Kissed by Lightning Ch. 14

She let out a contented sigh after her last bag and looked up at Raven, who's sight was trained on the far side of the training grounds. Her hands trembled slightly before she pressed them hard against her abdomen and closed her eyes.

"Okay. Let's keep working." Stefani gave Cole a small, strained smile when he started to make a fuss. She ignored him. She needed to do this.

Raven looked down at her before giving a short nod. Although his expression was perfectly calm and untroubled she could sense his unease through their blood link. His concern pulsed inside her like a living thing. She thought about saying something to ease his concern but thought better of it. She was worried their connection was stronger that it should be.

What the hell was wrong with her?

Stefani bit her lip and forced herself to stand onto wobbly knees. Shaking herself off she gave him a pat on the arm before darting forward to speed around the track. The elder kept a trained eye on her speed, watching for any signs of abnormality. Her fatigue concerned Raven, she wasn't supposed to be tiring so easily but after that little stunt, it was understandable. Her determination was admirable though. He was proud.

This time she kept her speed at a constant level where she sensed was safe. Running felt like second nature, she didn't really have to think about it so instead she focused her thoughts inward. It was amazing the amount of space in her new supernatural mind, how much wider her capability for storage and cognitive thinking was.

There was a burst of energy simmering below the surface of her consciousness, it felt raw and angry. She could feel it pulsing and undulating like waves, she kept her consciousness as far from the energy as she could and focused on running faster. She let out a hard breath.

It was going to be a long day.

******

Rain settled himself against the large chair at the head of the dinning room table, the large fire place flickering behind him. His fingers drummed impatiently on the table as his gaze burned into the dinning room doors. They were late.

He'd spent all day taking care of paper work. Keeping himself busy with pack business in hopes that a certain gold eyed hybrid wouldn't overwhelm his every thought. His wolf growled in anger at his human counter part. The beast couldn't understand why he wasn't the one training her and he certainly didn't appreciate the vampire being over thirty minutes late to dinner. He'd made himself perfectly clear when he informed him that they were expected at dinner.

With murderous thoughts in mind, his gaze flicked up towards the massive double doors as they parted. His gaze narrowed as he saw the pale exhausted complexion of the owner of his obsession who leaned heavily on Raven's body for support, as if she couldn't walk without his support. He stood up and rushed to meet them as they reached the table. Rain pulled back a chair and winced as Stefani dropped herself like a rock. She gave him a small smile. He glared at Raven who took the seat next to her and only smiled at his annoyance.

Rain tapped his fingers impatiently against the wooden table as his eyes watched the people in the room. The wolves chatted enthusiastically with the new vampires which made him smile, the only ones missing were the witches who were out on pack grounds running a spell. He was glad everyone was getting along. Stefani remained quiet throughout the meal, picking at her plate with disinterest. From across the table he could see the way her hands shook slightly, his eyes narrowed.

"How was the training?" Katrina asked as she stuffed her face with a chocolate cake. Rain's ears perked up at the chance to hear Stefani speak. He didn't miss Stefani's glanced at the vampire elder before answering with "tiring." Katrina's soft laughter filled the room. Rain was surprised what blood and a good night rest could do for a vampire. The vampire female seemed almost one hundred percent healed.

"The elder can be a little demanding at times but it'll get better. You're body just has to get accustomed to all the changes." She offered in encouragement. Stefani smiled warmly as her gaze traveled over the Morvant family. Who only slightly picked at their food and watched Katrina with love in their eyes. Stefani let out a sad sigh and excused herself.

Rain watched Stefani walk out of the grand dining room at such a slow pace he was almost alarmed. Once Raven thought she was out of ear shot, he gave them specifics on her training.

"After tomorrow, she should be a little more prepared to work with you." Raven nodded at Rain. Raven didn't want to say too much in the presence of the other vampires. The council hadn't decided to make it public knowledge of her hybrid status, so it was wiser to keep it shut and for the moment the elder gave them the time they needed to figure it out. Raven and Rain simultaneously took a quick look at Rubios Morvant who's gaze trailed after Raven's hybrid ward. His nose twitching slightly. The vampire was old, he probably sensed something wasn't right about that vampire infant. Rain would let Raven deal with this.

