A Call of Vampires (A Shade of Vampire #51)(11)

Heron and Jax were sparring on the other side, with Patrik fighting Phoenix and Draven at the same time. Heron was skilled and quick on his feet, while Patrik’s stamina allowed him to hold his own against two opponents, his punches heavy enough to throw Phoenix back and knock the air out of Draven’s lungs. I noticed Derek, Ben, and Cameron standing by the doorway leading back inside the base, watching as Bijarki, Benedict, and Bastien took turns with four other recruits.

By the time I was through with Fiona and Avril, while Scarlett was getting in position for another round against me and I was thankful to not have gotten my teeth kicked out by Fiona just yet, I noticed Blaze was taking a break, his gaze fixed on Caia. Nobody else noticed it, but I knew that look well. For a fire dragon under a celibacy oath, Blaze was going to have a lot of trouble working on the same team as the fire fae. A grin bloomed on my face as I wondered what it would be like to nominate him along with Caia for Tenebris… After all, the greatest warriors blossom in the middle of adversity. I chuckled, mostly to myself.

Scarlett’s right hook came fast, but I was able to block it with my forearms. I launched a quick succession of punches to push her back. She was strong, not just quick on her feet; I had to give the girl credit, as she could definitely take a punch or twenty.

“Jovi, try not to get yourself maimed before our wedding day,” Anjani quipped as she dodged one of Harper’s kicks with a confident smirk.

“I could say the same for you, my love,” I breathed out, and darted to Scarlett’s left side, turned with a leg out, and swept her off her feet. She hit the ground with a thud and a grunt. Another point for me.

I offered her a hand and helped her up, nodding at Fiona. My skin crawled, as I knew she’d put in a bit more strength in the second round. Fiona was very protective of and attached to both Scarlett and Avril, and I could tell from the look on her face that she didn’t like the way I’d brought her cousin down.

“Mind if I join you, dear ladies?” Heron grinned as he approached, his jade eyes fixed deliberately on me.

In any other circumstances, I would’ve taken him down for that, just to wipe the arrogant look off his face. I cared a lot for both him and Jax, but this boy needed a kick once in a while—and I instantly glanced at my trainees, wondering which one would be happy to put him in his place. It wouldn’t have the same impact if I kicked his ass. This had to be done by a Novak lady.

“By all means.” I nodded, the corner of my mouth twitching, then took a couple of steps to the side, waiting for either Scarlett, Fiona, or Avril to say something.

“My brother sent me over here, said I could learn a few tricks from you all.” Heron shrugged. “As if. But anyway, who wants to go first?”

I could see the girls’ eyes burning. They all wanted to feed him a slice of humble pie. Avril, however, was the one to step forward with her chin high.

“Let’s go, wise ass.” She raised an eyebrow, arms crossed over her chest. “Show me what you’re made of, and I’ll show you what you can learn from us.”

She had picked up a delicate French accent from her mother. It made everything she said sound softer than it actually was, often prompting others to underestimate her fierceness and strength because she sounded so “cute”.

Heron chuckled and took his position. Avril assumed her fighting stance, fists balled and blocking her face, her hazel gaze locked on his. The two vampires stood like that for a second longer than I would’ve expected—then Heron threw the first punch, and Avril dodged it.

He tried again, but she was fast. They went on like that for about a minute, with Heron trying different angles—not necessarily to hit her, but rather to get a feel for her defensive moves. Smart, I thought, but Avril wasn’t even trying at that point.

“Are you going to keep dodging me for much longer, honey?” Heron smirked.

“Are you going to keep throwing punches like a six-year-old?” Avril shot back, her shoulders tense as they moved around each other.

Heron chuckled, then threw a heavier left hook, followed by a series of punches and knee-kicks that Avril blocked with her arms, until he immediately switched and knocked her in the ribs. She coughed, and he took a step back, satisfaction spreading a smile on his face.

“I don’t know why you’re smiling,” Avril said, regaining her breath. “This is far from over.”

“Not that far, honey. I’ve seen your moves by now. I know what to expect.”

“Oh, okay!” Avril feigned enlightenment. “Then it’s time to teach you a lesson!”

She didn’t wait for his reply. She launched a flurry of punches, which the Eritopian vamp found harder to block, given the increasing speed with which she delivered them. Avril had been holding a lot back, to get him to relax and slip up. She dodged one of his punches and shot up with a surprise uppercut. I heard his teeth clank together as his head fell back.

Avril didn’t stop. She used her knees and shins to weaken his legs before she swiftly moved around him and jumped high enough to wrap her legs around his left shoulder, over his back, and pull him down with her weight and a little help from physics. They both landed heavily on the ground, with Avril twisting Heron’s left arm around, close to breaking it loose from the shoulder. Her legs straightened and put enough pressure on his upper back to stuff his face in the short red grass.