Chapter Fourteen: On the Offensive
"Um, what?" I sputtered, staring at the perfectly toned giant like he'd lost his mind. "Calum, you're half a foot taller than me and probably weigh twice as much. I'm not sparring with you."
He shrugged and then launched into an offensive attack. With a yelp, I dove toward the mat. I tried to remember the techniques Anna had drilled into me, but Calum was devilishly fast. His tan arms were a blur as he pushed me towards the center of the room. I ducked and swerved, stopping a blow from landing, but already I could feel my energy wavering. The room flashed red when his elbow connected with my jaw, sending me hurtling towards the floor.
"Up," he commanded, never leaving his fighting stance.
Glaring at him, I wiggled my jaw and prayed my teeth were still firmly seated in my gums. I supposed Fleur could fix that, but I'd rather not take that bet. I took my time getting up. But rather than the amused exasperation Anna always displayed, Calum appeared genuinely pissed. As soon as I was on my hands and knees, he lashed out with a kick to my soft center. Grunting, I tucked into a fetal position and rolled away from him.
"Up," he shouted again.
With one hand pressed to my abdomen, I struggled to my feet. Fury fueled me as I assumed the defensive stance Anna had taught me. My fists were sparking, and only the knowledge that he knew how to absorb my ability kept me from trying to push it back down. I would use any advantage I had.
Within a few seconds, I realized he'd been holding back. His first hit landed on my shoulder. I swore I could feel his knuckles against my bones. While I tried to protect my upper body, he swiped my legs out from beneath me, my head banging against the mat. Expecting him to kick at me again, I rolled away, but this time he threw his body on top of mine, pinning me to the floor.
I bucked against him wildly, straining to get free. However, my brain registered every place our bodies touched. My anger faded fast until the heat in my blood had nothing to do with the sparring. Panting, I stopped struggling, the constant shifting and flailing only making the position more intimate.
"Already out of fight," he taunted, holding my gaze with his dark eyes. I tried to get free one last time, lifting my hips, satisfied when his eyes darkened. I didn't appear to be the only one affected.
"I can't beat you. You're better trained and much bigger than me," I growled, hating myself for speaking the words. "I can't even use my ability against you. You'll just absorb the hit."
"Those are excuses," he whispered, leaning in closer so that his lips brushed my ear. I could feel the heat of his body through my thin yoga pants. My breathing grew ragged. "No wonder Anton picked you. You're an easy mark."
"You bastard," I hissed, letting go of the tight hold I had on my other ability. Blonde strands became a rich nutmeg, and I could see the paleness of my skin take on its natural olive hue. I pulled the energy in my center back into focus, my chosen identity resuming control; however, I made a few minor changes, adding muscle to my arms and legs. With a fierce scream, I used my newfound strength and a burst of energy to throw Calum across the room. He hit the wall with a satisfying crunch, the sheetrock buckling around him.
Grimacing at my grotesque figure, I shifted my limbs back to a size suitable for my frame, but I left the developed muscle. I felt like such an idiot for never considering this possibility before. Sighing, I realized what Calum had done. I didn't have to like his methods, but he taught me a valuable lesson.
"A little help here," he said, wincing as he tried to stand.
I laughed, "Oh no, I think you got yourself in that predicament. You can get yourself out."
Brushing pieces of the wall off his shoulders and out of his hair, he gave me a grimacing smile. "Well, that was more than I was hoping for."
I cocked my head to one side, confusion clear in my blue eyes. "What do you mean?"
"I wanted you to see that both of your abilities could be used offensively, but I didn't expect you to combine them quite so lethally, at least not right away. Well done."
"You could have picked a different method." My voice cracked, and hot tears slipped down my cheeks. I understood what he was doing, but it didn't make the truth of his words sting any less.
I'd been wrong earlier when I said he was pissed. That look had been irritation. The look that crossed his face now bordered on murderous rage. "You have nothing to be ashamed of. You were a victim. I can't imagine being as lost and alone as you were and finding someone who seemed to offer you all the things you wanted. If I ever get my hands on him, he'll die."
My body was still humming everywhere he had pressed against me, but his words struck my heart. No one had ever leapt to my defense like that. Today had exposed so many gaping wounds in my past, and because of this man, I felt like they might finally heal.
We sparred for another hour. Calum's intensity never lessened. Once I understood how I could use my abilities, the fight became more even. I decided my smaller frame gave me an advantage in speed, but the increase in muscle let me land more effective hits. Drawing on what I'd learned earlier in the day, I channeled the energy into the palms of my hands so that it was readily available. I considered trying to see if I could hide the sparks, but Calum had to be prepared to absorb the energy to avoid being harmed. I wouldn't risk hitting him unaware.
"Alright, I think we can call it a day," Calum announced, leaning against the wall, sweat matting his dark hair to his head. He'd discarded his shirt hours ago, and it had taken every ounce of concentration I had to continue to fight as before.
"Thank goodness," I moaned.
