does.
Lawrence roars and charges, hands shifting to
claws and immediately puts Cloud on the defensive. He ’ s never shifted beyond wings and tail
with her. She has little choice but to dodge and Cooper anticipates she ’ ll turn in one direction or another,
moving at the last possible moment without giving Lawrence time to follow but
her move takes everyone by surprise.
Before Lawrence finishes his first step
Cloud ’ s heart stops, something bound
to confuse those who don ’ t know she ’ s dragonkin. In order to prevent
escalating the situation and for stealth she ’ s gone silent, her circulatory system
moves blood by the forces in her veins and arteries alone. As a result, her
muscles flood with a constant supply of oxygen that boosts her strength and
stamina.
She pounces straight at him.
Lawrence ’ s knees are bent, feet placed far apart
for leverage so she takes advantage of the gap and dives between, striking his
thighs hard with the big bones of her wings before folding them and landing on
the floor. The move almost gets her clear.
As she scrambles out of reach, Lawrence makes an ungraceful pivot. He doesn ’ t bother grabbing for her.
Instead he slams his booted foot down and just misses shattering her ankle.
Cloud kicks to prevent being pinned from behind but Lawrence isn ’ t going to bother with any traditional
sparring tactic. That had never been part of the lesson plan he shared with
Cooper the night before and the wild grin on his face shows he enjoyed her
surprise move.
She gets to her hands and knees, still
trying to stay out of reach, but she slows when she gets one foot underneath to
stand.
It ’ s
all the advantage Lawrence needs.
Two and a half years of formal lessons
from Master Sky never gave her a chance to experience the dirty tactics of the
real world; predators and big males with the patience and desire to play with
their opponent. Cooper tenses as he watches Lawrence ’ s other boot come down on her trailing
leg and the thud reverberates through the room. The bone holds but Cloud cries
out as she rolls away.
Lawrence has her. His big arms loop under her
wings, pinning her arms at awkward angles. The hold he has on one wrist will
snap it when he increases the pressure. Cloud scratches at his head but her
fingers only leave red lines on his sweaty skin and don ’ t breach the surface.
“ Surrender or I ’ ll break it, ” he whispers but Cloud fights. With her
weight on her good foot she dangles in his grip, face screwed up as she scrapes
her heel down his shin. Lawrence knows what ’ s coming and jerks her up a little higher
so she can ’ t stomp on his foot.
“ Surrender, Cherry, ” Lawrence tries again and her forearm flexes.
“ No, ” she whispers.
Then Cooper feels it. His skin tingles in
response to her dragonkin influence. She ’ s
going to use it on Lawrence. Damn, if she doesn ’ t know she ’ s dragonkin then how the hell did she
figure that out?
“ You
don ’ t want to hurt me, ” Cloud growls, the strength of her influence
makes Cooper ’ s testicles quiver before they
draw in for their own safety and he holds his coffee before him like a lame
shield. Although he ’ s not influenced by the words,
he knows the power she wields over Lawrence.
For the briefest moment Lawrence struggles
with the decision whether or not to let her go and Cooper realizes her magic is
untrained and weak.
“ You
okay, Cherry? ” Lawrence asks as he releases the hold on her arms
and lowers her to the floor. He only sounds concerned. There ’ s no hint of second thoughts for either
challenging her or letting her go.
Cooper realizes he holds his cup too
tight when the lid pops off. Black coffee slops over his thumb and makes a run
down his wrist to soak the inside of his shirtsleeve. Lawrence has never backed
down during a lesson and this time it looks like nothing more than a failure of
character before the rest of the guard.
“ I ’ m fine, Lawrence, ” Cloud
Lawrence roars and charges, hands shifting to
claws and immediately puts Cloud on the defensive. He ’ s never shifted beyond wings and tail
with her. She has little choice but to dodge and Cooper anticipates she ’ ll turn in one direction or another,
moving at the last possible moment without giving Lawrence time to follow but
her move takes everyone by surprise.
Before Lawrence finishes his first step
Cloud ’ s heart stops, something bound
to confuse those who don ’ t know she ’ s dragonkin. In order to prevent
escalating the situation and for stealth she ’ s gone silent, her circulatory system
moves blood by the forces in her veins and arteries alone. As a result, her
muscles flood with a constant supply of oxygen that boosts her strength and
stamina.
She pounces straight at him.
Lawrence ’ s knees are bent, feet placed far apart
for leverage so she takes advantage of the gap and dives between, striking his
thighs hard with the big bones of her wings before folding them and landing on
the floor. The move almost gets her clear.
As she scrambles out of reach, Lawrence makes an ungraceful pivot. He doesn ’ t bother grabbing for her.
Instead he slams his booted foot down and just misses shattering her ankle.
Cloud kicks to prevent being pinned from behind but Lawrence isn ’ t going to bother with any traditional
sparring tactic. That had never been part of the lesson plan he shared with
Cooper the night before and the wild grin on his face shows he enjoyed her
surprise move.
She gets to her hands and knees, still
trying to stay out of reach, but she slows when she gets one foot underneath to
stand.
It ’ s
all the advantage Lawrence needs.
Two and a half years of formal lessons
from Master Sky never gave her a chance to experience the dirty tactics of the
real world; predators and big males with the patience and desire to play with
their opponent. Cooper tenses as he watches Lawrence ’ s other boot come down on her trailing
leg and the thud reverberates through the room. The bone holds but Cloud cries
out as she rolls away.
Lawrence has her. His big arms loop under her
wings, pinning her arms at awkward angles. The hold he has on one wrist will
snap it when he increases the pressure. Cloud scratches at his head but her
fingers only leave red lines on his sweaty skin and don ’ t breach the surface.
“ Surrender or I ’ ll break it, ” he whispers but Cloud fights. With her
weight on her good foot she dangles in his grip, face screwed up as she scrapes
her heel down his shin. Lawrence knows what ’ s coming and jerks her up a little higher
so she can ’ t stomp on his foot.
“ Surrender, Cherry, ” Lawrence tries again and her forearm flexes.
“ No, ” she whispers.
Then Cooper feels it. His skin tingles in
response to her dragonkin influence. She ’ s
going to use it on Lawrence. Damn, if she doesn ’ t know she ’ s dragonkin then how the hell did she
figure that out?
“ You
don ’ t want to hurt me, ” Cloud growls, the strength of her influence
makes Cooper ’ s testicles quiver before they
draw in for their own safety and he holds his coffee before him like a lame
shield. Although he ’ s not influenced by the words,
he knows the power she wields over Lawrence.
For the briefest moment Lawrence struggles
with the decision whether or not to let her go and Cooper realizes her magic is
untrained and weak.
“ You
okay, Cherry? ” Lawrence asks as he releases the hold on her arms
and lowers her to the floor. He only sounds concerned. There ’ s no hint of second thoughts for either
challenging her or letting her go.
Cooper realizes he holds his cup too
tight when the lid pops off. Black coffee slops over his thumb and makes a run
down his wrist to soak the inside of his shirtsleeve. Lawrence has never backed
down during a lesson and this time it looks like nothing more than a failure of
character before the rest of the guard.
“ I ’ m fine, Lawrence, ” Cloud
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