Whirl (Ondine Quartet Book 1) (25 page)

I knocked lightly on the half-open door.

"Uh…Gab…I mean, Head Chevalier Renard? "

Gabe's light brown eyes looked up.

"Come in, Irisavie. I was expecting you."

Excited, I walked in and settled on the chair
in front of his desk. Gabe remained silent. I leashed in my
impatience and waited. His office was organized and clean, just
what I would've expected from a disciplined soldier. Framed
certificates of awards and other service acknowledgments from his
time in the military hung on the walls.

On his desk was a small photo of Gabe and
Marcella at an amusement park. They both laughed, looking very much
like a young couple in love. He held an enormous white teddy bear
in his arms, the kind you win after playing one of those shooting
games. The image of tough-looking Gabe clutching a cuddly stuffed
animal in his bulging, muscular arms was hysterical. I bit the
inside of my cheek and swallowed my laughter.

He leaned back in his chair and tapped the
top of his pen against the desk.

"You heard what I said yesterday and the
condition still applies." His hard gaze fastened on to me. "I won't
allow you to train in recruit classes until you've proven your
ability. Otherwise, the whole class will drop to meet your needs
and I can't have that."

I nodded.

"Unfortunately, my resources and time are
stretched thin. And the Training Center can't create a new class
just for one student. It'd be one thing if there were enough
interested ondines. But since it's only you…" he shook his head.
"I'll assign you an instructor, someone who'll give you one-on-one
training sessions. That way, you can learn the basics and catch up
on any other skills you need. When he and I both think you're
ready, I'll put you in with the real class."

"That's fine." I'd expected as much after
what he'd said yesterday.

"There is something else that might help me
improve faster." I smiled, aiming for the sweet look of an
eager-to-please student.

Wariness flickered through his eyes. "And
what might that be?"

"Not all of the recruits are happy about the
Council's decision," I said smoothly, using the information Ryder
had provided. "I need to practice on my own, outside of my private
instruction. Given the way some of the recruits feel, I don't think
it's wise for me to come to the Training Center for practice while
most of them are using the facility."

Gabe raised his eyebrows, but didn't argue my
point. He knew how delicate the situation was. And I was sure he
wanted to avoid any extra conflict or disturbance among the
recruits. It wouldn't be conducive toward the program.

Plus, his vein wasn't throbbing yet. I took
that as a good sign.

"I wondered if you could make a special
allowance for me to train here at nights, after curfew."

He opened his mouth, but I steamrolled right
over him. "The Training Center is open twenty-four hours a day.
Until curfew, it's usually packed with students who use the
facilities for their own workouts. I need space to practice. Until
I reach the level needed to officially join classes, this would be
the best way for me to work without unnecessarily getting in the
way of anyone else."

What I said was mostly true. I needed to
practice without dealing with recruits who might not be happy about
my presence. But the request also gave me another edge. If Gabe
authorized me to be out after curfew, I'd have a lot more freedom
and leverage. And that was definitely something that could prove
useful.

Gabe studied me as he pondered my line of
reasoning. I knew I'd made a good argument.

Finally, he grunted. "Okay. I'll arrange with
your dorm guard for you to have permission to be out after curfew.
Following your train of logic, it also means you can no longer
observe recruit classes."

I hadn't thought of that. But if it meant I
could be out after curfew, I was willing to accept it.

I nodded gravely. "Thank you."

He heaved an exaggerated sigh. "You Irisavie
women are going to be the death of me," he muttered.

"So, who's my instructor?" I leaned forward,
no longer able to hide my excitement.

An expression I really didn't like came over
his face. His eyes shifted to something over my shoulder.

"Sweet iris, we meet again."

I groaned. Julian LeVeq leaned casually
against the doorjamb with his arms crossed, charisma rolling off
him in waves. His long-sleeve pullover matched the exact color of
his eyes. A slim white paperback was tucked under his arm and I
could just make out the title,
Odes et Ballades: Victor
Hugo
.

I gave him a suspicious look. "Did you plan
this?"

