Page 60 of Vow Of Fire

“What’s next?” she asked, pushing up her sleeves.

I smirked. “Glad you asked. If he’s still standing, you pivot out of his centerline and drive your elbow back. Like this.”

I guided her through the motion once, slow enough for her to feel the mechanics of it.

“Turn. Plant. Strike.”

Then I released her. “Now you try it.”

“Turn. Plant. Strike,” she muttered, as she went through the actions. Her form was improving. She held herself straighter, looked stronger and more confident.

“Again.”

She spun faster this time. Her elbow slammed into my shoulder exactly where I’d intended. The strike was solid enough to jar me. No mean feat.

“That’s good,” I grimaced, welcoming the pain.

Anything to replace the tension building inside of me. Except, it didn’t because the problem wasn’t in my shoulder.

It was in the feel of her curvy body nestled against mine. In the sharp little breaths she took when she moved. In the way she looked at me after each move, like she was waiting for approval. Like it mattered what I thought.

The men I’d trained before did it because they had to, because they needed to survive. Evelyn looked at me like she wanted to please me. It was fucking with my head.

“In a real situation, the elbow goes here.” I tapped the side of my own head. “Temple. Thinnest bone in the skull.”

She stiffened, and I could tell she was uncomfortable with this. Well, I was going to make her even more uncomfortable.

“A clean shot there doesn’t just hurt him, it shuts the system down. Often permanently.”

She gulped but held my gaze.

“The moment the impact lands, you run. Don’t stop to check and don’t look back. Understand?”

She nodded.

“Show me.” I held up my palms.

She came at me. Once. Twice. On the third one I caught her elbow and corrected the angle. My other hand gripped her waist and encountered warm, clammy skin, the muscles taut under her sweater. She was working hard.

We both froze. I held her for a brief moment, before reluctantly letting her go. “Groin,” I said huskily.

Her eyes flew to mine. “Excuse me?”

“Knee strike to the groin. He grabs you like this, you grab his shoulders and drive your knee straight up between his legs as hard as you can.”

She looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “You want me to knee you in the balls?”

“Yeah, hard. You’re not warning him off. You’re trying to rupture something.”

She cringed and eyed my crotch. “I’m not sure I want to rupture anything.”

“If your life depends on it, you will.”

She didn’t reply.

“I’m going to grab you, okay? You do what I taught you. We’re only drilling the movement.”

I stepped toward her and gripped her by the upper arms. Her frame was slender, and I thought how easily I could overpower her, if I wanted to.