CHAPTER 16

Iwas completely dreading the weapon training, scared of how I'd perform, and it absolutely killed the adrenaline high I worked up from boxing. To make matters worse, Sienna was waiting around the mat in the weapons training section with her posse of bitchy looking girls—Lola, Stacey and Megan—who stared me down as I walked over with Billie and Kit to where Carter and Griffin were waiting.

Sienna stood on the opposite side of him, leaning against a rack of swords with her arms crossed so her boobs were extra perky in her black sports bra. She looked away from me and attempted to talk to Griffin, who didn't seem very interested if his body language was any indication—not that I cared or should have even noticed. He turned his back to her, whispering something to Carter instead who smiled in our direction as we approached. I picked a spot on the side wall to pretend to be fascinated with as we neared. Anything to not make eye contact.

Griffin pulled away once we lined the walls facing the mat. He walked right up to the centre and faced us all, arms crossed. Despite his casual overall demeanour, he oozed authority as he spoke.

"Alright recruits, you know the drill."

Turns out Griffin was in charge of this particular form of training. I recalled the conversion he and Carter had last night: he had called him ‘boss' but for some reason it didn't fully register with me until now. I just didn't think he meant it literally but I guess this was part of his duties as a captain. Not to mention, as a ‘Gray'.

Even when he was leading he still had this lazy drawl to his voice, like he could think of a hundred things he'd rather do than train a bunch of recruits. He continued, "But today you won't be using your chosen weapon. Pick another and then pair up like usual with someone who's using something different. Get moving." He then turned to me with a glint in his eyes. "Supernova, hold back a sec."

Kit gave me a concerned look. She mouthed "good luck" and then turned towards the racks to grab herself a bow and arrow. Billie smiled at me and then followed, picking up a shield and sword so she could pair up with her fierce little friend. I wondered what their usual weapons were.

Walking towards me casually, Griffin smirked.

"Supernova?" I questioned with a raised brow as he got closer.

"Yep. I think I like Supernova. Don't you?" I had to look away from his intense gaze, shoving my hands nervously into my pockets.

"I don't think it matters what I like. You seem like the type of guy who'll do what he wants either way."

He stopped right in front of me, his large body covering the majority of my view. I had no idea what he was about to do as he reached his arm behind my waist. My breath hitched.

He surprised me when he pulled out a large silver sword that was so polished it gleamed, reflecting fragments of light from the windows above. I didn't even realise it was behind me—that there was a whole rack of swords behind me. Not a great start to being around weapons, clearly I was oblivious which didn't seem like the safest thing when there were pointy, dangerous things all around.

He held the sword in his hand like an extension of himself, as if it was always meant to be there.

"Oh you have no idea, Supernova." He breathed out as he examined the sword with admiration. "Now, we need to find out which weapon speaks to you. It might take some time but you'll eventually find the right fit." His eyes seemed to shine, a twinkle of that silver slipping through. "This is mine," he told me. "Let's try it first."

He passed his sword to me and I noticed the handle was intricately designed with twisted silver engraved in the metal. Running down the middle of the sword was a mediaeval pattern that tailed off into the edge and tip. A beautiful grey misty crystal sat right at the cross section, resembling the colour of his eyes. I traced my finger over it. In the light, hues of blue and purple shone within it.

"It's moonstone," he said before I even got a chance to ask, like he knew exactly what I was thinking.

"It's beautiful," I replied in awe.

He gave me a slight smile. "It's been passed down for generations. A Gray family heirloom. I'll show you how to hold it."

Grabbing it back with his left hand, he looked down at my now empty palm. "Hold my hand," he said. He placed his right hand in mine, holding it in a handshake, the sword still in his opposite hand. The slightest tingle went through my body as his fingers grazed the side of my wrist. He then took his hand out of mine and placed the handle of the sword in there instead. "This is one hold. Make sure not to drop your wrist." Carefully he placed his hand on mine and moved my thumb so it sat on the top of the handle. "This is another variation for quicker movements." I realised just how close he was and hoped he couldn't hear the rapid pace at which my heart was beating. "Keep your hands relaxed so you can move it more fluidly but when you attack, tighten them and use your core to advance. I'll demonstrate how to transition your grip." I nodded.

Pulling back from me he paused to expertly pull off his shirt with one hand, once again revealing his built-like-a-god abs. The ultimate distraction, as if I needed anything else to hold me back. My eyes immediately scanned the patches of tattoos, wanting to take note of everything he had inked on his body. Pretending not to love my new view, I raised my brows and questioned him. "Is not wearing a shirt necessary?"

Wrong question to ask. It only egged him on.

"It's highly recommended. Clothing seems to get in the way. Don't hesitate to join me."

"Keep dreaming buddy."

"Oh don't worry, gorgeous. I will." He bit his lower lip. This was going to be even harder than I thought. He stalked back up to me and I handed him the sword.

Stepping back again, he held the sword with both hands, his right hand just under the cross guard and the other closer to the edge of the handle. Adjusting his fingers, he began flipping the sword, moving it into different positions as if it were nothing.

I attempted to take note of how his fingers and wrists moved but it seemed impossible. After a few more movements, he came back to me and passed me the sword again. I gripped it with two hands but had no idea how to progress.

He walked behind me and wrapped himself around my body, placing his hands over mine on the sword, just like those scenes in a movie where the guy shows the girl how to hold a cue while playing pool. Only we were psychopaths with weapons.

His thumb moved over mine and nudged it onto the flat part of the blade as he did the movements with me. If I didn't already have Sienna wanting to kill me before, I definitely made that list now.

"You're enjoying this," I said, my tone accusatory.

I could see his mouth tilt up in a smile from the corner of my vision. "You bet I am," he grinned.