"Why, of course not." Julian feigned a look
of surprise. It would've been somewhat convincing if he hadn't
immediately smirked. He came in and sat on the chair next to me,
his warm, spicy scent wafting through the air.

"Julian is my first lieutenant." Gabriel
seemed amused by my exasperation.

I still couldn't get over the fact that
Julian was a chevalier. Almost every Redavi demillir I knew was a
spoiled, lazy rich boy whose sole purpose in life was to increase
their wealth and power, and marry a Redavi ondine who could help
with both.

"After the Council's decision yesterday, Gabe
called and asked if I'd be willing to put in time to train a new
student," Julian said easily. "I must admit I'm not very surprised
it's you. You gave my mother quite the run-down yesterday."

A flush crept up my cheeks. Regardless of
what I may think of Marquisa LeVeq, she was his mother. It couldn't
have been pleasant for him to hear the stuff I'd said.

"You did good," Julian continued, startling
me. "My mother has a very poor understanding of the changes that
need to be made around here." His smile was bitter.

I wondered if their sour relationship was
related to his job as chevalier. Marquisa LeVeq struck me as an
arrogant, ondine-loving bitch. It must have killed her when her own
son became a soldier.

"I've filled Julian in on your martial arts
background and the training your mother provided." Gabe paused.
"I've also informed him of your mother's activities while you were
Rogue."

I tensed. Marcella had warned me not to tell
anyone. And the less people knew about me, the safer I felt.

"Marcella was the one who told me." There was
a gentle note of reassurance in Gabe's voice. "I needed to provide
Julian with the information, so he would know how best to train
you. It won't go outside this room."

Gabe was right. Although it annoyed me that
Julian had knowledge about my past, he needed it to teach me.
Besides, I understood better than anyone the value of information
in producing the right results.

"Okay."

Julian looked slightly relieved, as though
he'd been afraid of my reaction.

"How strong is your Virtue?" His voice was
casual, but there was a curious, eager expression in his eyes.

"I'm working on it, but it's not as strong as
I'd like it to be," I admitted. "And, unlike my mother, I have no
idea how I'll be able to use it in combat."

"But you think it'll help." Doubt colored
Gabe's voice.

I couldn't blame him. I was running on pure
instinct. But something deep within me told me I was right.

"Yes."

"I think so, too," Julian added firmly.

When I glanced at him in surprise, he
shrugged. "An ondine's greatest strength is her magic. Using that
magic to enhance your physical abilities is not such an impossible
idea. Especially now that we know what your mother did."

"Which means you'll need to work doubly hard
on improving your Virtue, Irisavie." Gabe rubbed his chin
absentmindedly. "Your progress as a chevalier may completely depend
upon it."

I thought of Nexa, my crazy, pseudo-covert
agent/mentor who was supposed to be helping me.

"I know."

"I'll have to structure our training sessions
around my chevalier schedule," Julian said. "We'll meet in the
mornings before school, but I won't be able to work with you every
day."

I studied him carefully. Given his usual
flippant attitude, he was being quite unselfish in taking on my
training. Of course, I suspected him of ulterior motives. Julian
probably wanted to add me to his long list of conquered women and
he thought his chances would improve if we spent more time
together. I had absolutely no intention of letting that happen.

Julian raised his eyebrows in mock challenge
and I suddenly remembered his words by the beach.
A lot of
things about me would surprise you
.

"You're very lucky Chevalier LeVeq has agreed
to take on this responsibility in addition to his other duties."
Gabriel's tone was stern. "It goes without saying that I expect you
to work hard and be on your best behavior."

Stiffening, I stood and faced them. The
implied meaning was obvious. As the first ondine to attempt this,
all eyes were focused on me. A lot of people were just waiting for
me to fail or screw up so they could say the idea was a bad one.
Everything was riding on my performance.

"Of course." I addressed Julian in an
all-business tone. "When do you want to start?"

