predictable.
He smiled.
He would win. There was no doubt about it.
He spun at Elise with sudden force. She tried to parry the blow, but it wasn’t working. The few times she had sparred with him in physical combat, she had lost. Mentally, she wasn't prepared, and after losing to him every other time, she had begun to believe that she couldn't win.
Her slight form just dodged his punch. She wouldn’t have been injured in a significant way. Her padding and armor took care of both of them. His fist wouldn’t be injured and neither would she.
Fortunately, Chenn had been expecting her to duck like she had. He pulled back, not allowing himself to rush past her. He knew if that happened she would take advantage of it and her blows would land.
He waited for her to straighten. She spun, expecting to find him behind her. Elise had thought she could take him off guard. Yeah, right... Like that's going to happen. He slammed into her, driving her into the ground. She gave a muffled yelp of shock.
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Between Gates (The Gate Chronicles Book 1)
الخيال (فانتازيا)Most people don't believe in magic or mythological creatures, but for Nari Eaton, it's all part of the job description. When members of her organization go rogue, she is tasked to infiltrate the group. The mission is a life or death situation. If sh...
