Savage Seed by Ivy Sparks

21

Leslie

I hit the ground hard,and for half a second, I thought I broke my ass. Was it even possible to break one’s ass? Yeah, I was pretty sure I broke my ass.

“A warrior never quits,” I heard Ria call as I groaned and convulsed in the sand. She was saying it loudly, projecting her voice for the entire class to hear. But I knew her words were meant for me more than any of the others.

I stood quickly, before Dina could smack me again with her stick. Today we were training with weapons, our focus on striking at our opponents’ weak points. Dina didn’t seem to have to look very hard for mine, striking indiscriminately at just about every spot on my bruised body.

After she’d smacked my ribs for the sixth time during that session, I’d just about had enough. My blood was pounding in my ears, and my skin was on fire. I wasn’t seeing as much of Kade as I would have liked, and there was no end in sight to these lessons. Ria, ever the observant teacher, never stepped in to stop Dina from hurting me. She merely corrected my stance or pointed out whatever other flaw she saw.

I had to admit, it was effective in hardening my once weak body. I had already improved by a lot, becoming more agile and able to anticipate some of Dina’s attacks. The only problem was that she was anticipating mine as well, and I could never land a hit.

Sometimes crowds would gather to watch our sparring matches. I liked to think that it was the parents or grandparents of the other members of the class, but more often than not I caught them watching me instead.

I felt eyes on my back, and a shiver ran down my spine. Whoever was there had taken the attention of the crowd away from me; I could hear faint whispers among them, and a slight bow to their heads.

Dina was distracted as well, a look of surprise coming over her. And for the first time since I had started sparring with her, I saw weakness. And an opening.

Gripping my stick with two hands, I lunged at her, aiming for her throat.

She was still too fast and too experienced to fall for it. But I at least had enough of a head start that she couldn’t block my blow with her stick. Instead she used her forearm to block it, hissing at the resounding smack of wood against bone.

I’d hurt her. Damn, if it didn’t feel good.

Dina had always looked at me with contempt. Now she looked at me with anger, a fire in her eyes that scared me. She lunged, but I was able to sidestep and quickly return to a defensive stance. But when I turned toward her, I finally saw who it was that had caused the distraction.

Before us was an older man, standing stark still with his arms folded in front of him. He seemed tired and battle worn. But there was also a regality—a nobility—about him. His hair was nearing his thighs, the braids as well as his beard peppered with white. He stood alone, and even though he’d gained the attention of pretty much everybody, nobody approached him.

And he was looking directly at me.

My momentary distraction was all Dina needed. In an instant, I felt the heat and pain of her weapon as it struck me solidly in the face. I staggered backward, barely keeping my balance. I raised my hand to my cheek and pulled it away to find blood on my fingers. I’d been struck on the cheek hard enough to draw blood, and, if Dina had aimed any higher, I would have lost an eye.

Vaguely, I heard Ria’s voice call out, this time at a higher-pitch. Probably worried as she sensed what was about to happen. I didn’t care. Something about the sight of my own blood finally pushed me over the edge, and I lost it.

I dropped my stick and rushed at Dina, a cry of pure rage escaping from somewhere deep in my soul. I didn’t recognize the sound as coming from me. I’d never been this mad, this fed up, this pissed off, in my entire life.

Dina looked at me in surprise, and for the briefest of moments, seemed unable to decide how to handle my charge. I saw her glance briefly toward Ria, which was all the opening I needed. I hit her as hard as I could in a football tackle, and she went down onto her back. I sat up and got one knee over her right shoulder, pinning that arm down. She swung at me with her left, but I was somehow able to grab it and hold it in place.

Then I punched her in the face. And the strangest thing happened. It didn’t make my anger subside. It didn’t make me feel satisfied. Instead, it made me want to hit her again. Hurt her again.

And so I did, landing punch after punch after punch.

I heard the dull roar of shouting in the background. But it didn’t matter. None of it did.

With a suddenness that took my breath away, large, muscular arms wrapped around my chest and pulled me off Dina. I was thrown over the man’s shoulder, and I knew it had to be Kade. No one else would dare touch me. “Let me go!” I cried, taking huge gulps of air. “I mean it, Kade!”

He grunted, and I was reminded of our time together in the desert before all of this. When I was just a lost girl from a planet far away, and he was just a native. If I could go back to the moment he held out his hand for me to take, would I still accept it?

Kade took me to the shore, sloshing his way through it and splashing me in the face. I shut my eyes and took a deep breath, letting my fists unclench.

He dumped me unceremoniously into the ocean, and I didn’t even bother trying to resurface. I let my body weigh me down like an anchor, silently hoping that Kade would let me stay there. Beneath the waves, it was peaceful. The saltwater stung my cheek, but the rest of my body was soothed by its warmth.

Kade’s hands gripped beneath my arms, and he pulled me to the surface. He kept his hands there as he stared down at me, a fierceness in his eyes that I’d only witnessed him give to others.

“Never strike in anger. Anger makes you sloppy, drains you of your wits.”

Behind him, tribesmen stood and watched us. I ran a hand down my face to clear the salt from my eyes, and couldn’t help but notice them. Were they waiting for us to give them yet another show?