He grinned with obvious anticipation. I
prickled in annoyance, but shoved it down. This was my chance and I
wasn't going to blow it, even if it meant putting up with his
wiseass behavior.

"I'll see you in the mat room tomorrow
morning at six."

I nodded and turned to go.

"Kendra?" I stopped and looked back.

"Congratulations on becoming a recruit."
Gabe's light eyes softened and shone with pride. He was speaking
not as Head Chevalier, but as my uncle.

A surge of emotions swelled through me.
Humility. Joy. Gratitude. Resoluteness.

But I kept it to myself.

"Thanks."

NINETEEN

At six sharp, I waited for Julian
inside the mat room at the Training Center. Black workout pants
were cinched tight around my waist and a white tank top allowed
freedom of movement. My long hair was brutally tied back into a low
ponytail.

Julian strolled in, wearing a black t-shirt
and navy blue running pants. He looked alert and refreshed. His
eyes twinkled when he saw me waiting.

"I see you're ready to go, sweet iris."
Everything out of his mouth sounded like a damn sexual
suggestion.

I refused to let him provoke me.

"Of course." Determination added a hard edge
to my response.

"I watched a few videos of your tournaments
to get a sense of your skills." Julian joined me on the mat.
"You're strong and you have solid technique," he conceded.

Pride surged through me.

He grinned. "At least, out in the human
world."

Asshole.

"Come on." His voice was brisk. He got into
position, one foot back, arms dangling loosely by his side. His
eyes gleamed with that undefinable thing I'd seen when we first
met. "Let's see what you got."

With a low growl, I launched. Twisting around
on my left foot, I brought my right leg up for a high reverse
roundhouse kick, aiming for his chest. Anticipating the move, he
blocked it with one arm without losing balance. Before I could
shift, he quickly swept out with his foot, slamming me on my left
ankle and knocking me down to the mat.

Springing back up, I ignored the sharp throb
now shooting up my left leg. I feinted a right punch then darted
behind him to throw my elbow into his back. Julian's reflexes were
too fast. He spun around, grabbed my attacking arm, and flipped me
right over him. I tried several more times, but each time I was the
one who kept landing on the ground. Julian barely moved.

After he knocked me down for the seventh
time, I stopped. I hadn't once made contact against him. My ribs,
arms, ankles, and thighs ached from where he'd blocked, grabbed, or
kicked me.

Refusing to show pain, I pushed back a sweaty
lock of hair that had escaped my ponytail and placed my hands on my
hips.

"What am I doing wrong?"

Julian wasn't sweating or breathing hard. He
looked calm and unruffled like he'd been reading quietly for the
past few minutes. It was infuriating.

"You know what's wrong. You're too slow," he
said, as though stating the obvious.

I controlled the urge to smack him with
something heavy. "I know I'm slow, LeVeq. I need you to show me how
to be faster."

Tilting his head to the side, he narrowed his
eyes and considered.

"You think too much. You need to tap deeper."
His voice was hypnotic, almost poetic. "You're not using your
deepest, darkest instincts. You're too afraid to let go."

I stared at him. Suddenly, I wasn't sure if
we were still talking about my technique.

You're too emotional
.

Tristan's statement after the Axis attack
floated through my mind. Julian was saying the exact opposite —
that I wasn't emotional enough, not trusting my gut enough.

Your deep, dark instincts.

Julian's words unnerved me. Those brilliant
dark blue eyes always made me feel like they never missed
anything.

Fear and doubt uncurled in the pit of my
stomach. Could he see the darkness I always pushed down and locked
away?

Consumed by these thoughts, I stopped paying
attention. Too late, I realized Julian had pounced. Before I could
react, he had both my wrists in a steel grip and had toppled me
onto my back.

Struggling, I tried to push him off, but he
was too strong. Holding my wrists together, he lay on top of me and
used his weight to press me down.

"Get…off!" I strained every muscle in my body
in an attempt to dislodge him. Nothing. Julian's eyes gleamed with
playfulness.

"You see? You should've seen this coming." He
gave me a self-satisfied smirk.