The Defiants, part five

"So why am I here?" Arms crossed, Skye stood in the middle of the boxing area of the gym, as instructed per a note taped to her door this morning.

It did give her something to do on her first of a few days off, though. And Skye never took time off from the medical tent, making this a first for everyone.

So she couldn't complain.

Finishing his stretches, Nash straightened, wearing a human-style tank top and sweatpants, which strangely suited him."I'm going to train you."

She blinked, butterflies filling her, "Really?"

"Yes," he continued warming his muscles, "we all think it's a good idea."

Skye grinned. This was a moment she'd been waiting for. "We?"

"Me, Dae'lon," Nash looked at her, "and Galen, of course."

"Of course," She bounced on her feet, "but why you? No offense."

He walked over, "Because I can train you without bias."

That was probably true, having seen Nash punch Ava in the face during their sessions, even after their mating.

But what did she know about the dynamics of mates? It'd been three years since she had been on a date and one year since she'd last had sex. At least with another person.

She nodded. "Alright, show what you got."

Nash grinned, "We'll start with basic defense and stances."

After the first hour of training, Skye's muscles were already aching. Nash was making her hold different postures for extended periods. It reminded her of tai chi, Wanderer style.

But she pushed through, feeling the nanites working to keep her from falling on her face.

It almost felt like ants were crawling underneath her skin, repairing the muscle damage the poses were creating. Yet it did not bother her.

If anything, it intrigued the hell out of her. And it made her want every human on the base to have them. Well, most of them, anyway. She didn't like the idea of her stalker having them.

Maybe there was a way to get more nan—

A slap to her right cheek disrupted her thoughts.

Skye stared at Nash, more stunned than anything. "What the hell, man?!"

"Pay attention."

Her face stung, "Do you slap your mate like that?"

"When we're training, sometimes," Nash cracked his neck, a proud smile crossing his face, "but Ava can normally block me now."

"Would you want her to have the nanites as well?"

"Definitely."

"Thought so." She smirked, "And so does she."

"I know."

Nash advanced fast, and Skye blocked him, sending him to the opposite end of the boxing ring.

She winced, "You okay?"

He hopped up, chuckling, "Don't worry about me." Then he reassumed his pose, "We Wanderers are durable."

But it served as a good reminder as to how strong she was now.

Another two hours passed, and Skye could not stand anymore with all the technique training and working out Nash made her do. Lots of arm, leg, and core work.

She lay on the mat, sweat drenching her skin and clothes, staring at the ceiling. "I can't move."

Looming over her, Nash lifted a brow, "Are you sure?"

Skye tried, but the nanites wouldn't let her move anything below her neck. "I think my robots have paralyzed me."

But she wasn't alarmed; she somehow knew it was temporary. Although having a timeline would've been preferable.

He crouched, quickly examining her. "I suppose that's to be expected, given their programming."

"So you're just gonna let me lay on the floor?"

Nash smirked, then picked her up, "No, why would I do that?"

"To be an ass."

There was a twinkle in his eyes, "But Galen would not be happy if I did." Nash looked around, "So where should I take you?"

"Probably my quarters." Where else could she lay without it being inconvenient?

"Very well."

***

"You're getting quite good at that." Galen slowly paced the firing range, observing carefully.

Ava glanced back, holding a throwing knife in her right hand. "Well, I have been practicing."

Jo'dan looked at her, "Knife throwing takes a knack." He made a face, "One that I don't have."

It was true; Ava hit the target every time, and Jo'dan hit only three times.

But Galen had thought it a good idea to bring the two trainees together, mostly for his soon-to-be pupil's benefit. He still had difficulty casually socializing with females.

And he figured giving Ava some competition would be good for her, not that Jo'dan could compete with her knife-throwing skills. Although she had a gift for wielding weapons.

"Well, thank you." She threw another knife.

"You're welcome." Jo'dan threw his knife, which bounced off the target. "Dammit!"

Galen walked to him, "You're trying too hard."

His trainee huffed, "It feels like the target moves on me!"

Ava stopped, walking over, "You're not right-handed."

Both males looked at her, brows raised.

"I've been watching you, and it looks awkward to see you do anything with your right arm and hand." Ava put a knife in his left hand, "Try it this way."

Galen studied as Jo'dan threw it with his left hand, stunned when it landed almost dead center.

"Yes!" Jo'dan clapped, "I did it!"

Ava grinned.

Galen turned to her, "How did you know that?"

She shrugged, "My dad was left-handed, plus Nash hounds me to be uber observant."

Was. What a haunting word. "I see."

"So, not that I'm complaining, but why are you training me today?" She crossed her arms, "Nash usually does when not on a mission."

Galen felt heat flush his face, "Because Skye needs someone who's unbiased to train her."

Ava didn't seem convinced, and frankly, he wasn't sure he totally believed it either. "So you don't want to chase her off?"

There was no fooling her. "Yeah."

"You Wanderers are so adorable sometimes."

He turned away, his face burning now, "We are badass warriors."

"Who become awkward when they have crushes on us human females."

He gently shoved her away, "Just go back to your training."

Ava laughed but complied.

Galen glanced at Jo'dan, who was clearly holding back a laugh. "Wanna say something?"

"No, sir, just happy to be here." He then resumed his knife-throwing.

Well, at least Galen provided entertainment value.

Truthfully, he'd rather be the one training Skye but wasn't sure if he could do her justice in that sense, and he had complete trust in his friend.

Although Nash didn't have that issue, having seen a few sessions with him and Ava.

So why did he?

Perhaps he just needed to get over it and deal. Man up, as the humans say. Yes, that was exactly what Galen would do.

But how would he express his interest without freaking her out? He'd have to figure that one out later.