AUTHOR'S POV
By the time Roman finished setting up their training space in the living room, Diana barely recognized her own living room. The sofa was dragged onto its side and shoved against the wall. The coffee table leaned upside down beside it, its legs jutting into the air like broken limbs. End tables, lamps, chairs, every loose piece of furniture had disappeared into the corners, leaving behind a wide stretch of bare hardwood. Nothing remained that could catch a misplaced step. Nothing that could soften a fall.
Shadows swallowed the room as a handful of lamps cast pools of honey colored light that failed to reach the corners. Hallways became black mouths. Every doorway looked deep enough to hide someone watching. Roman had said that originals don't fight beneath the sun. They wait where your eyes fail. And so, he wanted to teach Diana how to dance with them in the dark at least... because Claudia won't ever give her the luxury of seeing and killing her with the stake that easily.
Roman stood behind Diana, forcing the wooden stake back into her grip. "Again", he commanded. Diana sweltered, grilled under the pressure of Roman's crash course, and his repetitive drills driving the stake over and under, in and between gaps.
Diana rolled her sore wrist. "I already stabbed you", keeping up with Roman's unbothered stamina. It has been hours now and still, Roman never looked satisfied.
"You brushed my shirt."
"Still!!", she sounded gratified, after one barely successful hit that should've been commended.
"You'll bruise my pride before you bruise an Original", he resets her stance without asking. One foot back, shoulder's squared, fingers tighter around the carved wood. He leaned closer to her ear, with both of their eyes forward. "From now on, every opening you leave...", he stepped forward, with on the stake separating them. "...I kiss, as if it was Claudia snapping your head, or tearing your limb.", he turned away, preparing for another round of spar.
Taking a deep breath, Diana no longer gets nervous around Roman. Her focus delved on her intention to learn from him. Her fertile mind wanted to grasp the art of outmaneuvering against Claudia, in spite her being. "If Claudia gets this close", Roman stepped into her space before she could react. One second, she stood alone. The next, his hand had already wrapped around her wrist, landing a kiss on her fingers. "...you're dead. On your seventh time.", he twisted her arm just enough that the stake pointed harmlessly toward the floor. "You won't outrun her", he stripped the weapon form her hand, then another kiss landed on her shoulder. "You won't overpower her", he tossed it back to Diana nearly dropping it, before disappearing in a dark corner. "And she won't ever repeat the mistake of tasting of your blood", he appeared on her side when she spun too wide, kissing her neck. Roman sighted through his nose. "You're pregnancy makes your balance more off. Every instinct you have is slower than hers."
Diana frowned. "I know", she looked at her hand holding the stake, as her other hand wipe the kiss burning her neck. Somehow, those words hurt a little, not because they were cruel... but because they were true. Then, she lifted both of her hands up, bending her knees a little, wetting her dry lips. "Let's do it again", not merely ever thinking of stopping until she gets it right.
Diana stared, and without a warning... she began to move. Roman shifted in a blur. He then decided to take it easy on her. Looking at her, she's tired. Nevertheless, never yielding. Every breath came faster than the last, lifting her chest in uneven gasps. He thought of ending the spar, a million times over.
Enough
... when she dropped on her knees the third time.
Enough
... when she could no longer catch her breath.
Enough
... when she had kissed her too much already.
Roman kissed the back of her head when she overcommitted to a thrust. "You might be enjoying my lips so much", he grinned, as he turned her towards him, pushing her against the wall. "We can continue this upstairs", whispered Roman, seizing both of her wrists over her head.
She kicked him away, as he instinctively took his stance again. He tossed the stake to Diana, as she cleanly caught it this time. "Come", and there he found something burning in her eyes. He circled her with lazy confidence, shoulders loose, hands open. A predator who didn't need to prove he was one. His hand shot for her wrist, Diana jerked away just in time. Better. She moved around him, not meeting his strength head on. Roman pivoted smoothly, Diana hesitated as she stop midway. He grabbed her wrist, aiming the stake on his eye. "Never hesitate, Luna. And beat her head", he pushed her away. "She never expect her prey to talk back. She likes her food trembling, helpless and frozen", he vanished forward. Diana barely caught the first strike, then she began to flow. "So bring up Lestat", Roman blocked, and Diana turned with it. "He's a weak spot. Originals carry centuries like open wounds. Find the oldest scars. And keep pressing until she forgets she's hunting", Roman reached her, and she slipped beneath his arm.
