Chapter 25 Fighting On My Own

He should have known it wouldn't be easy.

Logically, Kari knew it wasn't going to be a walk in the park but Ryedir had far too much fun dancing circles around Kari before knocking him on his ass.

One of the entertaining rooms had been temporarily repurposed into a training room with all the furniture pushed against the walls. In the morning, he would have to help Nevis re-assemble the room but for now it was a good spot away from prying eyes.

Kari had been sceptical at first but now he was glad for the plush rug helping to cushion his fall. He had been even more confused over being made to keep the same attire as normal, Ryedir had only replied that it’s what he would be wearing during an attack so he may as well get used to it and that it was also an incentive.

He didn't understand what the alpha meant until he was knocked to the ground, tunic flying up and caught Ryedir’s leering grin. He wasn't sure if it was an incentive for Ryedir to get him or for Kari to learn to counter so that it didn't happen.

Perhaps both.

Still, the alpha had moves and was stupidly fast for his size. Kari reeled at the speed of him, even though the alpha told Kari that he would be faster, speed being his biggest strength other than the whole Daiyan thing. That and the fact that people would underestimate him, dismiss him just for being an omega and even worse, a pleasure slave.

Ryedir had said something interesting that had him wondering though.

“Most slaves aren't always what they seem, yet they are always dismissed out of hand. It will give you an edge over any opponent who doesn't know you."

They ran through all the basics the first few evenings. Stances, holds, blocks, footwork. They also covered the theory behind how certain moves worked and went through the motions of how they worked. First Ryedir would perform it on Kari before walking the omega through performing it on him.

Once those were out of the way, the alpha declared he would learn best by putting it into practice.

Thus, his predicament.

He could tell that Ryedir was going easy on him but still clearly not easy enough considering that he hadn't countered a single move yet. He was reacting better, faster than before but it was still just not enough. Kari refused to ask the man to go slower though, since he wasn't about to admit defeat.

The man suddenly lunged in, appearing beside Kari while he was still gathering his thoughts and he moved instinctively, rolling to the side and throwing up his hand.

A small trail of ice shards sprung up along the floor before fading out as his power depleted. It didn't quite reach the alpha who stared down at the ice in surprise.

Kari couldn’t remove his eyes from the glittering shards. It was the first time in over a month that he had been able to use his power. He visualized his pool of power and noticed that it was dry again, although the rocks at the bottom seemed slick with water.

Happiness burst through him. Finally, proper proof that he would be whole again.

Suddenly he was thrown from his visualization and the image of his ice being overlaid with blood. It shone sickeningly, red droplets glinting in the light as they dripped down the shards.

He stood rooted to the spot in horror.

He was vaguely aware of being moved and something pressing up against him. The blood in his vision began to fade to black and Kari slowly came back to present only to find strong arms wrapped around his frame, a hand holding his chin and warm lips moving against his own.

He honestly didn’t remember closing his eyes or opening his mouth to allow the alpha inside but now. all he could do was melt against the other man.

It felt amazing and he couldn’t even bring himself to feel embarrassed about how his body reacted to the sensations because he could feel Ryedir reacting as well. It wasn’t like he had never been kissed before but it never felt this damn good before. The alpha just invaded his senses and overwhelming all his thought processes.

Kari gasped for breath when Ryedir finally pulled away and his lips felt puffy and slick. Opening his eyes, the omega just stared dazedly at the alpha. They were still standing pressed together. It was pleasantly warm and he felt almost boneless in the man’s arms. The alpha leaned back and smirked at him before running the pad of his thumb across Kari’s lips.

“Well, that was effective.”

“Huh?”

“Welcome back to the present, Kari.”

The omega blinked a few times in confusion as he continued to stare up at the alpha. It wasn’t until Ryedir moved away that his brain decided to kick back into gear. Kari flushed bright red and shifted uncomfortably while he examined the carpet.

Ryedir didn’t say anything and after a while Kari looked up to see what he was doing. The man was bent over examining the shards of ice that were starting to melt into the rugs.

“Ice, hmm? Explains your tattoo. I thought you said you couldn’t use it right now?”

“I can’t. That was everything I had stored. I mean, you wouldn’t be standing there right now if I had more.”

Ryedir hummed and pulled on some of the ice, separating it from the rug. “I don’t particularly feel like starting any gossip over how this room got so wet by leaving a puddle behind,” he explained at Kari’s confused look. “It’s been a big day, we’ll call it a night. We will head to the bath, then you can go to bed.”

Kari opened his mouth to protest but stopped at the raised eyebrow. Truth be told, he was tired and a little shaken over the accidental use of his ice. He always found it draining to use, even when just a little bit. He followed Ryedir further into his private quarters and watched as he discarded the ice outside on the balcony where the heat would no doubt whisk it away within a few hours over night.

The man then ushered him into the bathroom and stripped him with efficiency that was no longer surprising. The omega remained pliant as he was cleaned, too lost to his own thoughts to be embarrassed for once.

What would have happened if he had more power?

Ryedir was stupidly fast but you can’t dodge the ice, not really. He had reacted blindly by instinct with the intent to maim or kill. It left a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

The alpha had been surprisingly good to him and he didn’t want to cause him pain or hurt. He had done so before while he sat helplessly watching the assassin. The cut on his thigh had been shallow and was almost healed already. But it was still caused by Kari’s weakness.

Kari didn’t want to examine why he felt like that particularly.

As much as his mind would not stop going in circles over what might have happened, the omega soon fell victim to the stress of the day. The soothing comfort of the pleasantly warm water and the gentle washing motions of Ryedir lulled him to sleep right there in the bath.

He was vaguely aware when he was picked up and dried off but was sound asleep in his alpha’s arms by the time he was carried to bed.