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I studied the blade with as much intensity as I would a crime scene. Ever miniscule facet of the hilt, the etching across the crosshandle, the sharpness of the blade itself. Cocking my head to the side, I bit down on my lower lip as my fingers itched to reach out to remove it from where it hung on the wall and see how it felt in my hand.
I’ve always have been a gun in hand kind of girl for as long as I can remember. Mom had insisted that I learned how to defend myself since I was a kid. I was in jujitsu classes for as long as I could remember. Some of the other things that my mom always suggested seemed off the wall like learning languages or how to play softball but it makes sense now.
But this sword that hung in the training room teased me more than any other weapon in here. Something about the worn handle showed that it had been used a lot. The etchings weren’t as elaborate as it might have been when it was first made. But the amber stone that rested in the pommel glittered even underneath the pale artificial lights that lined the room. It was a beautiful stone, clean cut and mounted perfectly. Whomever made this sword was a master.
“Hold it if you want.”
I nearly wet my pants when I heard the voice behind me. I spun around and threw a punch only to have my hand engulfed by his hand that closed around my fist.
“You would have been dead already if a supernatural had tried to kill you,” he said.
What an ass…
I wanted to pull away from Adam, but I couldn’t. Those damn green eyes held me trapped beneath his gaze. Every single time I think I can get over it and not let myself get wrapped up in thoughts of him something happens and I’m being drug back down.
“Good thing I’m here surrounded by agents,” I said as I tried desperately not to let the heat building up inside of me take over. I don’t have the strength to keep riding this roller coaster of emotions I have for him. That thin line of wanting to smother him in his sleep or screw him until my head explodes is difficult.
“Good thing…yes,” he said as he released my hand and quickly turned away from me.
My eyes followed him as he moved closer to the sword. He folded his arms and stared at it.
“Is that yours?” I finally asked after a long silence.
Adam’s head slowly nodded. “It was.”
“Was?”
He nodded again. “I have no need for it any longer.”
Folding my arms across my chest, I stared at his back. “So…no need to go all Highlander on anyone then.”
He turned around to face me, cocking an eyebrow. “I’m sure that means something to you but I fail – “
“Nevermind,” I said, waving my hand in the air in front of me. Taking a deep breath, I turned back to the sword. “It’s beautiful.”
Adam turned around and removed the sword from the hooks that held it to the wall. He carefully held the hilt in one hand and the blade in the other as he held it out in front of him, looking down at it. “It was crafted by a master swordsman as a pledge of loyalty to my father. It has withheld the stress of training, of many battles…”
I watched as his eyes slowly closed and inhaled a long deep breath.
“A sword is like any other weapon in your arsenal. The more you train with it, the more that it becomes an extension of your body.”
“It was your father’s sword?”
He nodded, opening his eyes. “It was before he gifted it to me.”
I almost lost it when he stretched his hands out and offered me the sword. I stepped forward and removed it from his hands to get a feel of it. Seriously I thought the thing would pull me forward with it’s weight but it felt oddly comfortable in my hands as I held it by the hilt.
“It’s beautiful.”
Gripping the hilt, I lifted the blade up to hold the sword upright. It wasn’t as heavy as I thought it would be but I would definitely need to work on some upper body strength to wield this thing around. Suddenly I stopped admiring the sword I held to find Adam staring down at me.
“What?”
He moved away from me, putting some distance between us as he picked up another sword from the wall. “Come at me.”
“What? Seriously?”
He nodded as he spun the sword in his hand with practiced ease until he gripped the handle with both hands. “Yes. We have been working with modern weapons such as the Volt or your handgun. There may be times that you will need to use something else such as a sword or even a bow.”
“Go all medieval on rogues, huh?”
“Something like that,” he answered. “Every supernatural has it’s own weakness. It will be part of your training to understand what weapon is needed and how to properly use it.” He paused as he began to circle where I stood. “Now…come at me.”
I have never swung a sword before but I have swung a softball bat since I was in junior high playing on the Wayhaven Middle School team. I nodded, taking a deep breath. I knew I wouldn’t go long because I’m sleep deprived do to those wonderful nightmares that Murphy has given me as well as playing double duty between the my day job and night job.
I guess I hesitated too long because Adam lifted his sword and swung it down at me. I barely had a chance to get the sword up and block it. The clank of the two blades hitting each other vibrated my eardrums just as the clash vibrated up from my hands to my shoulders.
