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The Defiants, part eight

The Wanderer Rebels, story two

By Amethyst ChampagnePublished about a year ago 8 min read
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The Defiants, part eight
Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash

"You're in a good mood today." Ava stood at the opposite side of the boxing ring, only wearing shorts and a high-impact sports bra.

It was intriguing to see how much she had toned up since arriving on the base. Ava had visible muscles and even a faint six-pack now.

So how would she look a few months from now?

Skye slipped on her gloves."I slept amazingly." Which was true; last night, she had the best sleep she'd had in months. Of course, it helped she had an ice box for a man sleeping next to her.

This morning had been great, too, getting another quick massage and a steamy make-out session before they went their separate ways for the day.

Ava gave a knowing grin, "Oh, I see."

"Well, sleep does a lot for performance." Totally clueless, Nash adjusted both of their gloves. "I'm surprised you're standing here, though."

Skye shrugged, "But I am," Already having done strength training with him, "Now, why is she here?"

"To be your sparring partner, of course."

"Uh, is that a good idea?" Considering how she hit Nash yesterday, she wasn't sure if Ava could physically handle a punch from her.

He nodded. "I realized yesterday that you won't learn how to properly channel your strength unless your opponent is naturally weaker."

Ava stuck her tongue out at her mate when he wasn't looking.

"There are lots of human fighters here, though."

"But," Ava stepped forward, "I'm the only one who won't feel intimidated or emasculated by you."

That was a good point. Most of the guys avoided her now that they knew the truth. The human guys, anyway.

"Plus, while you do have the strength, I have the training."

"Alright, bring it on." Skye raised her arms.

Nash stepped out of the ring. "Ready, fight!"

Before Skye had time to think, Ava struck her in the face, sending her on her ass.

Skye blinked, "Ow."

Ava stood over her, "Get up."

She rolled to her feet, fists raised. She remembered some of the defensive moves Nash had taught her the day before. Skye knew better than to take the offense.

Ava went to strike her again, but she rolled out of the way, then swiped her leg, knocking Ava off her feet.

Skye stood, her opponent grinning as she ran at her. Oh boy.

Nash only watched, clearly suppressing a smile.

Grabbing her waist, Ava shoved her against the ropes, then threw her to the ground, but not before Skye caught her wrist, sending both of them to the ground.

Ava groaned, on her back, "That was good."

Skye grinned, crouching, then launched herself on top of Ava, pinning her wrists. "Thanks."

But Ava kneed her right in the tailbone, then somehow threw her off and over her.

Skye caught herself and landed into a low plank position, her power yoga coming in handy, jumping to her feet.

They faced each other again.

Skye felt her muscles running out of gas, despite her nanites working hard to repair everything. But she wasn't ready to quit.

"Feeling tired yet?" Ava taunted. Who was this person in the ring with her?

Skye wiped the sweat off her forehead. "No."

Nash snorted but said nothing.

"Oh, shut up!" She then smiled, "I could do this all day."

Ava snickered, "Did you just pull a Captain America?"

"Yes, I did."

After another hour and a half, both of them were on the floor, although Ava was on top, pinning Skye.

"I lied," She sighed. "I cannot do this all day."

Ava grinned, "Ha! I win."

Skye conceded, rolling onto her stomach. If she didn't know any better, she would have assumed Ava was one of the soldiers.

"You lasted longer than I expected, though," Nash leaned on the ropes. "Good job."

Skye stumbled to her feet, "Thanks."

Everything felt sticky as she stared at the locker room. "I think I'm gonna take a shower."

"I'll join you." Ava slid under the ropes, grabbing her bag.

Skye snatched hers, and the women walked into the locker room, each picking shower stalls. She quickly stripped out of her sweaty clothes, then turned the shower on.

Skye let out a loud sigh when the cool water hit her skin, Ava giggling several stalls down. At least she had no problem moving, thank God, not wanting Nash to carry her around for two days in a row anyway.

She grabbed her bar of soap, lathering herself more than once. Skye always triple-washed her skin and hair.

Despite how her room looked, she was a bit of a clean freak. But she did her best not to inflict it onto the others unless it was in the infirmary. Then Skye would hound the new girls to clean up after themselves.

As she stepped out after finishing her shower, she heard someone move around.

The hair on the back of her neck rose.

"Is that you, Ava?"

"No, gorgeous."

Jumping, Skye turned quickly, her towel falling to her feet. "What the hell are you doing in here?!"

Devin gave her a creepy smile. "I could ask you the same."

"Hey, asshole," Ava shouted, "get out."

He ignored her, "So what are you doing later?"

Skye remained still, "Nothing involving you."

Devin started advancing, but Ava yanked him back, causing him to slip and fall. "Stay down." She handed Skye her towel back, and she quickly rewrapped it around her body.

