Faithless Memories

Unexpected Offer

Chapter 23

Everyone in the room froze at the sight of Kris' body hitting the floor. Their shock was broken at her first groan. At that point, both Zack and Genesis raced to check on her. It was a tie as to which one was moving faster. Neither of them made it to her before she pushed herself up with a groan. By the time they made it to her, she was almost on her feet again. Even though she was obviously in pain, she still managed to give the Commander a grin. His eyes widened at the sight. It was the last thing he expected. He knew he had not withheld his strength when he should have, so he wouldn't be surprised if she were cradling broken ribs. The fact that she wasn't angry or scared had him floored.

They were both pulled from their stare by Zack's angry voice. He was helping her to a nearby bench so she could sit and be examined, but his ire was pointed to his commanding officer. In his worry, all thoughts of the chain of command had gone out the window. "What were you thinking! You could have killed her with a blow like that. She isn't enhanced!"

Genesis didn't show it, but he could feel the squirm of guilt in his gut. Despite his assurances that he would not hurt her, the Puppy was correct. He could have done more damage than he had with that last blow. Both males were surprised when Kris placed her hand on Zack's arm to get his attention. "Don't get mad. It's my fault. I was not holding back at all on that last blow. If he had moved any slower, I would probably have, at the very least, cracked his head open."

Genesis still had not said anything. From the beginning of the spar, it had been one surprise after another. He was shocked to admit that not only was she more skilled than he had thought to give her credit for, but her assessment was correct as well. Judging from the way he heard the weighted staff whistling, he doubted that even his enhancements could have saved him from injury.

He shook those thoughts off and knelt in front of her. He ignored the glare he was getting from her brother as he held out his hand. "If you do not object, I should be able to heal any of your injuries."

She raised a brow at his offer. She hadn't expected it. She thought she might have pissed him off with her last stunt. She wasn't going to decline, though. She was pretty sure a couple of her ribs were, at the very least, badly bruised. She gave him a nod, and he moved to her side so he could better assess what had been done. When he laid his gloved hand along her ribcage, she suddenly remembered that his proximity did strange things to her. Luckily, her blush was all but forgotten when he started his healing spell. The feeling of her ribs moving back into place and resetting made her want to vomit. It didn't take long thankfully.

Once he was finished, he held out a hand to help her to her feet. She gingerly probed her ribs and was thankful to find they were only a little sore still. She looked back up with a grin and was reminded that it was more than just the three of them in the room. All the other Soldiers were staring at her. She wasn't sure if it was awe or appreciation, and she looked away from them with a blush. She turned back to Genesis with a smile. "Thank you. Both for the exercise and the healing. I am glad that I accepted your offer."

Zack chose that moment to barge in again. His voice was still halfway to dismayed. "No! You could have been hurt badly. I can see it in your eyes. Don't even think about asking for a rematch!"

Kris looked a little abashed at the fact that he could see right through her, but it was Genesis that spoke. His voice was full of surprise. "You would want a rematch? After I nearly crushed you?"

Kris looked away from them both and ran one hand up and down the opposite arm as she answered. "Well, I was thinking about talking to you about it, at least."

She heard Zack give her a disgusted noise, and she looked back at him with raised brows. "It's not like I enjoyed being flung across the room, but the spar was fun. I don't get a chance to use my skills any more at all, and surprisingly, I miss it."