“Yesterday made shit real,” I said to my roomie, my nerves shaking my voice. “Like, those ash were prepared to off us just like that. And in two weeks you and I are legit going to go on a legal killing spree.”
Jayden gave me a half smile. “Yeah, those boys could have stopped the party before it started. Thank God Ryder showed up.”
Ryder. I had mixed feelings about that man. On one hand, he was clearly lethal as eff, and had saved me more than once in here. On the other hand, he annoyed the heck out of me with his “number forty-six” dismissiveness. Still … I couldn’t suppress the tingling of anticipation in my stomach. If he wanted to see me three times a day, we were going to be training together a lot over the next two weeks. Which was both something I wanted and dreaded.
Truthfully, I wasn’t harboring the same level of hate toward ash any longer. It’s hard to hate what you are. But I wasn’t sure I was ready to start crushing on them either. I just couldn’t figure out why Ryder drew me in so much. It was almost like … I knew him from a long time ago, which was crazy talk – I would definitely remember meeting someone as hot as Ryder.
I snapped out of my haze and focused on Jayden. “So, since I never got the welcome packet, tell me … what are the best ways to kill an ash?”
Ryder had snapped a bullet between red’s eyes and he was gone. So even though we were harder to kill than humans, a bullet definitely worked. Still, I needed to know all the other ways.
Jayden handed me a bottle of blood and I drank while he talked.
“We’re hybrids, so we can regenerate like full-fledged vampires, but we are also still living, like humans.” He was slowly drawling this out and I needed the information faster.
“Hit me with it.” I hurried him on.
He shook a finger at me. “I hope you aren’t this impatient in the bedroom.” I flipped him off but we both smiled. We had officially reached BAFF status.
“We heal really quickly, so you need to inflict a lot of damage, masses of blood loss or major organ failure. Blow us up, light us on fire, put a bullet in the brain, rip out the heart, or decapitation.”
My mouth hung open. “Jesus.”
He winked. “You asked, sweet cheeks.”
I shivered. “So the culling?”
He frowned. “Is a blood bath. No one really survives, ya know?”
That hit me. What he said was really deep for my normally lighthearted BAFF. You could survive some things in body but not in mind or spirit. I had never forgotten about the night I was attacked, and if those asshole ash hadn’t been scared off, I knew things would have been much worse – death of soul worse.
I raised my blood bottle to clink with his. “Here’s to hoping they pay for therapy after we get through it.”
He gave a deep genuine laugh and clinked my bottle before saying: “You should slurp that blood down, girl. Something tells me Ryder doesn’t like tardiness.”
Shit! He was so right. I downed my bottle and leapt for the shower.
I entered the training gym slowly, part of me expecting Ryder to jump out of nowhere and start whooping my ass without warning. It was empty. I peered up into the rafters and was pleased to see them empty as well. Now that I had a chance to have a proper look, I noticed rows of weapons lining the walls. At least four large walls’ worth.
I was surprised to see that there looked to be something from a range of different cultures and martial art disciplines, including but not limited to samurai swords, whips with barbed ends, throwing knives, curved blades, crossbows, throwing axes – Jesus, my stomach rolled.
“Nervous?” a low voice said from behind me.
I jumped and grabbed my chest.
“Fucking A, Ryder!” I needed to get him a bell or something.
He smiled, showing those goddamn dimples, but then quickly replaced it with his signature clenched-jaw stare. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
I took a shaky breath. “I wasn’t scared,” I lied. “I just don’t like being snuck up on.” That part was the truth at least.
His smile was back. “Right, well, in the culling there will be sneaking, so get used to it.”
I eyed the weapons again. “Are there rules, or do I get to run over to the wall and grab an axe and try to cut someone’s heads off?”
He tilted his head slightly, as if trying to gauge whether I was serious or not. “There are a few rules – but not many. The weapons are out of your control. The opponent’s sponsor chooses your weapon, and Lucas will choose your opponent’s weapon.”
Great. I hadn’t had weapon training in my defense class. And there were no guns up there.