Chapter 7: Chapter 7

Dodging under a fist, Shane lashed out with his foot, kicking Rai’s ankle. The deft fox hopped back, but he noticed a limp as she steadied herself.

It had been two weeks since they started training, and over the last couple of days, they had begun sparring. Shane had previous fighting experience from being on the streets. That didn’t mean he was perfect, and that Rai wasn’t going to kick his ass, but at least he stood a chance.

Rai darted back in, snapping a kick into his side.

Shifting his footing, he avoided the kick by a mere inch before catching her leg. The force behind her kick threw him off balance and to the ground.

“Are you trying to kill me?” he shouted.

Rai didn’t answer as she jumped on top of him, pinning his waist to the ground. Her fist came back and slammed down onto his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

Shane grunted but took the blow before twisting. Once again, he watched her eyes widen as he started wiggling out her grip.

She continued to rain down blows on him as he slipped out from under her, flowing like water to break her grasp. Growling, she scrambled to grab him only to find him several feet away, pulling himself across the ground. Catching his breath, he hopped back to his feet and beckoned for her to come at him.

Fire flickered through her hair as she got up. Stomping her foot, she created a firm hold to push off of.

Shane twisted as she leapt forward, his body gliding across her fist before he landed one of his own. The blow to her hardened body knocked him back several steps.

“That’s cheating!” he complained.

Rai composed herself and smirked. “There’s no such thing as cheating in a fight.”

Rubbing his chin, he narrowed his eyes at her. “Is that so?”

“Yes. Now, are you going to stop dancing around like a weasel and actually fight me.”

“Nope!” Shane chirped. “Your hits hurt.”

“They are supposed to,” she growled.

Furrowing his brows, he twitched as she ran forward. He could already sense her pending kick and moved.

Her foot grazed his stomach, and he slammed down his elbow onto her knee, jarring her body.

When she tried to take a step back, she limped and nearly collapsed. Then he felt her pull essence from his body to heal herself.

“You can’t use my essence against me,” Shane snapped.

“It’s my essence in the first place,” she retorted. “I’ll use it if I want to.”

He wasn’t adept enough to cut her off, but he also knew that if he didn’t open himself to more of her essence, he wasn’t going to win this fight.

It only took him a fraction of a second to twist the valve on his tattoo. Essence flooded his body, bringing with it more pain than Rai could ever inflict.

He gritted his teeth through the passing of power and felt the fibers of his body increase in strength. This time when Rai came for him, he was ready.

A fist snapped out for his chin, and he twisted as time seemed to slow down. His reactions were faster, and he reached out and caught her elbow. Twisting her arm, he threw her towards a tree.

Following up, he raced forward, his knee coming up to crash into her chest. Rai only had a moment to be surprised before she crossed her arms and took the blow.

The tree behind her cracked, and bark shattered off of it. Rai slumped to the ground and glared up at him.

“How much of a boost did you give yourself?” she asked.

“I’m not sure,” he panted out. Lowering himself to the ground, he sat next to her.

Reaching out, she touched his tattoo. “It seems you have incorporated around half of my essence.” Touching his forehead, she asked. “How are you feeling? Any side effects?”

Shaking his head, he asked, “Is the world supposed to slow down when I react?”

“No…” she said slowly. “It isn’t.”

“Well, it did.”

“We’re going to have to test that more. Now, tell me. How do you weasel your way out of my grasp every time?”

Laughing, he waved a finger at her. “That’s my secret. I’ve always been a weasel.”

Rolling her eyes, she leaned back and rested against the tree. “You’re a scrappy fighter, but you have no training.”

“Nope,” he agreed. “But I’m learning from fighting you. Were you trained before coming here?”

“Yes. I was also trained in weapons, but I’m sure the Marked we are going to be up against will be better.”

Shane nodded. “That’s where my fighting style will come in handy.”

“And your reaction speed. It’s insane how fast you dodge my attacks, and I’m only holding back a little.” Frowning, she leaned forward and pressed her nose against his cheek. “You’re annoying.”

“What?” he asked. “Is that any way to talk to your lover?”

“You’re not my lover,” she growled. “We’ve only shared one kiss!”

“I guess I’ll have to go find some other woman to take me. It’s been fun, Rai.” With that, he got to his feet.

He watched as Rai gawked at him, tears in her eyes.

“Come back,” she whispered.

Shane raised his brows. I may have taken my joke a little too far…

“Please,” she pleaded.

