Hex Girl | The Dark Child Prophecy Series

Chapter Seven: Pumpin' Blood

I breathed in through my nose and out through my mouth as I finished another lap around the large gymnasium in the basement of the Italian coven house. Since I was in total lockdown and unable to leave the grounds without Marcus or Avalon, I was confined to running indoors. And I hated it. There was no game in running in circles.

"You know, Jenny, if you get bored, you can always come join us for a little brawl," Adrian's voice came from off to my left and I turned my head to see him and my brother squaring off in the middle of the open space to practice James's skills for his next assessment. "It's a lot more fun."

I pulled my headphones off to give him a look as I put my hands on my hips and heaved fresh air into my lungs. The world seemed so less happy without the peppy music in my ears. "Not my thing," I answered, slightly out of breath.

"She's already run three miles and she still won't give it up for a sparring match," James said, shaking his head. "That's my baby sister for you."

Adrian grinned at him before looking at me again. He wiped a lock of white-blonde hair off his damp forehead. "Nah, she'll give it up eventually. Mark my words."

I scowled at the implication, which was lost on James. "Not funny, AJ," I shot back. "I'm not a warrior. That's what you Mezdor men are for," I added.

"What are Mezdor men for?" came the sound of Luce's voice from behind me and I turned to look at him, feeling like I'd been rescued. It wouldn't have taken long before my brother tried to push me into a match. I didn't know the first thing about hand-to-hand combat; I only knew the basics of self-defense for the purposes of protecting myself and that was it... And even then, I had to seriously think about it to remember every move Marc had taught me.

Magic was supposed to be my protection now.

"Kicking ass and taking names," Adrian responded loudly and I rolled my eyes discreetly so only Luce would notice.

Luce chuckled, winking at me. "Jenny's not like our mother, AJ. She shouldn't be expected to knock you out with a roundhouse kick and then spar off with Grandfather for a real workout," he admonished. "And as a human, no less."

AJ shook his head and ducked James's next punch. "Only for a couple more years. You've already got the witch part down, Jen. Besides, after the other night, I'd think you'd wanna take a crack at this."

I crossed my arms over my chest and bit down on my bottom lip. I still wasn't ready to talk about it any more than I already had. The very thought of it made my skin crawl knowing that I had the paralysis curse still within my chi. If Avalon knew, he'd be upset with me and kill Adrian.

"I will," Luce said as he stepped forward to take the heat off of me. He didn't say anything about James and I turning, and I was thankful. That wasn't a topic I wanted them to fight over tonight now that they were back on civil terms.

James huffed a breath and backed out of the fighting space to let Luce in as the new challenger. He came to stand beside me, bumping his shoulder into mine lightly. "You might actually like it, you know. It's a lot of strategy and psychology," he said softly.

I glanced up at him and then flipped off my music player in my pocket. "Don't start," I replied just as quietly. "I'm not like you. I never have been."

"I know," James said, frowning at me. "I don't want you to think I expect you to be like me. But I don't expect you to be Mom, either."

My breath caught in my throat and my heart hurt suddenly.

"You don't have to be a witch because she was, is what I'm saying," my brother clarified. "If that's not what you want, then don't let these two make you think that's who you should be."