The First Lesson
684 Words
Chapter Twenty-Four: The First Lesson
Elara's POV
I didn't sleep.
Not because I was afraid.
Because my mind refused to be quiet.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw my mother's smile.
Then the Vampire King's tears.
Then Draven promising to wait for me.
Everything was changing too quickly.
A soft knock interrupted my thoughts.
"Come in."
The door opened slowly.
Luna Celeste stepped inside carrying a tray.
Fresh fruit.
Warm bread.
Tea.
"You missed dinner."
I smiled sheepishly.
"I wasn't hungry."
She gave me a look that reminded me so much of Luna Elena that my heart ached.
"That isn't an excuse."
I laughed quietly.
"Yes, ma'am."
She placed the tray on the table before walking over to me.
"You've been carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders."
"I don't know how not to."
She gently brushed my hair behind my ear.
"You don't have to carry it alone anymore."
My eyes stung.
Why were people being so kind to me?
I wasn't used to it.
After she left, I forced myself to eat.
Lunara purred happily.
"Better."
Vespera sighed dramatically.
"Now maybe we can stop feeling hungry."
I laughed.
"You two feel hunger?"
"We're part of you."
Lunara answered gently.
"We feel what you feel."
That thought made me strangely happy.
I wasn't alone.
I never had been.
---
A loud knock echoed from downstairs.
Curious, I walked onto the balcony overlooking the training grounds.
Hundreds of Nightshade warriors had gathered.
Draven stood in the center wearing simple black training clothes.
His sword rested across his shoulder.
Ryder noticed me first.
"There she is!"
Every head turned upward.
My face immediately turned red.
"No."
I whispered.
"No, no, no..."
Draven looked up.
A slow smile crossed his face.
"Good."
Good?
Before I could ask what he meant...
He called out.
"Come down."
I blinked.
"Why?"
"So we can train."
I looked behind me.
Surely he was talking to someone else.
"There isn't anyone else up there."
He was definitely talking to me.
"I don't know how to fight."
"Exactly."
His answer was entirely too calm.
"I was hoping for a better excuse."
The warriors laughed.
I groaned.
"This is a trap."
Vespera laughed loudly inside my head.
"Oh, this is going to be fun."
Lunara sounded amused too.
"Go."
"You need this."
Ten minutes later...
I stood in the middle of the training grounds holding a wooden practice sword.
Incorrectly.
Very incorrectly.
Draven gently adjusted my grip.
"Relax."
"I am relaxed."
The sword immediately slipped from my hands.
It landed in the dirt.
Ryder burst out laughing.
Several warriors followed.
I crossed my arms.
"I don't like any of you."
Draven bent down, picked up the sword, and handed it back to me.
"You'll get there."
"You've known me for two days."
"And?"
"You have an unreasonable amount of confidence."
His smile returned.
"I believe in you."
Those four words settled somewhere deep inside my heart.
No one had ever said them to me before.
Not once.
Draven stepped back.
"Again."
This time...
I held the sword correctly.
"Better."
We practiced for nearly an hour.
I stumbled.
Fell.
Dropped the sword.
More than once.
Actually...
More than twenty times.
Every single time...
Draven helped me back to my feet.
Never once laughing.
Never once showing frustration.
By the end of training...
I managed to block one of his practice strikes.
The warriors erupted into applause.
I blinked.
"I did it?"
Draven smiled proudly.
"You did."
Warmth spread through me.
Not from the mate bond.
From pride.
Real pride.
Maybe...
Just maybe...
I wasn't as weak as I'd always believed.
Then a scream echoed from the eastern wall.
Every warrior froze.
A guard came running across the courtyard.
"Alpha!"
Draven immediately turned.
"What happened?"
The guard was pale.
Breathing hard.
"The Hollow Court..."
He swallowed.
"...they've crossed the border."
The training grounds fell deathly silent.
Draven's smile vanished.
He reached for his sword.
Then looked at me.
His eyes were filled with determination.
"The lessons are over."
His voice became that of an Alpha.
"It's time to protect our home."
- Writer