“Good, but too slow.”
Gritting my teeth, I spun around to swing the sword across as if I were aiming for a ball. The blade moved upward until he blocked it from hitting his head.
“Better, but you’re leaving yourself open,” he said right before his body moved so he could push his shoulder against mine to knock me back several steps. “You’ll need to be alert not only on the opponent’s weapon but themselves as well. Not all supernaturals are human in form as you’ve noticed. Some have tails or even extra appendages.”
I took in a deep breath as I rested the blade against my shoulder, staring back at him. “You really know how to make a girl excited, you know that?”
“I wasn’t trying to – “
He saw the smirk on my face and stopped himself from continuing. For a guy over nine hundred years old you’d think he’d know when someone was flirting with him. Not even he could be that oblivious or I’m really bad at it.
Clearing his throat, he turned on his heel and returned the sword he held to the wall. “We will continue this later. You’re tired. Apparently your nightmares are keeping you up more than you are willing to admit.”
Frowning, I stared at his back as he hung the sword on the wall. I hadn’t spoke to him about my nightmares. It was difficult to talk to anyone about the dreams except for Nate. After that first nightmare that woke me up after Murphy escaped, it was Nate that found me balled up on my bedroom floor, crying.
I hate feeling the way I do. Unhinged, broken in pieces. Feeling shattered and glued back together. I miss my life having control over my life.
“Unfortunately, the nightmares become a part of us.” He shook his head as he stared down at me. “We can’t let them overwhelm us, Detective. Sometimes the things we can’t fight physically are the ones that consume us the most.”
He held out his hand and for a moment I thought he was reaching out for me but then I realized I was still holding his sword in my hand. Nodding, I handed him the sword and watched as he ran his thumb over the amber gem embed in the pommel.
“Odd thing seeing a gem like that on a sword,” I said.
He nodded. “My father had a sword with an opal in it that he always said reminded him of my mother. When he wielded his sword in battle, he knew she was with him. Just as she wore a pendant of onyx for him.”
“Must have been a lucky someone back then to earn an amber,” I said before I had to cover my mouth to yawn. Running my hand through my hair, I pushed it back out of my face. “I better get a couple of hours of sleep. Nate’s wanting me to show him yoga in the morning out in the field at sunrise. I told him I’d teach him. Felix is joining us, and Mason was a grunt so who knows what that means.”
Adam just stood there silently staring at the gem. I must have sparked a memory in him to completely forget I was even there. Shrugging, I turned to walk towards the door to leave the training room.
“Detective,” he called out from behind.
I paused at the door and looked back over my shoulder. “Commanding Agent?”
“Sunrise?”
My brows furrowed as I stared at him. “Uh…yeah. That is if you’re not busy.”
“I will endeavor to try to be there,” he said. Lifting his head, he gazed across the room. His icy green eyes meeting mine as he nodded his head slightly. “Providing my duties allow.”
I nodded, pulling the door open. “You know what they say, Commanding Agent. All paperwork and no play…”
He chuckled, nodding his head. “You have mentioned that once before.”
“Good night, Commanding Agent.”
“Good night, Detective.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Adam watched as the door slowly pulled shut as she left. Inhaling a long deep breath, his gaze lowered to the amber gem in the pommel of his sword. The spot had remained empty for centuries, void of any adornment until recently. The amber gemstone reminded him of hazel eyes that he found himself drawn to in the most inappropriate times.
It took him weeks to find the perfect stone to be inserted in the pommel. When he found it, held it in his hands he knew it was the perfect symbol of her. He couldn’t hold her in his hands but he held her in his heart, locked away deep inside.
Holding the sword in his hands, he lifted it up and returned it to it’s proper place. His fingers ran over the gemstone one last time before he turned to leave the training room. If he was going to available at sunrise he had several hours of paperwork to complete for Agent Martin.
The art of yoga was said to improve balance and stability, to build a connection between the mind and body. Maybe that was something the entire team needed. It had started when Evelyn joined the team. Maybe it was time for him to come to terms with that. She wasn’t going anywhere any time soon. She was not only a member of the team but as Felix had became accustom to saying lately a member of their family.
He told himself that the exercise would be to strengthen the team but as his eyes lingered on the amber gemstone and his fingers continued to touch it, Adam knew there was much more at stake. Much more than he was willing to admit.