"And then?"
"She makes one mistake", he swept low. She stumbled, caught herself, and transformed near fall into a pivot that carried her behind him.
"That's all you get to kill Claudia."
Diana bursted with a quick thrust. Roman slapped the stake aside just how she expected it. Instead of forcing it back, she spun with the deflection, letting the missed strike carry her body around. The stake swept toward his ribs from the opposite side. Roman's brows lifted. He caught her wrist inches before the impact, with his boot booked behind her ankle. He gently pulled her, that she stumbles. She twisted free using that stumble, ducked beneath his arm and slipped behind him, Roman turned just in time to catch the stake aimed between his shoulder blades.
Wood struck his forearm.
His eyes widened for the briefest moment. There is it, the adaptation of her clumsiness that recovered, becoming another angle of attack. "Good", his first compliment, finally. "Again."
Diana rolled the stake once through her palm, before settling into her stance again. No more talks, no more lectures. He trained her senses, and tickled her wolf instincts. The spar continued as Roman made good on his promise. Every minute, the rhythm changed even better. Less kisses were planted on her skin, which both pleased Roman and challenged him.
"So close. If that were Claudia", he said quietly. "She wouldn't expect that.", she was not as fast, not as clean, but close enough that Roman could barely read her plan of attack.
"I'm getting better?"
Roman gave her reluctant nod. He realized, he have stopped looking at her face as he focuses more on her hands. "You're finally making me dance", he smiled.
"Again!", she charged.
The elevator chimed, its doors opened to three grown figures who stopped at the disconcerting view that welcomed them in the living room which has turned in a complete disarray. Lucas froze first. Cory slowly looked from Roman lying flat on the floor...
... to Diana straddling his waist.
... to the sharpened stake pressed directly over Roman's chest.
"Diana, I left your key at the...", Sebastian arrived a second later, dropping his jaw as soon as his eyes landed on the two.
Lucas scratched the back of his neck. "So..."
Cory tilted his head. "Are we stopping this?"
Roman didn't even bothered looking over. "We're in the middle of foreplay", the room went perfectly still. He pulled Diana closer, letting her stumble on top of him. "You can come back once we're done."
Sebastian rushed over Diana, pulling her off Roman. "Diana, it's filthy there".
Roman laughed, pushing himself off the floor. "My Luna asked me for help", his grin widened. "I simply couldn't refuse."
Every wolf in the room stared at Diana instead. Their expressions shifted from a glare, to a soften gaze. Diana wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Yea..", she said huffing. "It's true, I asked him", she shrugged.
Lucas and Cory waited for a lot more explanation on that. Sebastian expected most. "...and?"
"... and uhh.. he taught me, how to use this", she flicked the old stake in her hand, smiling awkwardly. Lucas, Cory and Sebastian cocked their heads, blinking in confusion. Then they realized what she's trying to do. Sebastian snapped his head towards Roman, as if
Roman folded his arms, thoroughly entertained by their disappointment. "Don't look at me, I just can't say no to my mate", he turns away, carried the sofa like a pillow across the open space.
Sebastian held Diana's hand with the stake. "Diana, what's this, you know this is dangerous"
"It's fine, Seb", Diana hushed. "I needed this for myself, I can't keep running, and hiding."
Sebastian clicked his tongue
"So, what's the plan?"
"We move at sunrise. We search for Scott first", Sebastian's eyes drifted toward Roman. "And whether we like it or not.. We'll need his nose to track the Nagual"
Roman answered by peeling off his sweat-soaked shirt. He dropped onto Diana's couch, folded one arm behind his head, and stretched out as though he'd owned the place for years. "You'll have to ask my Luna", he closed his eyes. "If she says yes", he yawned. "... I'll think about it", within seconds, he looked asleep.
Not one of them acknowledged him. Lucas looked at the ceiling, Cory stared at the floor. They need an Alpha. They need Roman Brooke. "And Kate?", Diana asked, a single word that pulled everyone's attention back.
Lucas' face hardened.
"We find Scott", Sebastian says, a beat closed his eyes for a moment. "then Kate."
Diana didn't answered. Sebastian have been waiting to finally pave a path towards the Nagual. His grudge drives him, and Diana knew there's no way to stop him.