Sweeter Than Wine by Bianca D'Arc Page B

without much conscious thought. It was amazing.
    She followed Hiro, unconsciously mimicking every one of his movements as if it were second nature. She didn’t need to think about how to move. She just did it. Before 44
     

     
    she knew what was happening, Hiro had gone beyond the basics to flying, spinning kicks that she executed with ease. She landed after a particularly high spinning back kick and stopped in shock when she realized she’d been a good six feet off the ground!
    Mouth gaping, she turned to find Sebastian watching her.
    “What’s happening to me?” Panic filled her as the past few moments registered on her conscious mind. She’d been so in the zone, she hadn’t questioned what she’d done and now it seemed impossible.
    “You’re a natural, sweetheart,” Hiro said with a satisfied grin. “You’re too modest.”
    “No, I swear…” her breath came fast as panic started to build, “…I was a total klutz the last time I tried this. I have no idea—”
    Sebastian came over and took both of her hands in his, pulling them into his chest, sheltering her with his tall body. “Calm down, Christina. This is what I was hoping for.
    The cat lives in you. You have all the strength of our kind and some of the agility of Matt’s cougar. Don’t be afraid.”
    Hiro laughed and shook his head, gaining her attention. “Matt, huh? I should’ve guessed. He’s the only one I’ve seen jump higher.”
    “You know Matt?”
    Hiro nodded. “I trained him, just as I’ll train you.”
    “But why?”
    The half-Asian man shrugged. “Because Sebastian asked. He’s my friend and more than that, I owe him my life. You’re important to him, so therefore, you’re important to me. We’ll work together every evening for about two hours. It’s a strict schedule, but with the shifter influence, you should advance quickly to the more complex moves. Like I said, you’re a natural. I had a much harder time adjusting when I was newly turned.”
    “Then you’re—?”
    “Vampire?” Hiro chuckled when Sebastian cringed at the word. “We’re siblings of a sort, you and I. Sebastian was my maker too.” He bowed slightly to Sebastian and moved toward the doorway. “I’ll leave you two to sort things out. Don’t forget. Tomorrow evening at sunset. We’ve got a date in this dojo .”
     
    45
     
     
    A little overwhelmed, Christy could only nod as he left, her hands still held tight against Sebastian’s chest as his warmth surrounded her. He moved slightly, keeping hold of one hand while he turned them toward the wall of glass and the moonlit garden beyond. He put one arm around her shoulders, the contact with his warm body comforting her strained senses.
    “The night is beautiful, Christina. Let’s not waste it in fear.” He led her outside to a stone bench in the middle of the meditation garden and they sat, his arm still around her, one hand holding hers. “Never be afraid of what you’ve become, or what you will yet be.
    You’re a strong woman with a pure soul. You have power now, but you have to train it and grow accustomed to it in order to use it to the best of your abilities.”
    She couldn’t deal with much more. She had the feeling Sebastian was quietly preparing her for something, but she had no idea what. She didn’t know what her other friends had been through when they were changed, but she didn’t think it involved having wild cougar sex with a stranger, then being trained by a pumped up, devilishly handsome version of Mr. Miyogi.
    “You said my friends were turned by their new husbands. How? Why?”
    Sebastian sighed, contemplating the stars twinkling above them. “It started with Lissa. When the passenger van wrecked, only she and Atticus were left alive, as you know, but it was a much closer thing than you realize. Atticus was run through by a support beam, close to the heart. He was ready to bleed out—one of the few ways one of us can actually die—but he heard Lissa’s