Nodding, he sat back down next to her. “I was only teasing you.”

“It’s not funny to joke about something like that,” she said softly. Shifting around, she moved so she could crawl and rest between his legs with her head on his chest.

Shane ran his fingers through her hair. “I won’t leave you. I promise. But when are we going to admit that we both want more from this relationship?”

“When you’re ready to tell me those words.”

Sighing, Shane leaned back and hit his head against the tree. Tapping it a few times, he said, “That’s not fair.”

“Why not?”

Shane closed his eyes. Because if I tell you that I love you, I’ll be destroyed when you inevitably leave me.

“Shane?” Rai asked.

“It’s nothing,” he whispered.

“You’re worried about something. I can feel it.” Sitting up, she touched his chest and looked him in the eye. “Talk to me.”

Shane shook his head. “We should get back to training.”

“Shane,” Rai murmured. “You can’t always hide from me.”

“No, I can. I’m very good at hiding. This one time, I hid in a garbage can for three days while the guards searched for me.”

“Shane,” she warned.

“I quite literally threw myself out with the trash. It worked though,” he said. Touching her ear, he felt himself shiver at the fluffiness. “Jeremy eventually found me and pulled me out when the coast was clear. May stayed away from me for a week after that. I had to bathe in the market fountain in the middle of the night just to get close to her.”

“Shane!” Rai snapped.

“Yes?” he asked, his expression soft and his eyes filled with humor.

Sighing, Rai got up. “How about this. If I win the next match, you have to tell me what is bothering you. If you win, I’ll tell you a secret behind our bond.”

Getting up, he smirked. “I had to fight off a girl once. Let’s just say she was a little angry after catching me with her sister. That’s the day I learned long nails really hurt.”

Raising her fists, Rai faced off against him.

Shane rolled his neck and shook out his arms. “Despite having to run from that situation, I learned more than a few things.”

Rai burst forward, bring her fist towards his face.

Breathing out, time seemed to slow as he watched the fist. Twisting his head, he let it graze his cheek before punching Rai in the stomach.

His bond gasped and flew back several feet before rolling across the ground.

Looking down at his fist, he whistled. “Where was this power when the angry twin attacked? Just because I mistook her sister for her didn’t mean she had to chase me out of the slums.”

Rai got back to her feet and wobbled. Pulling on his essence, she healed herself again. “I should stop holding back.”

Shane’s eyes widened as he felt her draw even more essence from him. This time when she burst forward, the ground tore, and leaves were shredded.

Time slowed as he tried to process her attack, only for her body to continue forward at nearly full speed. He had just enough time to duck and punch her thigh before she barreled into him.

Her elbow came down on his collar, disrupting his muscle and cracking the bone. His right arm hung limply at his side as he toppled to the ground with her on top of him.

Her tail wrapped around his leg, holding him in place as she growled. Flames licked over her body as she pounded blow after blow into his chest.

Shane wheezed out a breath before letting his mind relax. Once again, the world slowed down around him, and this time Rai didn’t look quite as fast.

Interesting, he thought to himself. I don’t know how this works, but it appears if I’m calm it works better.

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Grabbing her fist, he bucked his hips and rolled her to the side. With her legs wrapped around him, he pinned her down and returned her attacks by punching her ribs.

When the first one cracked, she tapped the ground.

“Yield!” she hissed in pain.

Shane sat back and let out a weary breath. His right arm still didn’t want to work, but he could already feel her essence healing the muscle and cracked bone.

“Why do we always end up on the ground?” Shane asked.

Rai smirked. “I thought you wanted to pin me down.”

Shane glanced at her and shook his head. Laughing, he covered his mouth.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

Rubbing his eyes, he relaxed. “I believe you had something to tell me about our bond.”

Uncoiling her tail from around his leg, she pulled herself out from under him. “I do, and while we heal, I’ll tell you the most important aspect of our bond.”

“Which is?” He dragged out the question.

“I can’t die,” she said with a shrug.

Shane froze. “W-what?” he stammered.

Rai grabbed his neck and pulled him forward until he was resting on her chest. “As long as you’re alive, I can’t be killed. Even if my body is mortally injured, I’ll simply return to your tattoo and rest. Your control over my essence will allow me to build another body. It’ll be taxing, but you have nothing to worry about.”

Resting her chin on his head, she whispered, “I told you we would be together forever. I really meant it.”

Shane could feel a tear drip from his chin. This isn’t possible…

Rai rubbed his back. “I thought you would like to know.”