"I think I have it now," I spat out in a jumbled mix of fear, frustration and nervousness. He laughed and pulled himself away.

"Alright, keep doing that. I have to check on the rest of the recruits."

The sparks I felt while he was holding me made me feel like the sword may have actually been my weapon but as his body got further and further away from mine, I began to doubt it.

I did not have it. At all. It did not come naturally to me. By the time I figured out how to hold the damn thing, training would be over.

He came back and checked on me a few times and when he was somewhat satisfied with my hold, he herded me towards a large thick pole wrapped in black rope, insisting I practise against it.

Eventually, I got the hang of it but my movements were not fluid or graceful like his were. My body was sore and my energy was drained from all the repetitive movements. I didn't feel like I sucked with the sword but I also didn't think I had an affinity for it. It was heavier than it looked and a bit clunky, even though Griffin made it look as light as a feather—likely a result of all that muscle on his perfectly crafted, annoyingly sexy body.

An hour passed and there was still an hour to go. It was going to take me a while to get used to the long days of intense exercise here, that was for sure. Everyone else got to swap back to their usual weapons and continue sparring while Griffin helped them with tweaks to their techniques.

The mystery surrounding what choice of weapons my friends usually used was soon debunked. Kitana looked like an absolute gun with a pair of black handled nunchucks connected by strong looking silver chains. She twirled them around like a lethal ninja. Contrastingly, Billie looked like a boss-bitch, mediaeval queen with her bow and arrow, a quiver strapped against her shoulder. Carter was previously using a staff but now swapped to a sword that was not as intricately designed as Griffins' but still pretty bad ass with its black leather wrapped handle, patterned crossguard and matching little ball-thing on top.

He flashed me a very happy smile as he approached, holding his sword along with a second one that looked very similar. I did not like where this was going.

"Hello love, Griff has sent me over to help you get a feel for sword-to-sword combat. He thought an actual person might be a bit more fun than just hitting a stationary poll." The genuine smile on Carter's face warmed me up to the idea. "But seeing as you have no idea how to work that thing, I think we should change to these swords and use guards so you don't accidentally kill me."

I laughed at him. "That sounds like a great idea."

I placed Griffin"s special weapon back where he got it from. It had its own unique silver rack beside the others, clearly so everyone knew it was off limits. I doubted anyone would try to fight him on it, he was Thea's son after all. It did make me wonder why he let me use it though, especially on my first day when I could have dropped it—or worse.

Carter placed a black rubber looking sheath over the swords he held and handed me the simpler one with less detailing. I guessed the other must be his own personal one.

Lunging towards him, I practised everything I had dealt the pole with while Carter blocked. After each movement he made, he patiently walked me through it in slow motion, showing me the breakdown of how to perform it. Thankfully I didn't feel the same nervous energy around him as I did Griff, making it easier to concentrate. After a while we had a great rhythm going and I felt somewhat confident in my abilities. I'd say it was a somewhat successful first day, even though I wasn't sure the sword was the perfect fit for me.

I noticed as Thea entered the gym, her domineering presence very apparent. She met her son at the edge of the mats, observing me as she spoke to him. He smirked at me with a wink when she eventually walked away. I assumed that was a good sign.

By the time lunch came around, I was famished. The Diner was full of all the ingredients you could ever imagine to make your own sandwiches: hoagie rolls, brioche buns and bagels surrounded by cold cuts, chicken schnitzel, salads and all the condiments. I scoffed two rolls down like I'd never eaten before. My little squad looked very amused at the sight of it.

"She's doing great," Carter boasted before he took a bite of his third sandwich.

"You really are," Billie gushed.

Kitana chirped in next, "My girl's a natural." Her face was smug as she finished off her juice.

Griffin, who sat beside me in what seemed to be my new spot, gave me a slight nod. "Not bad for your first day." His face was unreadable, but I swear I saw the corner of his mouth twitch as if he was holding back a smile.

I was taking that as a compliment.

Carter sat on my other side. He threw his hand around me, squeezing me to him. "Don't listen to him, you almost had me on the floor … which is exactly where I like to be when I'm with a fit bird." I smacked him in the chest.

"You are easily distracted when it comes to a pretty face, it doesn't surprise me she almost took you down," Griffin said, brow raised at his friend. He called me pretty.

The rest of lunch went on like that and when we were done, we headed back to the gym again for our final stint of training. At this point, I was too brain dead to learn anything new so Kit and I hit the boxing bags again and ended with some light ab exercises to strengthen the core—I had a feeling I was going to need it after all of this. Lugging a sword around was hard work.

Carter, Billie and Griffin went on to spar, Sienna following them like a pet dog. I watched the two of them spar together and by the way they were around each other, it was pretty clear they had something going on. Whether it was current or in the past like Griffin had said, I wasn't too sure. It seemed obvious that Sienna was more into him though, running her hands along his body at every opportunity. When she seemed a bit too clingy or excited at his slight attention, he swatted her away in what seemed like an attempt to distance himself. But compared to when he sparred with someone like Billie, Griffin did occasionally leave his hands lingering on Sienna—almost subconsciously, as if he was just so used to being a massive flirt that he couldn't help himself.

Obviously that wasn't the case with his childhood friends. He clearly saw them in a different light. I made a mental note to ask the girls about it later. Not that I cared. But I needed to understand the dynamics around here because so far it was quite confusing.

Dinner time was a hazy blur to me. I was probably more reserved than usual given how tired I was. I listened and laughed as everyone talked. I caught Griffin watching me a few times, especially when I was extra quiet or zoned out. But I was basically a walking zombie by that point and couldn't wait to hit the sack.

And as soon as my head hit that pillow, I was knocked out.