Quinn circled her with all of the stealth of a hunting lion, his gaze never leaving hers. He jabbed at her once, his fist snapping so fast it rumpled Shauna’s ponytail as his hand barely missed her face.
The guys watched as Shauna effortlessly responded to a succession of commands and postures, her body moving from pose to pose with familiarity and poise.
Gesturing her over to him, Quinn shouted, “Guards up,” again and barked a faster series of instructions. “Move. Duck. Rotate. Jab.”
Shauna’s left hand came up to protect her face, while her right punched at the mitts on Quinn’s hands.
“From the chin!” Quinn demanded, spurring her on. “Stay tall and keep those punches high!” Quinn paused, his expression displeased. Lifting the mitts back to his face, he growled, “Concentrate, Shauna! Cross jabs!”
Shauna pivoted on her heels, her left hand still protecting her face as she jabbed at Quinn’s face with the right.
“Push off your back foot and stay strong throughout the punch.” Quinn smiled. “Good. Great positioning and way to protect your face. The newborn darklings are scary strong. They’ll most likely try to get in a head or chest shot to incapacitate you, before going in for the kill. Protecting your head and chest is very important for a half-blood. ”
Tristan stepped forward. “Fighting is like a chess match. If you can get into your opponent’s head, that’s half the battle.” He grabbed the mitts from Quinn and gestured her forward. “Darklings are bred for strength, but they’re dumb as bricks.”
“And each new brood is weaker than the last,” Ascher added. “You should’ve seen her in the wine room the other night. She linked into their minds and shredded them.”
Quinn seemed to delight at the thought. He surely thought of her as his protégée now. “That’s kick ass!”
“I want you to develop your mental strength as well as your physical,” Tristan said. “Come over here for a second, Lee.”
A doubtful glance crossed Lee’s emerald orbs as he approached the center of the mat where Shauna and Tristan both stood.
“You’re strong in your gifts. I’ve heard about what you can do with your mind. Can you teach Shauna what you know?”
“Shay Shay is as strong as I am—if not stronger. She only needs to keep her focus.” Lee trained his gaze at a fifty pound weight in the corner of the room, willing it to hover over and rest at his feet. “I might not be a muscle man.” He flashed Quinn a nasty stare. “I don’t need to be. My strength is up here.” Pointing to his head, he gave Shauna a silly smirk.
“Can you tap into my mind?” Tristan asked.
Lee concentrated his stare on Tristan, for a second, and the vampire immediately fell to the floor, clutching his head in pain.
Ascher gasped. He’d seen what Lee was capable of, but still found his powers amazing. While he never considered what having Lee Williams on the side of the warriors would mean, Ascher was beginning to believe things were coming together for a reason. He was loyal to his sister and would be an asset to the cause.
Quinn helped Tristan off the mat and into a seat. “Enough of that. Let’s do kicks.”
Resetting her posture, Shauna stood back on her left foot, pivoted her hip and landed several round kicks to Quinn’s stomach.
“No more kicking.” Quinn flinched, apparently remembering her raging kick to his groin. “I think you’ve got that down. Guards back up and come at me!”
“Unh,” Shauna grunted, engaging Quinn with an equal intensity that showed in the straining of her biceps. She circled him with alert blue eyes which sought to gain an advantage, her breathing barely audible. Her footing faltered for a second and her guard dropped, making her face vulnerable.
“Always protect your face and head!” Retreating, Quinn drew back and punched at her again, the measured hit connecting and sending her flying.
Shauna coasted through the air, her body hitting the mat with a brute force that knocked the breath from her heaving chest. Dazed, her gaze floated to the ceiling as her pulse returned to normal.
“Shay Shay,” Lee shouted, fighting against the clasp of Ascher’s restrictive hold. “Are you guys crazy? She’s hurt!”
Ascher shook his head at his dumbfounded brother-in-law. “Don’t you think I’d be over there if I thought she were hurt? Listen to her mind, Lee. She’s centering herself.”
“If you can’t take it, you should’ve stayed home,” Quinn muttered, standing over her. “I know it seems like I’m being harsh, but she has to learn. War is coming. Shauna has to be strong enough to survive it.”
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