Shane sniffled as his body shook. Rai continued to rub his back as he processed what he had been told.

“Are you going to stay like that all day, or are you going to kiss me?” Rai asked.

Wiping his eyes, he laughed. “This was all a ploy to make me let down my guard, wasn’t it?”

Rai didn’t answer.

Sitting up, he met her gaze and found hers filled with love and understanding. She was waiting for him.

Leaning in, he rested his forehead against hers. “It’s only been a few weeks.”

“It has,” Rai said.

“There’s no way to go back from this. We have to fully commit.”

“We do,” Rai agreed.

Shifting his head, he stopped near her ear and whispered, “I love you, Rai.”

Before she could react, he pulled himself away and stood up. Walking several paces, he stretched out his arms, and felt the freshly knitted bone.

I pray I won’t regret this, he thought to himself.

***

Rai sat in stunned silence as Shane stretched and twisted.

He said it. She replayed his words in her head over and over. I finally got through to him. He wasn’t joking or anything. He actually meant it.

“Are you going to fight me?” Shane asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

“Again?” she questioned.

“You let me win the last one. That didn’t count.”

Grumbling, she got up. “You weren’t supposed to notice that.”

“Notice that you’re beautiful?” he asked.

Rai frowned. “No. Notice that I let you win.”

“I noticed a while ago that you looked amazing. I have to constantly ask myself, what did I do in this life to get so lucky?”

Rai’s frown grew. “You’re trying to distract me.”

“If I want to distract you, I’d do this,” Shane said before closing his eyes.

A moment later, his clothes changed, and he was no longer wearing a shirt. His eyes had goggles over them, and his shorts were so skintight that she didn’t have to imagine much. Also, he had no shoes.

Shaking her head, she asked, “What are you doing?”

“You know, I never learned how to swim.”

Rai paused. “You don’t know how to swim?”

“Nope!” he chirped. “There wasn’t exactly a pool in the city.”

Looking him up and down, she approved. The few weeks they had been training had bulked him out slightly, thanks to the increased healing factor. Then she noticed something odd about him.

“Why are you glistening?” she asked.

“I oiled myself up,” he stated.

Jaw dropping, she stared at him incredulously. He did look good as the sun shone down on him.

Rubbing her temples, she closed her eyes. “I guess I’ll need to kick your ass. I can’t have you thinking you’re in charge.”

“Oh? I love when a woman is assertive. Guide me with a firm hand, mistress,” Shane cooed.

Gawking, she shook her head. “Take this seriously!”

“Yes, mistress. Should I beg for you to be gentle?”

Raising her fist, she pursed her lips. “I’m going to knock that smile off your face.”

He gasped. “You can’t ruin my handsome face! Anything but the face!”

Bolting forward, she dropped her fist as he twisted. Instead, she slid her foot into his ankle, knocking his feet out from under him.

As he fell, she grabbed his arm to throw him, only to slip from the oil.

A laugh filled the air as Shane struck the ground.

“How the hell did you even oil yourself up?” she growled.

“I pulled on the glands inside my body to produce an oily substance,” he stated.

“How do you even know how to do that?”

“I read a lot when I’m bored,” he said. Rolling across the leafy ground, he added, “Self-taught and everything.”

She backed away as he got back to his feet. Frowning, she looked for an avenue of attack. He’s going to dodge anything I throw at him. He’s unnaturally fast. His reaction time doesn’t come from my essence, or at least it shouldn’t. Are these just his survival instincts?

Lunging, she feigned a kick at his leg only to abort and snap a punch into his ribs. The bones cracked under the pressure, and she listened to the air escape him.

Following up with a kick to his hip, she threw him to the ground. She pushed even more essence into her body, bringing her far past his strength.

Jumping on top of him, she grabbed his arm and pulled it between her legs. Pinning him down with her calves and feet, she bent his arm.

“Give up!” she growled.

Shane laughed.

Gritting her teeth, she hissed, “What’s so funny!”

“Do we have a safe word?” he asked. “Whenever I’m in a situation like this, I have a safe word. Can it be pineapple? I really like pineapple.”

His absurdity made her loosen her grip. “Pineapple?”

“You said it, so you have to let me go!” Shane chirped.

Frowning, she let him go. Shaking her head, she thought, Did I really just do that?

As his arm slid from between her legs, she spun and threw herself on him. “You’re not winning because of your twisted words.”

“Sorry, mistress. I’ll be good.”

