11. Katya

“You are really pathetic, aren’t you?” Katya sneered down at me, kicking me in the process, “this is just the training, and you are already down. How will pass the test?”
She was right. I was really pathetic. She had been punching and kicking me for the last half an hour and I couldn’t do anything to defend myself. I didn’t have the same strength that she possessed and I didn’t know the techniques to fight back.
I thought Damen had left me with her, because she was a good trainer, who could teach me proper techniques and stuff. But, I think she got too carried away with the personal issues between us. What puzzled me was that she wasn’t even afraid after Damen had clearly warned her to treat me with respect.
I reached up to touch the side of my lips, and winced when my fingers came up with blood.
“Getting hurt is a part of training,” Katya said in justification, “it’s sign that you are learning.”
If this bitch thought that I was dumb enough to believe her then she was wrong. Sure, getting hurt was a part of training, but, at least she should have taught something to me first. She just started attacking me in the name of training.
She lifted her leg to kick me once again, but, this time, I didn’t give her the chance to. I grabbed a hold of her ankle and pulled. She fell face first, right in front of me, with a loud scream.
“Bitch!” she spat, turning towards me, “how fucking dare you?!”
I shrugged, despite the excessive pain in my shoulder blades, “isn’t this a part of training? Attacking my opponent?”
She let out an inhuman snarl, and her eyes instantly darkened. Her features started contorting and I saw her nails elongating into claws.
Shit, shit, shit!
“I will fucking ruin your face today, you pathetic excuse of a human!” she growled, and started advancing towards me as I tried to get away from her.
Soon, she had me cornered against the wall, and her mouth opened to reveal her fangs. I glanced around for any kind of weapon that could help me, but, there was nothing around except for the training mats.
I closed my eyes and shielded my face with my hands as Katya raised her hands. I was waiting for the impact but it never came. I heard a loud crash and my eyes flew open to see Damen standing in front of me, while Katya was thrown against the opposite wall, with such a force that her body had left a dent on the wall.
“Oh my God,” I exclaimed in horror, before looking up to meet Damen’s pitch black eyes- not the dark purple ones that I knew when he was not in control, but, completely pitch black ones.
If my heart was pounding at an unnatural pace earlier, then now it was ready to burst out of my chest. I watched stupefied as Damen took deep calming breaths to control himself, but, punched the wall when he failed to do so. Katya was lying unconscious a few feet away, and I was shit scared of being alone with Damen.
“Lilith,” a very familiar voice suddenly traveled towards us, and I looked up to see Aiden standing at the doorway.
Oh no, his timing couldn’t be any more wrong.
Before I could ask him to run away, Damen had already let out an ear splitting roar. Aiden watched him with wide eyes, but, didn’t make any move to get away.
That idiot!
Damen started taking slow, predatory steps towards Aiden, and I had no other choice but to muster all my strength and stand up. I couldn’t let that idiot Aiden die just because he was stupid enough not to get the hint and dash away.
I braced my hands against the wall, when pain shot up through my spine, threatening to make me fall once again. That Katya had really got me good.
Another searing pain through my stomach and I lost it. I threw up my granola bar and orange juice from this morning, and started feeling utterly and disgustingly sick. My knees gave up and I fell to the floor with a thud.
I heard Aiden calling my name in worry and then, footsteps, before my eyes closed and I lost sense of reality.
***
I woke up to warm fingers brushing against my cheeks, and the nostalgia from the time when I became unconscious in the cabin, hit me. I had woken up in the same way, to Damen’s fingers caressing my face.
I took one look at his tired, worried face, and knew that he had probably been with me the whole time I was passed out.
“I shouldn’t have left you with Katya,” he said so quietly, that I thought he was talking to himself.
“Why did you?” I asked, my voice coming out raspy, “why couldn’t you train me by yourself?”
“I tend to lose control around you most of the time. I don’t want to hurt you or mark you against your will. That’s why I thought it would be better if Katya trained you,” he shook his head, averting his eyes from me, “but, I didn’t know that she would go to that extent, especially after I had ordered her. She has earned herself years in the dungeon for defying my order and attacking my mate.”
I tried to sit up in my place, wincing when it hurt at several parts of my body all together.
“Take rest for now, we will start again tomorrow,” Damen said, stopping me from sitting up.
My eyes widened, “Are you kidding me?! Did you not see what happened to me today? Damen, I can’t do this! Why don’t you understand?! Fuck those tests! Aren’t you like the next ruler or something? Can you not get them cancelled?”
“It’s not that simple, Lilith,” he sighed, “and, besides, the purpose of this training is far greater than just those tests.”
I raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean? What purpose?”
He inhaled deeply, as if he was telling me something against all his wishes, “Do you remember when you were mind attacked?”
“Of freaking course!” I said immediately, “It was worse than what Katya did to me today. And, not one but two times! Ugh! Don’t remind me please.”
“Well, don’t you want to learn to defend yourself against such attacks in future?” he asked me cautiously.
I narrowed my eyes at him, “What do you mean in future? Is something going on? Is it going to happen again?!” I exclaimed in horror, “Oh my God, Damen, what’s going on?”
“Look, you don’t have to worry,” he instantly rushed, “You are safe with me. It’s just that…”
“Just what, Damen?” I asked in exasperation, “last time, you almost drained your life to save me from that attack. I don’t want a repeat of that. I don’t like seeing you…hurt, especially if it’s because of me,” I admitted in a small voice.
“I don’t like that either,” a powerful voice traveled towards us, and I looked up to see Damen’s father standing at the doorway.
This freaking old man…he just had to enter at the wrong moment.
He took determined steps towards me, and looked kidown at me, “Yes, there’s a possibility for such an attack to happen again. And, I won’t allow my son to defend you again. His life is too precious for that.”
Damen stood up, “Father, please-”
“You have a kingdom to rule, Damen,” the old man said, turning to face Damen, “I don’t want you to concern yourself with such trivial matters. Just let your mate take care of things on her own.”
Damen’s jaw clenched, “I need Lilith beside me, safe and sound, to rule this supposed kingdom. She is human. Cut her some slack-”
“Being a human is not an excuse,” his father cut in, “do you think he will let her get away next time just because she is a human? You can't defend her again! She has to learn to do that herself!”
What the- what?
"W-what do y-you mean a-again?” I stuttered, then, tried to steady my voice, turning to Damen “what is happening Damen? Who is doing this?”
He turned to me with a grim look, before he let out a defeated sigh, “How much do you know about Clario and the war?”
“Um,” I swallowed, trying to suppress the bad feeling brewing in my stomach, “all I know is that he started the war and that it ended with his death.”
“What if I tell you that he is not dead?”
I think I was better off unconscious..