Kade growled, snapping my eyes back to him. “Don’t look at them, Leslie. Look at me.”

He was angry with me, and part of me was angry at him as well. Coming and going as he pleased, leaving me to train and to fight and do whatever the hell else he thought I needed to do.

And yet… my body hummed happily at the sound of his voice, even if it was sharp at the edges right now. I was sick of him not being around. I missed him.

He sighed, the anger draining out of his face, and his hands fell to my waist. Instinctively, I wanted to close the distance between us and melt against him. My body was screaming at me to do so, my head pounding with each second I resisted.

“Where were you?” I asked, my voice thick with my pent-up emotions.

Kade’s expression fell, but he didn’t move any closer. “I’m trying to help you return to your people,” he said. “And protect my own. It takes time. Leslie, we’ve been over this.”

I gripped his wrists and swallowed, the lump in my throat making it difficult. I opened my mouth but couldn’t find the words. I’d missed him. Badly. In this strange environment, he was the only thing that really made me feel safe. Ria’s company helped, of course, and his people were nice enough to me whenever I spoke with them. But nothing compared to being wrapped in Kade’s strong arms.

“I know you’re trying. I just feel so…” I sighed and moved my hand to my forehead to fight the ache blooming there. “Powerless.”

Kade didn’t reply, instead raising his hand to my cheek. The salt in my wound stung. He prodded the cut gently with his fingertips. “You’re never powerless. Not ever.”

I felt tears well in my eyes, and I blinked them away as best I could. “You don’t know that. You’re the leader’s son. People have always respected you.”

Kade snorted, surprising me. “People disagree,” he said slowly, “with my decisions. Hunting the sand tiger alone. Not challenging my father.” He nodded toward me. “Claiming you.”

A large wave began cresting at my back and pushed me toward him. I stumbled forward into his chest, and he easily steadied me.

“Those who respect me do so because I give them a reason to,” he continued. Gripping my chin in his hand, he tilted my head up at him. “You must give them a reason to respect you, Leslie. That is something I cannot give you.”

I clenched my jaw and waited for him to remove his hand. He didn’t. “I can’t fight,” I said finally. “I suck at it. They’ll never respect me if I can’t even defend myself.”

Kade nodded, seeming to agree. “Your training has not gone well.” He peered at my cheek. “You let your opponent win.”

“Let her win? Kade, she’s stronger than me!”

He quirked an eyebrow. “And the sand tiger is stronger than me. Yet I still hunt her. Why do I win?”

I fought the urge to tell him that he hadn’t won yet. “I don’t know,” I huffed. “Because she fears you?”

Kade pursed his lips. “She would not come near if she were frightened.” He asked again, “Why do I win?”

“I don’t know,” I ground out, pulling my face away from his hand.

He sighed and started cupping water in his palms and letting it drip down my shoulder. “I win,” he breathed, “because I am smarter. Not stronger. You are smarter, Leslie. You will win.” He smirked, adding, “And I know Dina. Trust me, you’re smarter.”

I scrunched my face up, and he cracked a small enough smile to help me relax. I had to admit, his confidence in me despite my recent failings lightened my mood a little.

Kade sighed heavily and looked into the distant horizon. I wondered what he was thinking of, and was about to ask, when he spoke again.

“Leslie, I never asked you if you wanted to learn to fight. It was a decision I made for you. With the best of intentions. But if it’s not something you want… Well, maybe I could assign someone to guard you. You could stay in the tent while—”

“No!” I interrupted, surprising myself.

Kade held his hand up. “Think about it for a moment, Leslie. It’s possible I was wrong—”

I held my own hand up to him, putting a finger over his mouth and shutting him up. It was true, he hadn’t asked me. But I also hadn’t resisted the training. I had struggled, but I still always showed up on time, listened to Ria, and gave it my best shot.

Before the shuttle crash, the idea of training to fight had never crossed my mind. I would have once said I was a lover and not a fighter, but I supposed the truth was closer to just being raised in a world where girls like me had no reason to fight. I’d held my own against the sand beast, at least for a moment, but I wouldn’t have been able to protect myself for any longer. I didn’t want to be that helpless again.

And now I was among people who fought every day of their lives just to survive. It was as alien as alien could be. But the thing was… I was leaving this place. Right? That was the plan, for both Kade and I. Once the chaos in the desert subsided, Kade would lead me back to the star port and my adventure would be over. I’d be safe and sound in my own bed, my own world, again.

So what was the point of learning to fight if I was going to leave soon? Why did I feel compelled to learn the way of life around here?

“Maybe I don’t want to leave,” I whispered, more to myself than to him.

“What was that?” Kade asked, leaning down toward me.

I looked at him, determination in my eyes. “I want to learn to fight, Kade.”

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Yes. I’m sure.”

“Okay. Good. You will train with me from now on. Okay?”

“Okay,” I agreed, trying not to groan as he began rubbing at the bruises peppering my skin. “If you insist.”

I tried to ignore the constant feeling of eyes on us as Kade continued to pour water on my wounds and inspect my body. But as I glanced over his shoulder a few times, I couldn’t help but notice that older man from earlier still watching, his eyes the same shade of green as Kade’s.