Growling, she grabbed his arms and pinned them above his head. Pressing them together, she held him with one hand.

“Give up!” she snapped.

“Since we first met, I’ve known you were into bondage, but I believe rope would be better. It would free your other hand,” Shane said with a smirk. “You can even go one step further and tie my legs down.”

With her free hand, she punched the side of his head.

“Oww!” he whined. “What have we talked about the face?”

She punched him again. “I’m going to bring my claws out next!”

“Are you going to rake them across my back while you continue to ride me?” he asked.

Groaning, she let him go. “Why are you not taking this seriously?”

“I am,” he said. “But to be honest, I’m wearing very tight shorts, and you’re sitting on me in tight pants. So, yeah…”

Laughing, she got up. Rubbing her eyes, she turned towards the river. “We have to get that oil off you. After that, we’ll body train.”

“Whew!” Shane sighed as he jumped up. “I didn’t think we’d ever stop fighting. We’ve been at it for hours.”

“You said all of those things just to stop our sparring?” she asked.

“Yup!”

I’m in love with an idiot. She groaned internally. He’s my idiot, but how the hell am I supposed to handle him?

“This one time at band camp,” Shane started.

Frowning, she turned to him. “What the hell is band camp?”

“A camp where you play instruments…” He trailed off. “Do you even know what an instrument is?”

“No,” she said with a shake of her head.

Throwing up his hands, he started to walk off. “I try to have a heart to heart with you, and you ruin it.”

“Shane!” she yelled as she caught up to him.

Crossing his arms, he huffed.

“Tell me the story,” she said, grabbing his hand.

“Oh, there wasn’t a story.” Shane laughed. “I wanted to see your reaction to random terms.”

Rai felt her mouth open and close a few times as she stared at him. Is he being serious?

“Did I break you?” he asked.

“You don’t get my tail tonight!” she shouted before storming off.

“That’s not fair!” he shouted back at her. “Should I have used the safe word?”

Running a hand through her hair, she felt the flames flicker. I’m going to kill him one of these days…

***

Shane sank into the water before dunking his head. Did I throw her off enough that she wasn’t thinking about my admission?

Closing his eyes, he stayed underwater for longer than should be healthy. Eventually, a pair of strong hands pulled him back up.

“Excuse me. I was having a moment,” he muttered.

Resting his head in her lap, Rai said, “Have a moment without drowning.”

“I’ve already scrubbed the oil off, so why are we still in here?” Shane asked. “I thought we had more training to do.”

“We do,” Rai said. “But first, I’d like to enjoy a little time with you that isn’t full of snark.”

“Is this the moment we have a heart to heart and cry?” Shane asked harsher than he meant to.

“Shane!” Rai’s threatening tone made him pause.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

“I know your first reaction is to run, but I need you to stand strong for me,” she said. Running her hand through his hair, she enjoyed the gentle current washing around them. “You’ve already told me how you feel, so there’s no going back now. Your own words.”

“I know,” he whispered.

Sighing, Rai settled her hand on his cheek. “What am I going to do with you? We both want this, and yet you insist on hiding.”

Sitting up, Shane turned to her. “There’s a lot of things I’m worried about. I’m scared that we aren’t going to be in time to save the city and my friends. I’m worried that I’ll only be able to evacuate them, and they’ll lose the only home they know. I’m worried that I won’t be strong enough to protect them.”

Rai pressed her hand against his chest. “We have time, Shane. I need you to trust me.”

“I do,” he said softly.

“Good. Tomorrow, we are going to that town we talked about. It might hold some answers to some of your problems.”

Nodding, Shane sunk in the water again. “I have a lot of problems.”

“Mentally, I know,” Rai joked.

“Ha ha,” Shane groused. “I suppose it’s true. I’m attracted to furry ears and tails.”

“Hey!” she protested.

“You called me mental!”

“You are!” she growled. “I didn’t say there was anything wrong with that!”

“It’s never good to call someone mental. Were you raised in a barn?” he asked.

Smiling, Rai shrugged. “More like a hole in the ground.”

“That’s so much worse.” He laughed.

“You grew up in a trash can!” Rai tossed back.

“That was one time. Or twice…” He trailed off. “Three times?”

Laughing, Rai shook her head. “You can’t judge me. I was brought to this world as a child and forced to adjust.”

Shane frowned. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-three in human years.”

“Ah… That explains the immaturity.” Shane shook his head. “I thought you were a little young for me.”

