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“I guess.”
“The best thing I’ve learned to do is replace that emotion with another. Anger is powerful. It will urge you to use more strength and feed your adrenaline. Wanna try?”
She lifted a tiny shoulder. “I’m not scared of you.”
I snatched Boo from the ground, and she gasped, stumbling backward. Hugging the pup before giving him a good scratch behind the ears, I continued. “That’s the reaction part of your brain. You didn’t see it coming, and you did nothing to stop me.”
“Okay.”
She knew I wouldn’t hurt the dog, but still, she pulled him from my hands.
“All fine and dandy, Maiden, but maybe move on to the self-defense part,” Paesha said, her eyes locked on Orin emerging from the tree line.
“Be loud, Quill. Shout and scream and make sure everyone around you knows what’s happening. And then you fight like hell. You kick, you punch, you don’t hold back. Aim for the nose like this.” I thrust my palm upward. “Then kick them between the legs as hard as you can. Never worry about how much it’s going to hurt you. Don’t hold back.”
“Got it,” she said with a firm nod.
“Remember what I told you about trusting people?”
She held the dog closer. “Trust no one more than myself.”
Orin cleared his throat behind her. “What are we up to?” The deep bruise around his light eyes was the worst of his injuries from his most recent performance. Whatever the fight had been, he’d clearly won.
“Teaching Quill how to defend herself,” I answered, rising from the ground, though I still wasn’t at eye level.
He rolled his sleeves to just below his elbows, nodding. “Great. Let’s see what you’ve got, kid.”
Quill snorted. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
He scrunched his nose with a kindness in his eyes I’d only seen in fleeting moments. “I’m tougher than I look.”
“Maybe she should practice on Dey instead.” Paesha picked at the hem of her sleeve, stepping backward, the draw in her voice making it clear she thought Orin to be more fragile than I was.
“She’s eight,” he answered with a scoff.
I held his gaze for just a moment, lifting my brow to question him.
“Honestly, you two. Worse than my mother. Come on, Quill. Show me what you’ve got.”
“Well, we haven’t practiced it yet,” she answered, throwing her hands on her hips.
“Quill, go stand next to Paesha,” I said, grabbing Orin by his black shirt sleeve. “You come this way.”
He followed with no hesitation. “I think she’s starting to pick up on your attitude.”
“Oh, right, it’s definitely not Paesha’s shining personality coming through.”
Orin chuckled. “So, what have we learned so far? Running away?”
I’d planned to warn him, but the cockier he got, the more interested I became in the show. “Something like that. Just run up and grab her. Let’s see what she does.”
He rubbed his hands together. “She’s just going to laugh.”
“I don’t think you’re giving her enough credit, Icky.”
He froze, rising to his full height. “Call me anything else in the world, Wife. That one has to go.”
“Okay, Fluffy Bottom. Full speed, right at her.”
