He comes to stand across from me, a sadistic glint darkening his eyes.
I'm just about to do something stupid, like greet him, when he propels his body into the air. I don’t even have time to admire the move when his foot slams against the side of my head, and I’m sent sprawling over the floor.
I think I hear Abbie shout, but I can’t be sure.
Holy shit, it hurts.
I shake my head, trying to get rid of the dizziness as I push myself up off the floor. A kick connects with my side, and as I fall onto my back, the guy is on top of me, his fist slamming into my face.
Jesus!
Intense pain engulfs me, and I think I lose consciousness for a minute or hours. It’s probably only for a second, but it feels much longer.
At some point, my head snaps to the right from a hard blow. Blood spills down the side of my mouth, and I lock eyes with Misha.
He’s just standing in the open doorway, staring at me with zero expression on his face.
I hate that he’s seeing how I’m getting the ever-loving shit beaten out of me. Embarrassment and heartache fill my chest.
Another blow slams into my jaw, agonizing pain splintering through my entire head. My vision darkens around the edges, framing Misha so he looks like an avenging angel that’s come to take my life.
“Enough!” Instructor Nikolai snaps.
The guy gets off me, and it’s only then all the pain registers. My lips part as I try to breathe past the relentless ache in my jaw and the pounding headache.
Nikolai points at me, and with rage etched on his face, he tears into Abbie. “You did this to your friend. If you could fight, you’d be able to protect her. If she could fight, she wouldn’t have had her ass handed to her. Next time you walk into my studio, you better take the lessons seriously, or one of you will be carried out on a stretcher. Do. You. Understand. Me?”
There’s none of Abbie’s sass to be seen anywhere, her face ghostly pale as she nods. “I understand.”
“This is not a playground for a socialite,” Instructor Nikolai bites out. “This is where you learn the difference between staying alive to fight another day or dying.”
She nods again as she starts to walk toward me.
I have zero strength to get up off the floor. She can just leave me here to die of embarrassment and pain.
God. Misha watched it all.
Please let the ground open up and swallow me whole.
When Abbie kneels next to me and pushes her arm beneath me to help me into a sitting position, the enormity of what just happened slams so hard into me I can’t keep the tears from falling.
I felt so freaking powerless as the guy went to town on my ass. I hated it. There was nothing I could do to stop him from hitting me.
And Misha saw it.
And he didn’t care that I was being beaten up by a man.
Why the hell am I surprised?
With Abbie’s help, I manage to climb to my feet. I lean against her, not sure I can stand on my own.
Sedately, Abbie asks, “May we be excused from class?”
“Yes,” Instructor Nikolai mutters, and turning his back on us, he continues with the lesson.
As we reach the door, Instructor Nikolai says, “I knew it would hurt you more to watch Aurora being beaten. By using the person you love most, I taught you a lesson you’ll never forget. Do you now understand why I didn’t let you fight?”
Abbie glances over her shoulder, her arm tightening around me. “Yes, sir.”