Thea's Return (Book 2 in the Original SOCIETY Series) ✔

☙20❧

"Argh!" 

I stumbled backwards, losing balance which was used against me when I was kicked against the chest and fell. I grunted, scrunching my face out of frustration. That was the fourth time in the past fifteen minutes that I'd fallen.

"Focus, Thea!" My uncle's voice shouted fiercely. 

"I'm trying!" I snapped back, curling my fists and pounding them on the ground under me. 

Uncle Vincent retorted that I wasn't trying hard enough. 

"So get up and do it again." 

I opened my eyes, narrowing them, and growled under my breath before placing my hands by my head to brace myself as I kicked up to stand again. Once on my feet, I glared back at my opponent already standing so casually, but with minimal caution, and I bounced a little on my feet.

Maddox glanced down at my feet then flicked his eyes up to me. He shook his head slowly at me and so I stopped.

I had forgotten that bouncing on your feet as I'd been doing gave an easy read to your opponent. It also made it harder on myself to balance on my feet if the person attacking was in close range. I'd just be knocked on my ass again.

Rolling my shoulders back, I carefully eyed Maddox circling around. As he was doing so, I waited until my head turned to my shoulder and shifted one foot at a time to keep track of where he was. With him as my focus, I didn't anticipate my surroundings and an arm was wrapped around my neck, yanking me back and I was thrown onto the ground, hard. 

I groaned, a grimace on my face as I slowly dragged my hands against the dirt towards my head to push my palms to the ground. I pushed myself up onto my knees and lifted my head, breathing hard at my cousin who grinned at me with a shrug.

"That was a fuckin' cheap shot, Kale," I winced, feeling a bit of throbbing in my neck from where he grabbed me. 

"A Hunter must be prepared for anything. Which means," Uncle Vincent stated like he was reading out of a book. He stood with his hands behind his back (and I wouldn't tell him this ever) but he looked so much like Pritchet in that stance. Uncle finished saying with a raised brow, "You must be aware of your surroundings."   

My eyes widened and I yelped when my ankles were taken hold of and tugged harsh enough that I slammed onto my stomach again. 

I heard Uncle deadpan, "Like so." 

I grunted, clenching my teeth together at the gravel in the dirt scraping at my skin from where the hem of my shirt was riding up. I twisted my upper body to see Maddox as the attacker (for now) and swiped my arm to try and smack him but he dodged my hit. So I switched my upper body to the other side to swipe at him again but my arm was grabbed onto and with a glance upward I saw my cousin had taken part in the attack simulation once more. 

With one of my arms in his grasp, Kale's other hand clenched into a fist and came down on my face. That stung but I could tell why he was doing it. 

When you are in enough pain that you can still be aware of your surroundings and anticipate what was coming, it made it that much harder for your opponent to get to you. Instead you frustrate them because you can still call them out on their predictability. 

Kale got three more punches in while Maddox yanked my leg one way that I cried out. I clenched my teeth, glaring at him as I pointed out, "Break my fuckin' ankle why don't you, Maddie? Then I'll be one leg less to kick your ass with." 

Maddox grinned, raising a brow that I was talking a lot of shit for someone who has yet to stay upright enough to get one hit in. 

Growling, I used as much of my upper body to make a swift turn and bring one of my legs that he'd loosened his grip on around and kicked him against the head. While he was knocked sideways, I was kneeling, but quickly shot my free arm to grab a surprised Kale's shirt and yank him forward while bringing up my knee into his stomach. He released my arm to hold a hand to his stomach but I took advantage to spinning around and using the back of my forearm against the back of his head.