Caged by Damnation (Caged #2)(76)

Focusing on Aidan's core, I was aware of my direct line of sight, my peripheral vision, and I tried to utilize my other senses. The grin on Aidan's face didn't help. It set me off balance, knowing that this was child's play to him. He was a honed fighter, and I couldn't even call myself an amateur.

His hazel eyes bored into mine as he swung out his fist, pulling back at the last second. He was testing my reaction. A few more punches came my way and I quickly learned to duck, jump back, or use my forearms to block his attack.

Suddenly, he spun in place, jumping as he came back to face me, and swiped his foot across my cheek. Blood filled my mouth. I landed on my side and bit my inner cheek. Pushing through the wooziness, I stood and ran at him.

I kicked sideways, trying to catch him in the belly, but he bent his leg and used his knee to block my move. Simultaneously, he clutched my shirt at the collar and threw himself backwards, taking me with him. Using my velocity against me, he kicked with his legs, sending me hurling over his head. I landed face-first on the floor.

I didn't have time to catch my breath before I was being dragged along the floor on my stomach and flipped over onto my back. I rolled over a few times and pushed myself back up to face Aidan.

My body screamed at me to rest, but I refused to listen. Instead, I racked my brain for some way to win the fight. While I was distracted, Aidan took advantage, savagely attacking me until I began responding with instinct. With force that I hadn't known I possessed, my palm shot out, hitting him square in the ribcage. He slid across the ground until the top of his head connected with a cement wall.

I jumped on top of Aidan, straddling him. I quickly swung my hips around, catching his arm between my thighs and fell to the side, pulling his arm along with me. He grunted in pain, attempting to move, but my lower legs held him in stasis. His other arm pried at my shoulder, locating a pressure point, and I cried out as I released him.

Aidan had experience and strength, but strength can sometimes slow you down, and experience can be predictable. I was faster and more inventive. I needed to use those traits to my advantage.

While fending off his attack, I looked around at my surroundings. The room was filled with exercise machines and other contraptions. If I could keep him on his toes, he might tire enough for me to gain the upper hand.

Quickly, I turned and ran for the far wall. Shouts from behind told me that they thought I was forfeiting the match, but then I jumped onto the bench-press and vaulted onto the wall. Using a bar for leverage, I stood on it and kicked off high enough to grab onto a beam that stretched across the room from wall to wall.

Swinging onto the ledge, I glanced back and stalked Aidan with my eyes. I prowled, slinking along the beam like a feline goading another cat into a fight over territory.

The high ground gave me confidence. "What's the matter? Afraid of heights?" With perfect balance, I crouched low, using one hand to evenly distribute my weight.

A knowing glint reflected in Aidan's eyes and he followed suit. "You call this high?" Laughing, I gave him room to maneuver and find his balance.

The wood strained beneath our weight, but held us thirty feet off of the ground. The others milled around, anxious for the sparring to resume. Aidan stood still, watching, waiting for me to make a move.

Slowly, I placed one foot in front of the other, my hips swaying with deception, while my eyes pulled his inward. My tresses flowed around me, as if swept up in a draft, though there wasn't any. Just before I came within arm's reach, I paused, noticing the barest change in Aidan's posture.

I tightened my body into a ball and did a backwards summersault. Ending in a crouch, I spun to face Aidan, as he kicked me into the wall at the edge of the beam.

My vision became a relentless migraine, but I pushed through it, forcing oxygen into my lungs, as they protested the invasion.

Aidan delivered a series of punches and kicks, but I didn't have any ground to give up. His fist blasted towards my nose. I ducked, slammed my own fist into his side, and sent him hurling into the wall at my back.

Aidan grinned at me. "Now you're learning."

His jovial behavior set me off balance. By the time awareness dawned, he had jumped into the air, used my shoulders to flip over me, and ended with a spinning back kick delivered at my tailbone. Moments later, I had fallen to the floor.

"Ah, hell. You okay?" Aidan shouted at me from the ledge. He seemed genuinely concerned, but since he was the one who had given me such an agonizing blow, I didn't feel the need to put him at ease.

Wolfe, the Draconian who seemed the most human, held out his hand to help me up. "Dang! Aidan, man, if you're that hungry to kick someone's ass until January, couldn't you have used that stamina on Ryder?"

Ryder squinted at Wolfe. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that you can be a pain in the ass sometimes. It wouldn't hurt for you to be kicked in it once in a while." Wolfe laughed, catching Ryder in a headlock and giving him a noogie.

"You're asking for a beating, Wolfe." Nicolai walked into the room, causing the guys to quit their rough housing immediately. Aidan jumped down from the beam, while the Hellhounds remained cautiously silent, appraising everyone.

"We were just having some matches..." Cooper began.

Rafe cut him off. "We're teaching Willow how to fight."

Nicolai's gaze lingered on Rafe. "It looks to me like you're teaching her how to fall."