He glowered at her. "Don't you touch me, you whore."

"Excuse me?!"

"You heard me."

"I didn't." Nash's voice echoed as he approached them. "Why don't you repeat what you just said and see what happens."

Devin crawled to his feet, but Nash moved between him and them.

Skye's heart hammered in her chest, clinging to Ava as she squeezed her towel.

Up until now, while Devin annoyed the hell out of her, she'd never been afraid of him. But with those crazy eyes, Skye had no idea what he was capable of.

"Now leave them alone before, well..." Nash cracked his knuckles, "You know."

Devin slowly backed away from them, but not before saying, "You will be mine."

Skye suppressed a shiver, her stomach sick with the thought of him touching her.

When he finally left, Nash faced her, "Are you okay?"

"Physically, yes." But all she wanted to do was hide in her room with the door locked.

"Who is that asshole? And how dare he call me that!" Ava was rightfully pissed.

"Devin. He's one of the soldiers."

"Well, I wanna beat the shit out of him!"

Nash clenched his jaw, "Oh, how he's lucky it was me, though."

Ava raised a brow at her mate. "How so?"

Skye looked at her, "Because Galen would've murdered him."

"Yeah, you're right."

Skye would have to tell him about Devin now, the situation escalating. And pray to God he didn't go batshit like with Olsen.

***

"So," Bram, their chief engineer, tilted his head, "What do you think?"

Galen examined one of the units in the now-finished apartment building.

It was one of three they'd been remodeling to run on their electrical grid, as well as adjusting everything to be both human and Wanderer compatible.

He liked how clean and open the floorplan was, the living room only having basic furniture. And that the sun would shine through the window each morning.

Although Galen wasn't thinking about himself with the last one.

Dae'lon walked around, his face giving nothing away. So typical.

"I think it looks great." Jo'dan stood in the kitchen, playing with the height adjusters. "I'd live here."

"It is much bigger than our quarters," Galen sighed, "which is a good thing." He felt like he could actually breathe, unlike with his current quarters.

Dae'lon nodded, "Nice work, Bram."

The engineer stood tall, "Thank you, sir. And all units are ready."

"Excellent."

"I want this one." Galen crossed his one. "Now, please."

They all stared at him for a moment.

"What? I said please."

Dae'lon smirked at him, "If it's okay with Bram, go for it."

Bram nodded, "Go ahead. It's ready."

Galen grinned, "Thank you."

Jo'dan walked into the center of the room, "What are the qualifications to get one?"

The general went to speak but was interrupted by the door opening, Nash storming in. "I need to talk to you."

Galen knitted his brows. "What's wrong?" His friend rarely looked this distraught, so it must have been serious.

Nash faced Bram, "Will you please excuse us? I need to discuss some private matters."

The engineer nodded, "Yes, sir." He then left, closing the door behind him.

Dae'lon raised a brow, "What about him?"

Jo'dan froze.

Nash shook his head, "No, this will involve him too."

"What's wrong?" Galen crossed his arms.

"Devin."

It was good he wasn't holding anything, or else it would've broken in his grip. "What happened?"

Jo'dan lifted a hand, "Wait, who's Devin?"

"Skye's stalker." He spat out. Yeah, the three of them knew what was going on. For months now. "Now, what did he do?"

"Cornered her in the locker room, then insulted my mate," Nash growled the last bit. "She was afraid this time."

Oh how Galen needed to punch that bastard. Or at least something that had no importance. No one threatened her. No one.

"I'll discuss this with Jamie." The general sped out of there.

"Sounds like a real asshole," Jo'dan mumbled, "Is he one of the human soldiers?"

"Unfortunately, yes." He paced around.

"And no one punished him? That's disturbing."

Nash faced the trainee. "Jamie deals with the human soldiers, not Dae'lon."

He frowned, "Well, what do you require of me?"

Galen lifted his head, "To watch her when neither of us can."

"And Ava?"

"No, she's not the target."

"Alright, I will do it." He smirked, "Although I should probably have a direct order."

He had a point. Skye would try to ditch them otherwise. She loathed others telling her what to do who weren't Christine. Or himself, it seemed.

Nash straightened, "I, Nash, second in command, order you to keep Skye safe when neither Galen nor myself are around."

"Yes, sir!"

It did ease Galen a bit, although it would take a lot more to calm the fire burning inside him. But now, he had a place where he could keep an eye on her. And that, he found, was exciting.

Sci Fi
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About the Creator

Amethyst Champagne

I create anything from fiction to personal stories, poetry, and more. I'm also on Substack, Ko-fi, and Gumroad!

My Twitter(X) handle is @AmethystC99.

Visit my website if you need help editing your fantastic story!

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