After the first sparring session, Delphine showed me how to use his own weight against him.
“Instead of backpedaling,” Delphine explained, demonstrating, “move toward him.”
Freddy, still in his half-shifted form, pretended to claw at Delphine, but the woman moved in close, forcing herself inside his attack radius where he couldn’t swipe at her.
Delphine grabbed his arm and shoved her hip into his, then pivoted forward. Freddy let out a yowl of surprise as he tumbled over her back and landed with a thump on the grassy earth.
“See?” Delphine said, wiping her hands together. “I’m smaller, but I got him down. You try.”
Over the next hour, we did. Soon, I’d perfected the hip throw. Along with that, they showed me a number of other ways to use my attacker’s strength and size against them. Shoulder throws, leg wheels, and other martial arts moves that worked well against two-legged attackers.
When all three of us were sweating and tired, Freddy grinned at me. “I’d love to stay longer, but I’m supposed to meet with Titus and Aurelius to draw up a layout of the house. Are you guys good?”
“We are,” I said, wiping my brow. “We’ll probably work on this stuff a while longer though.”
He chuckled as he walked away. “Don’t wear yourself out.”
I watched him leave, Delphine standing beside me.
“He’s a good boy,” Delphine said when he was out of earshot. “I’m glad he’s not a spoiled little shit like Bastien.”
“Yeah, it’s almost like money, power, and never being told ‘no’ really went to Bastien’s head.
Shocking,” I added dryly, rolling my eyes.
“Thankfully the same can’t be said for Aurelius.”
“He does seem to have come out more like Freddy than Bastien, that’s for sure,” I said.
Delphine let out an irritated sigh. “I was trying to get you to talk about him, not to compare him to your brothers. You haven’t really talked about how you feel about him.”
“Oh,” I muttered as I plopped down on the grass. “I guess it hasn’t really come up much.”
Delphine flopped down beside me. “Hasn’t come up? You’ve spent more nights in his room than yours, young lady. Sounds like something is coming up.”
“Gross!”
I shoved her playfully. “When did you start talking about sex?”
“When the woman I’ve been tasked with watching over has been spending time with a gorgeous prince. That’s when.” She took my hands in hers. “Are things getting serious?”
I looked away. I was in love with Aurelius, but I also knew nothing more than what we had now could ever come of it. He’d need to marry another dragon shifter, a noble lady, and have kids. That was the whole deal with royalty. You had to have kids to continue the line.
“I like him a lot,” I finally admitted. “He’s great.”
Delphine eyed me speculatively. “That isn’t exactly a glowing description. Are you happy?”
“What? Like right now?” I asked.
“No silly. I mean in general.” She waved a hand around like she was swatting a fly. “No more talk about guys. Are you happy
?”
I thought back to my day-to-day life before all this drama started. Working, shopping, hanging out with Delphine. It had all been pleasant, if a little boring. Now that I’d come here, to this place, my life had changed. Was there fear and terror? Sure, thanks to my jackass family. But I’d made new friends. I’d found a new life that was way different from what I’d had before. I felt at home here.
“I think I am,” I said, speaking slowly. “I’m happy. Stressed out, freaked out, and worried, sure, but I’ve never felt so good.” Shaking my head, I let out a little laugh. “I know that sounds crazy, with how close we’ve come to dying, but there it is. I’m happy here.”
“Good. That’s all I ever wanted for you.” She leaned even closer and nudged me in the ribs. “You know what I’m most angry about, though?”
“What?” I said, my brows knitting together.
“You and I never got to go on that damn beach vacation. I could use a beach, a pina colada, and some sand between my toes. I really want to punch your brother in the face for that one.”
I let out a laugh. My mother’s offer for an all-expenses paid vacation to the family’s villa in the Caribbean so I wouldn’t attend Freddy’s wedding seemed like it had happened a lifetime ago. “That does sound nice.”
“That reminds me of something I haven’t shown you yet,” she said as she stood.
“What? You’ve already shown me, like, a dozen things,” I said, standing to join her.
“I’ve shown you how to counteract a wolf or werewolf, but I forgot about the third thing. The human form.”
“Wouldn’t a swift kick in the nuts work for that?” I asked, only partially kidding. As I knew all too well, the human body was much easier to damage than the other forms shifters could take.
“It could,” she admitted, “but I was thinking of something more, uh, permanent.”
“Castration?”
Delphine let out the loudest bray of laughter I’d ever heard come out of her mouth. In all the years we’d been together, I couldn’t recall her losing it like that.
“Come here,” she said, “I’ll show you what I mean.”
Obeying her request, I stepped forward, but gasped when she latched her hand on my wrist, and spun me around, clamping her free arm around my neck and squeezing tight.
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