Chapter Sixty Two - Train Me - Maya's POV

Every fiber of my being screams at me not to get into bed with him. A small part of me is actually curious. His eyes are locked onto me, waiting for me to respond. But I don't know what to say. I already know I don't have a choice unless I want to sleep on the floor. 'Are you sure?" I ask softly. 'I don't want to be a problem. 'You're not a problem," he says, his tone sharp. 'You're here because I want you to be. This is for both of us." I glance at the door longingly, but then I turn back and catch the look in his eyes as he pulls back the covers. 'You won't make it to the door if you are still thinking of escape," he warns. 'But I promise I won't do anything to you that you don't want." I notice how he words it. He isn't saying he won't do anything. He's only saying he won't do what I don't want him to. 'And if I don't want you to touch me." 'There is enough room for us to lay side by side without touching. It is a king-sized bed, after all." The way he says it is so casual, and it sends a ripple of something unknown down my spine. He's making it sound so simple, as if sharing a bed is nothing, but I know better. I swallow hard and then flip back the cover of my side. He slips in under his side first, followed by me. As soon as we are settled on our respective sides, I take a deep breath. His warmth is so close, yet so far away. The bed feels comfortable and the space between us is enough to keep us separate, but the weight of his presence lingers. I know he's just right there within reach and I'm aware of every subtle shift of his body. I try focusing on the ceiling and ignoring my erratic heartbeat. But it's difficult. The silence in the room is oppressive, but then I notice the lights are still on. He reaches up in the air and claps, shutting them off. 'Oh, nice. I was just wondering about the lights." 'When you are sometimes too tired to move after collapsing into bed, it helps to have them." We fall into silence for several minutes as the darkness cloaks us. I turn my head slightly, just enough to see him out of the corner of my eye. His profile is barely visible in the darkness, but I know better than to think he's already asleep. There's something about the way he lies there that tells me he's wide awake and alert. I want to speak and ask him a few things, but I can't work up the nerve to do it. 'You're not comfortable yet, are you?" He asks suddenly. I let out a laugh. 'It's fine. I'll get there eventually." 'You're not fine and that's okay. You don't have today. Today was a lot to take in." There's a softness to his words that catches me off guard. It's not what I expected from him. His voice is too steady, too understanding. 'I don't know what is really going on. You say I'm your mate. There is a fire budding between us that I fear is going to consume me. There is a threat to your pack and some prophecy that you won't tell me about. I'm just human and I don't understand everything," I admit. 'You just need to be here. Everything will work out how it's supposed to in the end," he says, his voice quiet. 'Stay." His words settle over me like a weight. There's no demand in them. It's just him, asking for something simple. Stay. As I roll ideas through my mind, there is one thing I'm certain I need from him. It's something that I've thought about right after Evelyn brought me here. 'Can you teach me how to fight?" His breath hitches. 'Fight? You're human. What good do you think you'll do?" 'I don't know, but today woke me up to my new reality. I've been fighting you every single step of the way and not accepting any of this, but it might just be what gets me killed. If I can't fight back, then I'm as good as dead." Silence stretches between us for a few seconds. The bed feels too warm now, the comfort of it seeming to be a cruel reminder of just how out of my depth I am. He doesn't answer right away and the tension seeps into me. I can feel his eyes on me, though I can't see them. 'You want me to teach you to fight because you think it will make you safer?" I nod slowly. 'Yes. I can't keep doing this, Damian. I can't keep pretending I'm not part of your world in hopes that it goes away. It's all real and I need to be able to defend myself. Even if it means I'm only holding them off until someone else can help me." He sucks in a breath. 'You're human, Maya. You don't have the strength, the instincts, or the abilities we do. You'd never be able to fight and train with one of us without getting hurt. I don't want to put you into more danger than you already are." He hesitates and I fear he may be deciding to lock me up forever. Finally, after what feels like eternity, he speaks again. 'I can teach you. It won't be easy and it's going to change you. Your view of the world is going to change. Are you ready for that?" I take in a deep breath and let it out slowly. This is what I truly want. 'Yes, I'm ready." If I want to survive, if I want to stand a chance, then I have to face what I'm dealing with. I have to learn to fight back. 'Fine," he says. 'But understand, I won't take it easy on you. You'll hate me for some of what I'll put you through." I nod as I let out a small laugh. 'I don't care because I'll be able to defend myself at the end of it." Several seconds pass before he finally says, 'Tomorrow. We'll start tomorrow."