Chapter 54 CHAPTER 54
"Again."
If I ever hear that word once I leave this place, I'll commit murder without being forced to.
I picked up the stake and rushed at Kael who is surprisingly fast for a man his size.
Bulky, tan skin and blue eyes, he'd come to get me nine days ago and we went to Nashville High
He led me through the portal and then we walked on the beach property for about an hour before he pointed at the house behind me and told me it was mine until I completed my targets.
It's in front of it that he rearranged my bones with these maddening training simulations every fucking morning.
He interrupts my attack and grabs my neck.
"Boom, you're dead. Is that your plan? To die and run away from your responsibilities?"
"I've thought about it," I growl, pushing off from his hold and attacking again, faster this time, "but I need to finish High school at least."
"That's it? That's what's keeping you on earth?"
And the hope that I'll see Fabian again and we can elope to his country and have a beautiful life.
Sounds like a dream, I know.
I don't tell my trainer all of that though, he's a council representative, and I refuse to let them take this away from me too
"No, I also want to beat you at this game."
He laughed and parried my attacks faster, trying to prove a point.
All it did was turn my arms to slush.
"Still think you can beat me?"
"Fine, you win."
"The point is for you to kill them. You don't need to win, you don't need to employ any tactics or be creative in your killing. You smell vampire, you see it, you stake it through the heart. Simple."
"Why then are you destroying my arms?"
"Because you might miss. Or delay. Or they'll be stronger than you expect and you'll need to use your brains and not strength. Tactics and desperation."
"I swear they made this thing sound so easy," I groan as I pick up my stake again.
"My bosses have a terrible way of communicating. Vampires are stronger than us if it's a one on one combat. But as a Pack, wolves are impossible to defeat. That's why you need to catch your targets off guard. I hear you have hunter blood in you."
"I heard too, I have no idea what it means."
He rushed to me as he explained, and I could barely hear him above the calculation in my head.
"It means you have an advantage. Vampires kept the vampires underground for a while before the Great War. Everyone else is dead now except you so please do us all a favour and have a litter of pups, thank you. Ouch," he's shocked when I stab his shoulder.
I don't stop, I twisted his neck, not enough to crack but to prove a point.
"Rule number one," I say with a smirk, "don't ever be distracted."
"Is that how it is? Huh."
"The scoreboard is like five hundred to one, don't be a sore loser."
"Your words not mine. Drop the stake, I'm going to teach you the third way to kill them."
"Finally!"
"It's too messy Sera, don't sound so excited or I'll think you're a serial killer."
"Oh, I thought that's what you're teaching me to be?"
He shook his head, smiling.
He went behind me
"Can you feel where I'm touching?"
"My spine?"
"Yes. Remember what I said about distracting your target?"
I nodded.
"This is the best use case. They can smell a stake coming at them, they've been terrified of it their whole life but a claw? They'll never see it coming. You'll dig in precisely here," he dug into my skin but didn't break it, "At this point, they'll begin thrashing. Don't stop or lose hold. You'll wish he'd drink you dry. You must squeeze tighter and pull."
"Wait, I'm pulling out their spinal cord?"
"Exactly. That's the only tactic that works. If your claws grab the wrong spot, you'd better have a stake magically in hand or you're dead."
"I do not like this job description."
"Has anyone told you're unintentionally funny?"
"Yes, my friend Naomi."
I'd told her I was going to visit my father's grave and might be there for some time. Hopefully, she's not trying to call me, my phone is plugged into my drawer and someone might decide to check.
Damn, how could I have been so careless? What if they get into my phone and discover I've been texting Naomi everything?
Not really everything but still...
"She's absolutely right," Kael says to me. "Take the evening off. You've earned it."
"You mean to tell me every time I win, I'll get time off? You should have led with that!"
"I didn't... Ugh, you're crafty."
I go into my cabin, the window from the roof still funny to me whenever I sleep in wolf form it comes in handy.
Kael brings me dinner like he's done every day for the last week and some days.
"I'm going to smoke later by the beach. Wanna come with?"
"I've never seen a wolf who smokes."
"You know about three wolves Sera, that's not enough for a research work. Are you coming?"
"Yes, you know I love watching the sea and begging it to make me a mermaid. Being a werewolf is too much work.x
He laughed and left while I went in to eat my dinner
Later, we sit by the beach and I drink a bottle of beer and he smokes.
He says this is a right of passage and I don't refuse or argue.
We spend another five days like this, with me getting in more wins every day.
By the fifteenth day, I come out for training but he's not there.
So I heard towards his own house, which was far from mine by about five minutes.
He met me halfway with a bag parked.
"What's happening? You're leaving?"
"Aww, she's going to miss me. I'm touched."
"Come on Kael, what's happening? Why are you parked?"
"You're going on your first mission."
My heart lurched forward.
"You're joking right?"
"But I'm not ready!"
"Says the lady that put me on my ass five times yesterday."
"I knew I should have let you win."
"Naa, you've been ready for about three days now. I waited because most half-bloods need a full month before they can do what you are doing. But I don't see why you should wait one more second. Besides, didn't you say you wanted to get this over and done with?"
"Yes, but I don't know... Everything is just shocking."
"I bet you the vampire you're about to kill us is going to be more shocked," he chuckled, walking past me.
I followed him, my heart heavy.
Why didn't I feel as ready as he thinks I am?.