I'd finished the last round by shifting into Anna's smaller form as he swung towards my head. His fist went wide, and I pulled his legs out from under him, blasting him in the groin with the smallest hit of energy I could manage. I rolled away from him as he dropped to his knees, looking as though he was doing his best not to lose his breakfast. I stepped toward him to deliver another blow to his bent head. A few hours ago I would have felt guilty for fighting so dirty, but Calum had shown me no quarter. He told me the only way to be prepared was to approach every session like my life was at stake. So, it surprised me when he held his hand up to stop me.
"That was a pretty clever, albeit vicious, move you made earlier," Calum remarked, limping as he walked.
We were headed upstairs, both of us walking stiffly. "You don't feel guilty for using your brute strength, do you?"
"No," he said simply.
"Then I don't feel guilty about that move. I used what I had at my disposal and found your weakness."
"I do need to ask you one thing."
"Yes?"
"Don't tell anyone else about your ability to shift your features. It's not a known Talent, and there are already some who take issue with your other Talent."
"People like Percy?"
"Unfortunately. For as different as we are, the Children are still susceptible to the same faults as any other human. Some people don't trust what they can't understand. I'm not asking you to hide it forever, but I think for now, it's to your advantage to keep it a secret."
"I'm used to keeping it quiet. But I am curious about something."
He flashed me a questioning look. "Go on."
"My other ability didn't manifest until Gavin almost killed me. If it came about because of some sort of survival instinct, why didn't it manifest when Anton had me?"
"I don't know. Most Children already have some understanding of what Talents to expect, and many have more than one. But they don't always appear together. It could've just been a matter of timing."
"Fortuitous timing," I said.
He flashed me a bright smile. "You did really well today. Not just with the sparring. Thank you for opening up to me. I meant what I told you when you decided to stay. These people. This place. It can be your family and home."
While his words comforted me, I thought about the way he'd been acting in the weeks before today. I understood why I hadn't been trusted, but it didn't seem to stop Fleur and Anna from becoming my friends. As for Percy, the man hadn't liked me since day one. I never would've thought the most terrifying part of my life would be the idea that the man in front of me would go back to treating me like a stranger.
"Thanks," I murmured, my hand resting on the doorknob of my room. Before I lost my nerve, I blurted, "You're not going to just ignore me again, are you?"
He stepped away from me, the slight movement crushing the hope flickering in my chest. "Camille, I hope I didn't give you the wrong idea today."
"I don't know why on earth I would get the wrong idea?" Venom infused my words, his rejection stinging far more than it should. I thought of his body pressed against mine as we sparred and of the concern and anger in his eyes as we talked. I remembered the way he stared at me in the bar, his eyes stripping away at the walls I'd built. He'd saved me multiple times, and I was supposed to think this was just the kind of guy he was.
"I'm not capable of being anything more than a friend. I'm not capable of that with anyone."
The words I wanted to say sat were at the tip of my tongue, pressing against my lips like water pressed against the banks of a swollen river. It would be so easy to tell him how unfair it was to treat a girl the way he had and not mean anything by it. Even more so to make them feel stupid for drawing those conclusions, but I was weak. I couldn't say anything that would drive a wedge between us permanently.
"Oh." I rounded my lips and eyes, using my power to push a little redness in to my cheeks. "I wasn't asking because of that. You're nice, and you've been amazing. I feel like you're the big brother I never had, or at least don't remember having."
His eyes grew stony as I stuttered lies. I wasn't sure whether he bought it, but I needed to save some pride. "Besides, I really liked the guy I met last night. Didn't you say he was asking about me?"
"I wouldn't exactly recommend going down that road with Kent. He's been here for a few months now, and he's left quite a string of broken hearts."
I shrugged. He wouldn't break mine because it was already rebuilding its defenses. Calum had stormed the keep far too easy for a girl with my history. I'd obviously not learned my lesson with Anton. "Seems to be my type," I quipped, noticing the tightening of his jaw as I spoke. I didn't let him say anything else. With a little wave, I wrenched the door of my room open and went inside. He was still standing there when I shut the door.
"Ugh," I hissed, wanting to shout it but afraid he was still close enough to hear. It was days like this that I really wanted to know more about my birth family. Was my propensity for being attracted to the wrong guy a genetic defect I'd inherited from my mother? Perhaps she'd been lured in by some charming ass, got knocked up, and dumped me after deciding I was too much trouble. She might have even looked at me and seen the same doomed future ahead of me.
Sighing heavily, I rolled to my side so I could stare out my window. I always kept it open so I could hear the gentle whispers of the waves kissing the shore and smell the crisp ocean scent. I'd loved living in the mountains. While everyone else was grumbling about the bitter cold and snow, I was relishing the world of pine trees dusted in glittery powder.
Now I wondered if it was because the cold world let me stay hidden—if it gave me an excuse to stay holed up away from the rest of the world. Something about this place granted me peace and terrified me at the same time. I glanced toward the door. Maybe the sensation wasn't just caused by this place; the people had a profound effect on me too.
Especially one person in particular.
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