AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He blew a puff of air through his nostrils. "You know, if you weren't Castor's pet, I'd be more than happy to teach you some manners."
"I'm not his pet."
He ignored my protest entirely. "Lucky for you, he's out on a mission, so training your sorry ass falls to me."
"Training or killing?"
That earned a sharp laugh from him, and I was not at all sure that was a good thing, considering his laugh was about as malicious as everything else about him.
"So, what's he been teaching you? The usual Karate Kid bullshit?"
I frowned. "He's been teaching me hand-to-hand combat."
That earned another laugh. "I'm sure he has. Well, go on," he said, holding out his arms in invitation. "Show me what you've been learning, mutt."
I knew it was a setup, but what choice did I really have? It admittedly felt cathartic to take a swing at him, even if he dodged it easily enough. That was no surprise. I followed Castor's warning and leapt back as soon as I attacked, surprised that it actually worked, as fast as the other hunter was.
"Not bad,” Arrow remarked. He swept out with his legs before I could react, knocking me off my feet, and I fell flat on my ass. My tailbone felt like it was cracked, and I wouldn't have been at all surprised if that was the case.
"Guess he hasn't gotten around to teaching you how to block yet, though," Arrow said flatly.
I groaned. What was with these bastards and their cheap shots?
"Don't pout," Arrow taunted. "Just get back up and take it like a man."
"I'm not augmented like you," I protested. "It's hardly a fair fight."
"And if I wasn’t using kid gloves on you, that might be a valid point," he scoffed. "This isn't about fair, this is about reducing the odds you're going to get turned into paste the first time you go out on the hunt. At the moment, they’re at about a hundred percent, by the way.”
I got back onto my feet, prepared for the next onslaught, at least as much as I could be.
When Arrow took a swing at me again, kid gloves or not, I went flying. Not just across the mat, but into the nearest weapons rack.
Holy shit, Castor really had been holding back. Arrow was, as I had already come to expect, absolutely brutal.
Over the next thirty minutes, he seemed to take great delight in beating me down before I'd even had the chance to fully get back on my feet. It was an exercise in futility, and the fact that it got easier—even if it was only enough that I could occasionally dodge his fists—was all the proof I needed that he, too, was hardly at full strength. Not even close.
"Man, this is boring," he finally announced when I had been down for a few seconds, well aware that the next time I got up, I was going to be in for a whole new world of agony. It already felt like every bone in my body was on the verge of breaking, even if he somehow managed to keep from actually crossing that line. "I forgot how much training duty used to suck. Of course, you're shittier than most of the newbies."
"Thanks," I groaned. "Do you have to be such a dick about it?"
“You've been training with Castor for two weeks now," he shot back. "You should be used to it by now."
I frowned. "He's not that bad."
Arrow gave a hearty laugh. "Right. You're still simping hard for him. I have to admit, I thought the novelty would have worn off by now. Is it the pretty face, or the tight ass?"
I clenched my jaw, immediately furious, even though a reaction was probably exactly what he was trying to elicit. The triumphant look in his eyes affirmed as much.
"I forget how possessive you mutts are," he taunted. "Don't worry, Cas isn't my type."
I had a feeling it was mutual.
"Before, you said something about me imprinting on him," I began carefully. It was probably a mistake to remind him, but I was curious and knew this was probably my only chance at getting an honest answer out of anyone, if only because he didn't seem to have a filter.
Arrow raised an eyebrow. "I was joking."
"What does it mean?" I pressed.