Punching his arm, Rai bared her teeth. “What was that?”

“Nothing, love.” He winced. “Just the ramblings of an insane man.”

“Damn right!” Rai huffed.

“Seriously though,” Shane said. “We need to get back to training. I need to get stronger.”

Rai sighed and nodded. “You’re right. I have a list of full-body exercises to push you with today. Have you noticed your body is changing?”

Shane looked down at himself. “Yup. Months’ worth of work is happening in days.”

“Yup.” Rai stood up and started to leave. “We are going to add more essence to your body this afternoon. It’s time we start pushing for it each day.”

“We’re going to have to run and spar more,” Shane agreed. Getting up, he trailed after her. “I’m more than ready.”

Flicking fire over herself, Rai dried off. “Good. But I need you to save just a little bit of energy for tonight.”

Shane chuckled as he realized what she wanted. “How do you have so much energy? You never get tired or sore?”

“My essence is strong. I take what I need to heal myself and to keep myself going. Once you merge with it completely, you will find that your limits will be hard to reach.”

“Is that a good thing?” Shane asked.

“Yes. When you start fighting the other Marked, you will need the endurance.” Turning, she glanced at him. “The Marked are slaves of their own making. They are designed to be brutal and effective, tying them to their masters.”

Shane paused as he went to dry off. “What do you mean?”

“The essence cores that they merge with are like slave collars.” Rai reached out and touched his tattoo. “They get a boost in strength and speed, but they become beholden to their owner. In the case of your city, the one holding all of the Marked is likely the mayor.”

“It goes deeper than that,” Shane guessed. “The mayor answers to another.”

“Yes,” Rai said. With a nod, she added, “The mayor is a low-level official in the grand scheme of things. There are many other towns out there that are forced to fight for resources, but there is a capital. All of the towns the world over answer to the ones in charge of the capital.”

“You know where it is?” Shane asked.

“Yes,” Rai said solemnly. “I was a prisoner there when I first arrived.”

***

Rai refused to answer the questions that Shane kept spewing.

“Rai!” he shouted. “You can’t just drop something like that and walk off!”

Rai ignored him and jogged out to the den. She could hear Shane keeping up with her, so she didn’t worry.

When they reached the large clearing of their training spot, she started rolling rocks towards the center.

“I need you to lift these,” she said dismissively.

“Rai?” Shane asked softly.

Sighing, she pivoted toward him. “What is it, Shane?”

“Why are you with me if my people tortured you?”

She froze, then she relaxed. “For the same reason you are with me. There’s something about you that has drawn me in.”

“Do you hate humans?” Shane asked.

“Yes,” Rai said, not bothering to lie. “Just like you hate Descendants. I just wish you knew the truth of your world.”

“Then explain it to me,” Shane said before picking up the rock.

“No. Not right now,” she said adamantly. “Right now, you train. If you want to be ready for the truth, then you need to merge with my essence, and you won’t be able to do anything until you have the essence of others.”

Shane dropped the rock, nearly crushing his foot. “Others?”

Rai sighed again. “Yes. Other Descendants can give you their essence. Unlike the manmade essence cores, you are not bound to one Summon.”

“Will that cause problems with our relationship?” Shane asked.

“Pick up your rock!” she growled. “Keep training.”

Shane stepped around the rock and grabbed her shoulders. “What are you hiding from me?”

“A lot, if you want me to be honest.” Rai shrugged.

Groaning, he went back to his rock. “You want me to trust you, but you won’t even tell me what’s going on.”

“You aren’t ready,” she stated. “Once you are strong enough to not run off and die, I’ll tell you.”

Reluctantly nodding, he started doing squats with the rock.

Closing her eyes, Rai thought to herself, He’s determined, and that’s going to get him killed. He’s the type of person to do anything for his friends, and I’m beginning to think he’ll start protecting the Descendants.

Opening her eyes, she found Shane staring at her.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“It’s nothing,” he said with a grunt.

“Good,” she snapped. “Because I didn’t tell you that you could stop.”

“Sorry, mistress!”

Groaning, she ran a hand down her face. I promised myself that I wouldn’t kill him. Can I go back on that now?

Shane laughed as she lowered her hand.

“What the hell, Shane?” she demanded.

Her human was wearing nothing but a cowboy hat while pushing the rock around.

“Am I enticing you?” he asked.

Closing her eyes, she pushed down her laughter. Definitely going to kill him one of these days. But I’ll have a few laughs first.