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“Excuse me?” Kyle said, his eyes narrowing to slits.
“Look, I’ll be honest,” Audrey continued, a sly smile on her lips. She knew exactly what she was doing. “I was holding back and had no idea you had shifter strength and abilities, thanks to your witchy friends. I thought you were just a sad, fragile little human. Of course I took it easy on you.”
“Sad and fragile?” Kyle snarled, his hackles raised. “You want to test that theory, Greenthorne?”
“Anytime, Grumpy,” she taunted, popping one hip out.
“Let’s go, then.” Kyle stepped into one of the open spaces and got himself ready to spar while Audrey sauntered over, rotating her arms over her head and to the side. Without warning, she ran toward Kyle and took the offense.
Kyle didn’t hesitate, going straight into defensive mode.
With their combined speed, the fight went fast. Audrey had to have had martial arts training at some point, because she was really good, and it made me appreciate a new side of her. This wasn’t the prissy, have-it-all woman I’d first perceived her to be. This woman, this fighter, took things more seriously.
Kyle and Audrey were at each other’s throats, and I laughed. Even though Audrey had a lot of skill, Kyle was holding back, trying not to hurt her even as she attacked him savagely and gave the fight her all.
Audrey began to sweat a little, but Kyle looked as collected as he’d been before the sparring started. Audrey roared as her frustration built, while Kyle stayed the steady, calm fighter he’d always been. Kyle never got emotional. It was like an eerie calmness took over him when he fought. His compartmentalization skills were the best I’d ever witnessed.
The fight must’ve gone on long enough because Kyle dropped his shoulder, lunged for Audrey, spun her, and tossed her back on the ground. At the same time, he put a hand around her head to keep it from smashing into the dirt as he pinned her.
“Well, you certainly are strong, aren’t you?” Audrey said, looking up at Kyle with a sexy smile. She trailed her fingers down his arm. “The way you’re able to throw a girl around, I bet we’d have a good time.” Lifting her head, Audrey kissed Kyle’s cheek, and his body softened as he gazed down at the woman beneath him.
Moving at a shifter speed, Audrey pushed her hips in the air, tangled one leg around his, and pushed Kyle over to pin him to the ground, winning the match.
The trick left me in giggles while Audrey kept Kyle pinned as she waved her arms around in victory.
Kyle had enough and stood with Audrey in his arms before planting her firmly on her feet. He scowled at her. “That was bad form. You can’t go around kissing all the hunters you fight because it won’t work to throw them off every time.”
Giggling, Audrey twisted a strand of hair around her finger. “You might be right, but I sure can try, and I’m positive most of them won’t mind. They were dying to get in my pants at the compound, anyway. As if they would ever have had a chance.”
Kyle clenched his jaw and stormed off, far away from Audrey.Ha.He was pissed at the mere idea of Audrey going around kissing hunters during a fight. His reaction only cemented my belief in his interest in Audrey. The kiss was an unusual tactic,but a woman had to do what she had to do in order to win. Becausedeathwas the other outcome.
“Hey,” Audrey said to me, though her gaze remained on Kyle’s retreating form. “I was thinking about having a girls’ night soon. What do you say? Just us ladies, relaxing and having fun?” The sparring match had apparently rolled off her back.
“Sounds great.” I grinned. “We should invite Margo and Lola, too.”
Audrey lifted her brow at the mention of Lola. “Your little stray psychiatrist?”
“Lola knows about shifters now. She witnessed me shift when the hunters attacked you and Kyle.”
Audrey grinned. “You sure know how to pick them, Tori, but sure. If you want to invite the wilting flower, go ahead. Just make sure she doesn’t freak out around us big, bad shifters.”
I tried to suppress a smile. “Lola’s still coming to terms with all of this. Just be a little mindful of what you say around her, okay? This is supposed to be fun, not traumatizing.”
Before arriving in Blackwood Creek, I had nobody, and now I had a crew of girlfriends. I had my brother back, and I was starting to really accept shifters. And it was all thanks to Ridge.
Deep down, I knew he’d have done all this, anyway—changed my life for the better—and it had nothing to do with being fated mates.
“Fine, but the shy little mouse needs to toughen up if she’s going to be living around here,” Audrey said, though it sure seemed like she was looking forward to the challenge. “It’ll be fun.”
With that, Audrey sauntered away. I shook off my thoughts about Ridge and turned my attention back to the training area. Kyle was taking his sour mood out on shifters from the Ontario Pack, and he was utterly pummeling the shifters. The shifterscalled it quits, and the Ontario Pack left with bruised egos. When we were alone, I could see Kyle was still spoiling for a fight.
I grinned knowingly at him. “Bro, if you really want to build up your reputation as a rough trainer, chat with Audrey every time before you start. She sure seems to get under your skin.”
“Drop it, Tori,” he growled. “Instead of worrying about my love life, maybe you should think about your own.”
I scowled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Kyle glanced over his shoulder as he straightened the training area. “Come on, Tori, you know what I mean. Your engagement to Ridge. Mateo told me the fantastic news while at the bar, about the official date Ridge and you had set for your wedding. Strange how I had to find out from somebody other than you, huh?” He raked the circles a little harder and faster than needed, kicking up a minor dust storm. “Tell me truthfully—are you really going through with marrying the rich mayor?”
