Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 137004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 685(@200wpm)___ 548(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 685(@200wpm)___ 548(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
It took two weeks before she was no longer nearing a state of unconsciousness at the end of each sparring session and had perfected each combat move he taught her, such as the palm-heel strike, overhand, elbow strikes, round kick, side kick, sweeping, chokeholds, and joint locks. It was then that he introduced more combat moves such as the eye gouge, hammer fists, knee strikes, ground fighting, counters to strikes, and chokes and holds. She was still trying to perfect those, which was why she was currently on her ass. “Evil,” she said, panting. “That’s a good word to describe you right now.” Dante merely smiled down at her. “That’s what all the enforcers said during training. But they learned, and so will you.” He wondered if Jaime had any idea of just how much progress she had made in her training. She had soaked up everything he taught her. He suspected that Tao’s words were a big part of why she refused to give up, but most of it was because the female was made of steel. He knew she wasn’t convinced that bettering her control would make any difference long-term, but she was sticking with the regimen in any case. He was so unbelievably proud of her.
Now not only was she fitter and more experienced at combat, but her control over her wolf was improving. In the beginning, her wolf had managed to surface just enough to growl during sparring, but not anymore. Even now as Jaime was on the ground with her opponent looming over her, she was able to quash her wolf’s extreme urge to take a swipe at him and warn him off. And he knew it was what her wolf wanted. He could sense her agitation, as could his wolf.
After a few of the pack watched her spar a week ago and saw how well she kept her wolf leashed, their anxiety lessened to the extent that Trey didn’t insist on her being constantly guarded. He still didn’t let her be around Taryn alone, but that was pretty much expected.
Dante reached down and offered her his hand. She didn’t take it, just like he knew she wouldn’t. Instead, she jumped to her feet, making a distinct effort to regulate her breathing.
“Am I right in thinking that when it’s time for me to play cat and mouse with the enforcers and it does come to combat, they aren’t going to hold back?”
“You are definitely right to think that. Not even Dominic will hold back. I think you’d be surprised if you ever saw him fight. His humor and relaxed countenance totally disappear. It has to.
When it comes to combat, it’s officially a life-or-death situation. As soon as their opponents realize that they’re facing an enforcer who’s come to defend the pack, they will know exactly what that means: they’re going to die. No enforcer would allow anything different. It would be nice if they handed themselves over at that point, but unfortunately, they don’t. They do everything and anything to fight the enforcers off and prefer to die fighting.”
They began to circle each other slowly as he continued to speak. “And they don’t fight cleanly, Jaime, but neither do my enforcers. They each know it isn’t just about them as individuals; enforcers are responsible for one another’s safety, and they know to use the raw, aggressive skills I’ve taught them, because the alternative is death—either theirs or that of a packmate—and that is not allowed.” His commanding, dominant, assertive tone almost made her shiver. He might be evil like this, but he was also sexy as all hell.
“I’ll expect you to enter that same ‘it’s me or them’ mind-set if you ever find yourself in a confrontation again. If any of Glory’s crazy-ass brothers get hold of you, don’t give them the chance to get in the first move. You must do everything and anything you can to subdue them: you hit first, you hit hard, and you aim to end the struggle as quickly as possible. That means targeting the vulnerable parts of the body, like the face, the neck, the groin. When you’re in combat with the enforcers in a few weeks, you have to think of them as opponents and treat them just the same.”
“That won’t be a problem,” said Jaime. “They’ve got some karma coming their way.” His wolf liked her merciless streak, baring his teeth in a feral grin. Just the same, Dante found himself grinning. His Jaime had a fondness for vengeance, and he had the distinct feeling that the enforcers, particularly Tao, would be sorry they doubted her ability to complete and pass the training.
“Good. Let’s go again.”
For twenty minutes, Jaime fought with everything she had, hit him with every move she knew…but soon enough she was flat on her back, gazing up at him. “You’re so not getting lucky later.”