Free Blood Oath (#3, Mystic Wolves) by Belinda Boring Page A

acting as though I’d given
him a mortal wound. “Oh come on, that couldn’t have hurt. You’re
such a ham, Daniel.”
    Laying off the theatrics, he stopped and
suddenly looked serious. “Of course not. I was merely trying to
make you feel better.” A slow smile curled his lips and he leaned
in for effect. “Besides, has anyone ever told you, you punch like a
girl?” He took a large step backwards, avoiding the second swing of
my arm by a mile. “See what I mean?”
    “How else am I supposed to hit, Daniel? Hello
… I am a girl!” I used my hands to show my body. “Is this why you
don’t have a girlfriend? Are you confused about what we look like?”
I squealed out loud as he reached out to swat me, and I tried my
best to block him. My arm went wide, resulting in the painful sting
of his hand connecting with my side.
    “Crap, Darcy. Do you not know how to defend
yourself?” His cheeky grin now turned incredulous.
    “I’m a werewolf. I always assumed I had the
natural ability to take care of myself. I didn’t think it was it
was that important,” I paused.
    “Until now.” All joking was gone as Daniel
finished my sentence.
    “Yeah. I didn’t like how it felt being so
defenseless. Avery cut me off from my wolf completely. I was
helpless against his compulsion.” I looked up to find eyes filled
with compassion. “I don’t want to feel like that again.”
    “Then that’s what we’ll work on.” He offered
no more explanation as he took hold of my hand, leading me from my
room and out of the house. He kept a brisk, steady pace as we made
our way to the back of the property, to the space where Mason had a
gym installed.
    Throwing the doors wide open, Daniel made
quick work of turning on the lights, revealing a place filled with
every kind of fitness equipment you could imagine. I glanced over
at the treadmill. That was by far my favorite because I was able to
read while I walked and avoid just staring off into nothing. I
moved to go climb on it, but I was directed elsewhere.
    “Welcome to your first ever lesson in
self-defense … Daniel style.”
    I raised my eyebrows at the last part of his
comment because I had no idea what he meant by it. Judging from the
cocky way he stood, I’d say I was in for an education of sorts.
    “Ready? Assume the position.”
    I burst out laughing, my hands covering my
mouth. “What position?” I struck a pose and watched his eyes almost
pop out of his head.
    “Oh, no you don’t, I’m being serious. I know
I don’t have much to work with.” He smiled as he walked a slow
circle around me, flicking his hand at my ponytail. “But I need to
at least show you some basics. This is the position I want you in.”
He stood in a fighting stance, and I rolled my eyes.
    “Why didn’t you just tell me to get into a
fighting stance? Even I know what it’s called.” I blew a puff of
air upward, moving a stray lock of hair out of my eyes.
    I shifted my body until I was standing to the
side with my right foot in front. I readjusted my legs, making sure
they were a shoulder width apart and I raised both my hands up,
curling them into fists. I leaned my weight onto my back leg and
was instantly chastised.
    “No! Never put all you weight on one leg.
Distribute it down in the middle.” He moved forward, pushing down
on my shoulders, causing me to bend them both. I felt my muscles
begin to burn from the sudden tension.
    “Why does it matter?” I asked, not sure why I
even had to stand this way.
    “Straighten your legs again … like you just
had it.” I didn’t have time to respond before he shoved hard at my
chest, sending me flying. Walking over to where I painfully landed,
he pulled me up onto my feet. “That’s why it’s important. By
keeping your weight equal, you can maintain balance. How effective
will you be at defending yourself if you’re sprawled on the floor?
The key is to stay upright. Try again.”
    Dusting myself off, I got back into the
stance, this