Danny Torent's POV

"Again!" Sam barked out a word that I was starting to hate.

Penny sent a kick to my chest, but I blocked it and sent her an uppercut. She saw it coming and tilted her head to the other side. She was a bit slow. It got her in the jaw, and she flexed her jaw tight.

"Faster reflexives, faster endings to bring your opponents down," Sam continued as he walked in circles around us.

I decided to go for the offence. I swiped my legs at her feet, and she fell on her ass.

"Pathetic," Sam spat and stepped onto the mat.

I stretched out a hand and helped Penny up before we faced our grandfather and granduncle.

Sam clicked his tongue as he walked toward us, "Keep your head in the game Peyton. Your opponent won't hesitate to take an opening to bring you down."

Peyton averted her eyes to avoid looking at the glare that Sam was sending in her direction. Sam's eyes soften as he reachs for his granddaughter and pats her head. "Watch and learn."

She sighs and steps off the mat. She sits on the floor and gives us her undivided attention.

"Ready?" He turns to me and nods.

We both assume fighting stands as a guard counts off to begin.

An uppercut from me has him turning his head to the side, but I underestimated the fact that he may be old, but he is sure as hell fast.

He gives me one right back and elbows the side of my neck.

I didn't even get to react because he took one of my arms and pinned it to the shoulder blades.

"I would have sworn you would have put up a good fight Daniel." He taunts.

"As you said, never underestimate your opponent."

He keeps my hand between the blades and presses it harder because of my back talk. He kicks my knees from the back, sending me to a kneeling position.

With Penny in my line of vision, I send her a wink.

I move my head back and head-butt him, making him let go of my arm. I turn around quickly and punch him at different points of his upper body.

Unfortunately, I leave my lower half unguarded, and he kicks at my thigh. I stumble backwards and pant.

He uses his thumb to wipe off the blood coming from his nose.

"I'm not going to say I am impressed because you could do better. Your moves are messy and all over the place." He sends me a smug grin before turning to Penny, motioning for her to come.

When she is within arm's reach, he grips our shoulders.

"I'm not going to talk about what is riding on here because it's already obvious. You two need to work hard on not only your physical strength but your mental strength as well. Trust each other in all situations and never forget what we fight for."

He claps my back and kisses her forehead before leaving the room.

I walk closer to my step-sister? Cousin? I'm not sure what our relationship is now, but that's beside the point.

"You okay?" I touch her shoulder, and she turns to look at me.

Her blue eyes are steeled as if they could cut iron. She stopped wearing her contacts since that wretched wedding, and it's nice to see her getting over old demons.

I'm just going to believe that; whatever our grandfather told her got to her, which was not what I expected.

"You do know, that it's normal to worry about the people you care about?"

She sighs and lets her guard drop for a moment since the other guards left to trail after Sam.

"We haven't been contacted by them, and it's been a whole month! I'm worried to death. What if when we find them, we will be too late?" She hugs herself and looks away from me.

If you know this Griffin Spawn as I do, it's not hard to tell that she is planning several deals in that head of hers to make her wish come true.

After Lola and Shane walked out on our failed wedding last month, they have been off the grid. Penny and I are worried while Chars shows indifference, and I can bet she knows where her half-brother ran off to. But as I said before, the mule-headed women around me know how to keep their mouths shut.

"I'm going to say this once, Penny. We will find her and Kasie with Valentía and make them pay for messing with our family, alright?" I assure her.

"I can only hope that you're right." She mutters.

"How about another spar?" I offer to take her mind off things.

A silent message passes between us, and I already know the bargaining chip on the plate.

"You've got yourself a deal Torent." She grinned.

We took our starting positions at the opposite ends of the mats and surveyed each other. And as if an invisible bell was rung, we both advanced toward each other.

When we were within arm's reach of each other, she sent her right leg to my torso, and I blocked it. I returned a favour since her chest was unguarded, but she saw it coming because she hit low and then high.

She got me in the cheek at that one. Two kicks and another roundhouse kick had me going low and trying to find her weak point.

When it comes to combat, I don't hold back. And I expect the same.

She tried to send another punch to my already split check, but I blocked it and kicked her thigh; which sent her a few steps back to give us both a breather.

We tried to punch each other simultaneously, but it was blocked. She flipped me, and I fell for it leaving my front open.

Fast reflexives were on her side because she sent a kick to my chest, and I tumbled towards the edge of the mat. I dug my ankles into the mat as she advanced toward me.

As cliché, as it sounds, with family, comes a burden.

It falls on us to either acknowledge it and carry it or ignore it and let it fall. The end game is that we would be pulled down either way, but if you at least acknowledge it in the first place, the falling wouldn't be so hard and fast.