Rain made a quick toast as dessert was being finished. He took a second to look at the Morvant family and the wolves present. He approved of the new alliances they've made.

The head of the Morvant family, Rubios placed a warm hand on his daughters arm.

"Alpha O'Faolain, Thank you for your hospitality but we'll be leaving after dinner. There's work to be done. But we're thankful for all you've done to help our Katrina." His six foot three was huge in comparison to his shorter daughter. Rain smiled and nodded. The less vampires on their land the better.

"I'll have some of my betas escort you out of pack lands."

A while later after the vampire family had taken their leave, the witches arrived in time for dessert. Their priestess, Lithinia approached Rain, her body draped in a beautiful green dress that pooled around the floor. Her hair was up in a modest bun and her black eyes watched him with intent. To her the O'Faolain alpha would always be a beautiful male specimen, he took her breath for a second. After all, she was only human. She informed him that they still needed to finish the protection spell around pack lands but that once they were done, it would be safe enough to travel.

Discreetly Raven watched as the witch made her way out of the dinning room with her sisters. He couldn't keep the grin out of his face at the seductive sway of her hips as she walked. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath and her lavender scent washed over him and his fangs throbbed painfully in his mouth. Witch.

Soon after, Rain walked through the halls, heading towards his room following the direction of Stefani's scent. They had to stop the rouges from finding this weapon so a decision had been made. A group of his best warriors, the three vampires and two alphas would travel too scout out the location of the coordinates.

Rain wasn't going to sit by and watch as his world was taken over by two rogue. If he had to search the ends of the world for the monster that hurt Stefani, he would. He'd kill them for laying their hands on her, for her suffering, maybe then he could start to redeem himself in her eyes. If it took the rest of his life to earn one of her smiles, he'd happily give her the world. He just had to make her see that and stop acting like a bloody pup around her.

He walked in to his quarters, taking off his shirt and tossing it messily on the floor. His gaze landed on Stefani. She was sprawled out on the couch, her breathing was deep and she had a little frown on her pretty face. Rain smirked as he picked her up, cradling her to his chest and moved her to his room. She pressed her face against his chest and made a little cooing noise that made his heart clench painfully. She's certainly easier to deal with when she's asleep. He snorted at his own thoughts.

He ignored the heat that flashed through as he pulled off her shirt revealing all her smooth porcelain skin. Certain that she wouldn't like waking up with a dirty shirt, he dragged out one of his shirts and dressed her. He sat at the edge of the bed looking down at her as she stretched and curled up on her side, facing him.

Rain picked up one of her hands and ran his thumb over her knuckles. His wolf purred and paced, waiting for the chance to pounce on his slumbering mate.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't take better care of you... I've been a terrible mate. I wouldn't blame you if you never gave me us a chance but I won't ever give up.. I know I've made a mess of things and I've been an idiot. I just wish you could see, that you could understand... You constantly frustrate and baffle me and every time I look into your eyes you steal my breath away.

You've managed to inspire me, challenge me and turn my world completely upside down. I've always been a smooth talker but when it comes to you, I turn into a tied tongue pup. My little minx. You've totally bewitched me and I find myself helpless to your charm.

Stefani... my beautiful hybrid. I'm going to stop them. I'm going to make it safe for you. And maybe someday you'll smile back at me. Maybe someday I'll be worthy of you. Or I'll die trying. I swear it." His voice was rough as he gazed down at her. A soft wind slipped in from the balcony, trailing over her skin making them both shudder.

*****

On the third day of her training in the early morning hours, Stefani found herself in a small clearing in the woods. She groaned as she rolled her shoulders back. Raven had driven her to the point of exhaustion with his training the night before. She'd never worked out so hard in her life and apparently just because she was this mythical creature with powers didn't make her immune to exhaustion. 'How unfair was that!'

"Good morning." Cole's happy voice snapped her out of her daze. Stefani paused, barely looking at Cole and pressed her palm against her chest. Her fluttering heart was trying to squeeze through her ribs.

For god's sake, don't these people own shirts?!

