Read Online Black Heart: Coeur de Sade (Black Heart Series) by TW Gallier - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: TW Gallier
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assembled men.
The men ran the gamut, from young and gawky twenty year olds, to middle-aged, balding business man. They were all having a difficult time not looking at me. I started warming up and stretching to avoid the uncomfortable preliminary conversation attempts.
"Hello, class," Dane said as he strode in. "I am the new night instructor for self defense, Eddie Sinclair."
Eddy Sinclair? He had an alias now? Figures. Truth was, I thought he would leave town and not come back. Our vampire hunting friend Wendy Craine had gone off to bury her cousin, Anson, and never returned. We never expected her to come back. Dane, Wendy, and Gabe were known vampire hunters now.
"Where's Andy?" a very tan, thirty-something man said. Though a tad weather-beaten, he was the best looking of the group. I had the impression he was a construction worker, since he was deeply tanned and had the most callused hands I'd ever seen.
"Andy's working days now," Dane said, but locked eyes onto me. "What are you doing here?"
"Uh, taking Krav Maga classes, Eddie ," I said. "The self defense class you teach will be Krav Maga, right?"
His hesitation was almost indiscernible.
"Your name isn't on the list," he said, gray eyes narrowing.
"I have a full membership, so can attend any class I want," I said. Everyone was watching. I turned to the others and smiled weakly, sadly. "We have a sordid past together."
"There was nothing sordid about our past," Dane said. He frowned at the others, who were listening in with such interest. "We'll talk. Later. Okay, boys and girl, we're all experienced here. No novices according to the list I've seen. Anyone new? Good."
Dane led us in the warm up and stretching exercises. Finally, we were ready for some training. After donning padded helmet/face-shields, body pads, foot pads, and light kick-boxing gloves, Dane arranged us in two facing lines.
"I want to see each of you in action, so we'll start out with a little light sparing," he said.
I found myself facing the construction worker.
"Hi, I'm Sable."
"Hello. I'm Kale. K-Kale Pritchard," he said, suddenly becoming painfully shy. "I...I've been studying Krav Maga about two years, off and on. I'm pretty good."
"Good. I've been studying it about a year and a half, pretty steadily. We ought to be well matched," I said. I gave him a mischievous grin as I picked up a pad and tossed it to him. "Why don't we start with kicks to the groin?"
"Ouch," he said, and laughed. But he did turn bright red. I kinda felt bad. Maybe I shouldn't have started with groin kicks. "Okay, ready. Go."
And I went. I snapped one kick after another, in amazingly fast succession. Everyone stopped to gawk as I drove Kale back across the room. I didn't stop until I had him backed up against the wall. I didn't even break a sweat.
Kale leaned over close enough to whisper. "I suggest you pretend to be winded, or they will figure out what you are," he said.
I froze. That was foolish of me. Only a vampire or werewolf would have the stamina to do what I just did without getting winded. So I took a deep breath, held it, and them blew it out with gusto.
"Whew!" I said. I paused to huff and puff, then bent over with hands on knees. "Wow, sorry, Kale. I don't know what came over me."
They bought it. Everyone returned to their partners. Except Dane, who frowned disapprovingly at
The men ran the gamut, from young and gawky twenty year olds, to middle-aged, balding business man. They were all having a difficult time not looking at me. I started warming up and stretching to avoid the uncomfortable preliminary conversation attempts.
"Hello, class," Dane said as he strode in. "I am the new night instructor for self defense, Eddie Sinclair."
Eddy Sinclair? He had an alias now? Figures. Truth was, I thought he would leave town and not come back. Our vampire hunting friend Wendy Craine had gone off to bury her cousin, Anson, and never returned. We never expected her to come back. Dane, Wendy, and Gabe were known vampire hunters now.
"Where's Andy?" a very tan, thirty-something man said. Though a tad weather-beaten, he was the best looking of the group. I had the impression he was a construction worker, since he was deeply tanned and had the most callused hands I'd ever seen.
"Andy's working days now," Dane said, but locked eyes onto me. "What are you doing here?"
"Uh, taking Krav Maga classes, Eddie ," I said. "The self defense class you teach will be Krav Maga, right?"
His hesitation was almost indiscernible.
"Your name isn't on the list," he said, gray eyes narrowing.
"I have a full membership, so can attend any class I want," I said. Everyone was watching. I turned to the others and smiled weakly, sadly. "We have a sordid past together."
"There was nothing sordid about our past," Dane said. He frowned at the others, who were listening in with such interest. "We'll talk. Later. Okay, boys and girl, we're all experienced here. No novices according to the list I've seen. Anyone new? Good."
Dane led us in the warm up and stretching exercises. Finally, we were ready for some training. After donning padded helmet/face-shields, body pads, foot pads, and light kick-boxing gloves, Dane arranged us in two facing lines.
"I want to see each of you in action, so we'll start out with a little light sparing," he said.
I found myself facing the construction worker.
"Hi, I'm Sable."
"Hello. I'm Kale. K-Kale Pritchard," he said, suddenly becoming painfully shy. "I...I've been studying Krav Maga about two years, off and on. I'm pretty good."
"Good. I've been studying it about a year and a half, pretty steadily. We ought to be well matched," I said. I gave him a mischievous grin as I picked up a pad and tossed it to him. "Why don't we start with kicks to the groin?"
"Ouch," he said, and laughed. But he did turn bright red. I kinda felt bad. Maybe I shouldn't have started with groin kicks. "Okay, ready. Go."
And I went. I snapped one kick after another, in amazingly fast succession. Everyone stopped to gawk as I drove Kale back across the room. I didn't stop until I had him backed up against the wall. I didn't even break a sweat.
Kale leaned over close enough to whisper. "I suggest you pretend to be winded, or they will figure out what you are," he said.
I froze. That was foolish of me. Only a vampire or werewolf would have the stamina to do what I just did without getting winded. So I took a deep breath, held it, and them blew it out with gusto.
"Whew!" I said. I paused to huff and puff, then bent over with hands on knees. "Wow, sorry, Kale. I don't know what came over me."
They bought it. Everyone returned to their partners. Except Dane, who frowned disapprovingly at
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