“Shhhh.” He placed a finger to his full mouth and blinked. “Quiet yourself.”
A sigh escaped my lips before I could prevent it. This wasn’t training. This was torture.
His intense gaze shot from the mat to my face. “Am I keeping you from something more important?”
A blush crept to my cheeks. “Well, no...”
“Then, do as you’re told. Quiet yourself.”
We spent the next half hour staring off into space. Many of my Nephilim friends passed by during this time, shooting me weird looks. All I could do was shrug at them and return to my misery.
What did he want me to think about? Attacking ferals? Because that was all I could think about. That and Gabe’s spectacular abs. Sigh. But truly, I couldn’t be more focused.
Finally, he stood up without warning and brushed off his pants. “We’re done for today. I want to meet again at 8:00 in the morning. Work on quieting your mind, listening to the rhythm of your thoughts, in the meantime. A quiet mind will not clutter your instincts. It will save you out there. It is essential.”
He turned and left before I could think of anything to say. So much for a training lesson. That had been nothing but junk. A waste of my time.
Looking around the training facility, I realized everyone was gone. My session with Manuel had carried over supper time and it was likely I’d missed all the good food. There was no point in hurrying back now.
I might as well train myself, if no one else was going to do a decent job of it.
A wicked blade hanging on the weapon’s wall caught my eye. Gabe had never let me use it during practice. It was sharp, meant for tossing at a target on the range. I plucked it from the wall and ran my finger ever so slightly over the blade. If I pressed a tiny bit harder, it would slice into my flesh. It was the perfect weapon for taking out ferals.
If only they’d let me back out there.
Suddenly, a terribly rebellious idea came to me. What if I continued my training on my own? I could go out at night, when most of the Nephilim were sleeping. By now, I knew the patrol schedules by heart. It would be easy to avoid their paths. I’d just hunt down a stray feral or two. Nothing intense. It’d give me a chance to hone my anger and my powers, unlike these silly practice sessions.
It was a brilliant idea that bloomed inside my head like a rare tropical flower. No one would have to know. It was simple and effective.
My feet strode toward the door. A million nagging thoughts flitted in my mind, but I ignored them. I’d been alone in the Black Hills National Forest countless times. I’d fought and killed a deceiver, one of the strongest and most intelligent demons that existed. There was nothing to fear. Gabe and Luke were just overprotective.
I had nearly crossed the invisible mystical border that protected the manor from all things sinister, when I heard my name called from behind. Alarm exploded in my gut, but I managed to keep my cool and spin around casually, the blade hidden in my hands.
“Raquel, hi.”
There stood my redheaded cousin, all six foot of her lanky legs and torso. She wore a tight fitting yellow blouse that clashed terribly with her hair and freckled face. Still, it had been cropped short enough to show off a flat stomach that every human girl would kill for.
“I just came to see why you missed dinner. How was...?” Her eyes caught the faintest glimmer of light off the blade in my hand. “Wait. What are you doing out here?”
Raquel wasn’t exactly Sherlock Holmes. I could paint a bright neon sign on my head and she’d still miss it. Yet, she’d chosen this moment of all moments to actually pay attention to something other than reality shows, boys, and training.
“Um...nothing.” I hid the blade behind my back. “Just heading to bed. I’m exhausted.”
Raquel looked over her shoulder at the manor looming in the twilight. “But our room’s that way. Why are you going into the forest?”
There wasn’t enough time to come up with a good excuse. Time to come clean and just hope Raquel wouldn’t fib.
“I’m going out to train, so please don’t tell anyone.” The words fell out of my mouth in a rush. “And especially don’t tell Luke or Gabe. They’d never let me leave the manor again if they found out.”
An uncertain frown pulled at the sides of her mouth. “But, you’re going out? By yourself?”
“Sure. I’ve been in the woods by myself a thousand times.”
Of course, that had been nearer to my hometown of Hanna, where a certain deceiver demon had set up territory and kept all the other demons away. But she was dead now and there was nothing to stop the demons from materializing anywhere within a three mile radius of the Hell Gate.
“Trust me.” I stepped closer to my roommate and shot her a smile. If there was one thing I knew about Raquel, it was that she craved acceptance. I could play on her weakness, even if the idea of manipulating her made me cringe. “You’re my best friend, Raq. And best friends help each other out. I’m never going to get stronger if I can’t practice on real demons.”
I would’ve liked to say I pulled off the line without hesitation. Ashley was the sort of girl who could get away with something like this. Not me. I’d always been the good girl. The one who couldn’t lie. But I could see my cousin soaking in my lies, her trusting nature overriding common sense. It didn’t feel good.