Cole, Hale and Rain stood on the other side of the little clearing. Her attention though was solely focused on Rain, who leaned against a tree with nothing but a pair of low-hung faded blue jeans. A lot more than six feet, he was just that much taller than her that she had to look up to meet his gaze. He was broad shouldered with thick corded arms and a very defined chest. He hadn't shaved in a couple days and you could see a roughness to his whole demeanor. The lean musculature of his body was perfectly accentuated by his golden skin. His inky hair was damp, probably from a shower and left loose over one shoulder. Rain was exotic and hardened, even when smiling that goofy little smile when he thought no one was looking.

Not that she noticed or looked...much.

Sasha would have said that Rain O'Faolain had presence- and she would have said that without the benefit of seeing him in nothing but a pair of faded jeans. The thought of her human best friend brought a painful tightening feeling in her chest. Her eyes stung a little and she shook her head. She had to clear her throat before replying with a short. "Morning." She almost groaned from the sound of her high pitch squeak.

God! She was pathetic.

"I hope you got some rest. Today, I'm going to teach you about defense. By now you've realized that you're stronger and faster with more heightened senses than a regular human but that doesn't mean you should rely on those abilities alone. It's important to develop the right skills to be paired with your new abilities." Rain explained as he walked to stand in front of her.

"Keep two things in mind. First, defense, is nonviolent. Meant to neutralize attacks rather than retaliate. Second, always take a moment to analyze your opponent, catch his strengths and weaknesses, use them to your advantage." He rubbed his palms together and waited until Stefani gave an understanding nod.

"The point of defense is to use the attackers energy and momentum against them." Cole said as he tapped Hale on the shoulder and they stood facing each other too.

"The movements are circular, using the hips rather than the upper body."

"Guess my hips are finally good for something." Stefani quipped.

Cole chuckled, punching her lightly in the shoulder. Atta girl! He thought. Rain grinned and oh, it was sexy! His brown eyes turned a shade of gold that made Stefani blush.

"Okay. So no upper body."

"Correct. So if someone tries to hit you, you block and push their arm or foot beyond, so that the extension throws them off balance. Alright. Now, pretend that you're going to slap me."

Stefani did, swinging her arm slowly just in case. Rain's arms came up as he sidestepped, blocked hers without hurting her-he was going slow too- and then pushed her arm farther into the arc so that she was forced to lean forward. Stefani realized that her center of balance was gone, she couldn't retaliate, and neither one had gotten hurt.

Rain grinned and Stefani let out an irritated breath.

Here we go again.....

They started slow- only a tad bit faster than the example exercise he showed. Thankfully, Stefani's new and improved genetic status apparently made her a quick study. It reminded her of some dance classes she had taken at the orphanage when she was a kid. Once they got the basics down Rain picked up the pace and her confidence increased.

On the sidelines, she was acutely aware of Cole and Hale starting their own little sparing session.

Two hours later, Stefani was sweating and breathing a little hard. Rain had only sent her sprawling once so far and she was feeling pretty confident as they circled each other, him instructing and she following the instructions.

That was of course, before he sent her sprawling on the forest ground for the second time. And the third. Somewhere between two and three they stopped to discuss how to take a fall so she wouldn't hurt herself. The advice helped -- a little. The fourth time she knew it was coming, and managed to get her leg in, around his. If she was going down, he was coming with her. She wasn't going to be the only one with bruises on her butt tomorrow.

They landed in a tangled heap and not in a graceful, sexy way either. Rain landed on top of her-hard- and knocked the breath from her lungs. He swore. She hissed.

Stefani was almost afraid to look up at him, convinced he was going to be pissed.

"Nice move," he remarked drily with just a hit of humor. "You hurt yourself more than me."

Stefani was trying to ignore the twig trying to dig itself into her kidney but still managed to grin, although it felt more like a wince. "I'm good that way."

He pushed up on his elbows, but his chest was still on hers. Stefani could feel his heart pounding, could feel his every warm breath. One of his legs was between hers, and she tried very hard to ignore the lovely pressure of his thighs. He was so big, all around her, he completely overwhelmed her senses.

From this close, she could make out the pupils of his eyes- a dark solid black surrounded by solid gold. She could see her face reflected in their shining blackness. God- she was a mess! Rain didn't seem to mind. She saw nothing but open appreciation in their bright depths as he kept gazing at her lips. She liked it but it worried her. It seemed so sudden, this attraction to her and she wasn't sure if she could trust it.

One of his hands- those beautiful, strong fingers of his- was right over the curve of her hip. Tight and tingling, her body was anxious for him to keep touching her but she knew it wasn't a good idea. If he kissed her- if he started something serious- she'd let him and she wasn't ready to go there yet.

Especially not on the forest floor with Cole and Hale watching from a few feet away!

Stefani pushed at his shoulders, even though her fingers were itching to dig in and hold on. Rain lifted his head and gazed down at her, all heavy-lidded and delicious-looking, but her resolve was firm. And oh boy, so was he.

Firm that is.

Stefani cleared her throat. "You're kind of heavy."

He didn't speak, but his gaze was almost tender, as if he understood the chaos in her mind. She heard his voice in her head as clearly as if he had spoken out loud. 'Sorry.' Finally, he rolled of her completely and a chill rushed up the front of her body where his warmth had been. He stood up quickly and offered her his hand. She looked at it for a second before giving in and letting him help her up. It took her a second to realize she had full blown body contact with him and her body hadn't reacted negatively. It made her smile wider.

Rain raked a hand through his hair, pulling the silky black strands back and off his forehead. He let out a hard breath and wouldn't meet her gaze. He cleared his throat before speaking and she could have sworn his cheeks had a light pink tint to them.

"Let's move on."

She tilted her head, watching him for a second before turning to look behind her. Her gaze narrowed as she took in a deep breath, scenting the air.

"Hello Elder." She whispered as Raven stepped out from the line of trees, followed by Luciano and Katrina who waved enthusiastically at her. She felt the wolves surprise and it took her a second to process that to them they must have appeared out of thin air.

"Hello Stefani." The vampire elder spoke with the kind of power that was palpable. Like always he was dressed impeccably in a dark business suit. His longish blonde hair seemed to have a glow in the noon light, and his grey-blue eyes met hers but she knew he was watching every nook and cranny of the center field. Always on guard.

Katrina bounced happily towards Stefani, carrying a small black cooler. She was wearing black leggings with an off the shoulder silk blue shirt that accentuated her golden skin. Her brown eyes showed nothing but strength, and her healing energy rolled through her in waves, which she accepted gratefully as it flooded her system. Luciano leaned against a tree, his gunmetal grey eyes were zeroed in on Katrina with a closed off, almost irritated expression. He was a younger replica of the elder, even with his short-spiky blonde hair.

"What brings you all out here?" Hale asked curious. Raven nodded towards Katrina as she tossed Hale a water bottle, which he caught with no effort. She gave some to the other guys too.

Must be nice having perfect hand-eye coordination. Stefani thought dryly.

Guess I have that now too huh.

She brought forth her fangs when Katrina handed her a bag of blood.

"Someone was getting hungry." Raven answered and ran a hand through his hair. Stefani felt her face grow warm, as she drained the bag in her mouth. Rain gave a little snort behind her, which made her look back at him.

"If you're done snacking. I'd like to get back to training here. You are welcome to watch of course."

Luciano gave an annoyed grunt but didn't move, Katrina went to sit on the foot of the tree he leaned on and Raven stood as if the world was his to take. They must have nothing better to do.

Rain beckoned Stefani to come forward. A breeze passed through, rustling the leaves. goosebumps covered her skin as it touched her. The different scents around her seemed to blow through her and she caught each and every one of them.

"Alright. Now we're going to bring your wolf forward. It can be a little tricky at first but once you get it right, it's as natural as breathing.

Ready. Close your eyes..... Relax. Breath in through your nose and find your center."

Stefani did as she was told. She took a second to loosen every muscle, every nerve, every sore section of her body and concentrate on slowing everything down. Little by little, her body obeyed. Now if she could only find this center everyone kept talking about, she'd feel much more confident.