Training Day

Playlist for this Chapter: Legend by The Score, Unstoppable by The Score.

As the day went on, we practiced shooting and some hand-to-hand combat.

"Are you sure?" Nico asked me while I fixed my ponytail.

"Yup. Don't worry. I'll be fine." I say and peck his lips before hooking my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me.

His arms go around my waist and he sighs deeply before nuzzling his face in the crook of my neck and placing a soft kiss there.

"Be careful." He whispers as I let go of him and smile, walking over to the mat where Matteo and Jake stood. They both were wearing track suits like everyone else for training.

"Careful sweetheart!" My mom called out as Jake handed me a stick and I gave her a thumbs up.

"Kick their asses Dove!" Ava shouted time making us all chuckle.

"So who am I going first with?" I asked Jake who smirked.

"Matteo, Stuart, me and finally, Ace." He said and I frowned.

"All of you? Against me? Now that's hardly fair." I crossed my arms over my chest and narrowed my gaze to Nico who watched me with an unreadable expression.

How is he so good at hiding emotions?

"You are the one they're after, so you are the one who needs to hold their own the most." Stuart said and I nodded slowly, letting the weight of his words sink in.

Shit, I'll be fighting all of them.

"Don't worry, since it's your first time fighting us we'll go easy, especially since you're still healing." Matteo pointed out and I nodded, feeling somewhat better.

Hopefully they won't kill me. Right?

All four boys grabbed onto a stick and Matteo came forward first and smiled.

"Don't worry bella. Calm down." He told me and I nodded, keeping my eyes on his and waiting for Salvatore's signal to start as everyone huddled around to watch, away from the mat of course.

"Ready?" Salvatore looked at us before explaining the rules which were simple really.

They mostly consisted of not fighting dirty and tapping out when you couldn't take anymore, and the fact that the boys would switch in without warning and each would get one turn to fight with me.

"Fight!" Salvatore's vice boomed in the room and immediately Matteo lunged at me with his stick but I easily blocked it with mine.

Sloppy first try Matteo.

He smirked, and we circled each other till he took another shot but I dodged it swiftly, careful not to twist my stomach too much and hit my stick onto his left leg, making him stumble backwards a bit.

I heard scattered cheering and this time, I lunged at Matteo but he blocked my hit expertly and pushed his stick against mine, both of us inches apart as we applied force on the other.

I have to act fast.

Thinking quickly, I fell to the floor and rolled out of his way, making him stumble forwards because of the force he was exerting on me and I took this chance to swiftly get up and smack his ass with the stick, making him hiss in pain.

I heard a few chuckles as Matteo turned towards me and swung his stick at me but I firmly blocked it and with a little force, it tumbled out of his hands and fell somewhere behind us.

I kicked his chest and made him fall back onto the floor, pointing the edge of my stick to his throat and looking down at him with a smirk.

One down, three to go.

He gave me a sly grin and tapped my stick twice and rolled from under it quickly just as something hit my leg and I stumbled a bit.

The hell was that?

I turned around and saw Stuart grinning at me, and I lunged at him while he blocked my hits and hit my legs once more.

This would surely leave a mark.

This time, I studied him carefully and noted his dominant arm was the right one, so when he tried to hit me with his stick, I caught it in my hands expertly and twisted it, making him let go of it and threw it behind me.

He looked up at me surprised but then got ready in a fighting stance and I smirked, throwing my stick away and dodging his first punch that was thrown at me.

While he recovered, I swiftly kicked his shin, making him fall down and punched his jaw so he stumbled back and fell on his butt.

Ouch, my poor hand and his butt. Not that I regret it.

He recovered quickly and got up, circling me and abruptly pouncing at me while I stayed rooted to my position until he got really close.

I quickly moved out of his way, grabbing his right arm and twisting it behind his back I pushed him onto the ground so he was lying on his stomach while I held his arms in a very uncomfortable position.

Two down, two to go.

He tapped the floor twice and I immediately got off from him so avoid getting hit again and Jake came forward with a large smile.

"Get ready for your doom princess." He said to me and I scoffed.

"Stop talking to yourself and start fighting will you?" I said and he chuckled along with everyone else at my comeback and lunged forward, but I easily dodged and kicked his back, making him stumble but regain his footing.

He turned around to face me and I threw a punch to his face but missed, and he took this opportunity to twist my arms behind me back while I winced in pain but bit my lip to contain it.

I was not going to lose, not so easily.

I slammed my head backwards and hit his face, making him release me and immediately punched his stomach, causing him to release and 'oomph' and kicked his side, making him fall to the floor with a thud.

He stood up after a few seconds and eyed me wearily before he tackled me to the ground, so that he was straddling me and pinned my arms above his head.

Shit.

"Not so fast princess." He said and I rolled my eyes and in the small moment his grip loosened ever so slightly, I pushed him off of me and straddled him instead and holding his arms down so he wouldn't move.

Three down, one to go.

Who's fast now, princess?" I mocked him and he smirked. confusing me for a brief moment before tapping the floor twice and my eyes widened as I was dragged off from from his body easily and tossed aside.

Oh god.

I stopped up and saw Nico smirking at me with a mischievous glint in his eye. He tried to throw a punch to the side of my face but I ducked in time and kicked his stomach with all my strength, making him hiss at me.

His eyes turned darker when I threw a punch to his face, making his lip bleed slightly. He wiped the edge of his busted lip with his thumb and eyed the blood on his finger lazily before lunging at me and hitting my shoulder, making me fall to the floor with a thud.

This is going to hurt.

A sharp pain shot through my body and I closed my eyes shut tightly to control it and bit my lip hard enough to draw blood. Slowly lifting myself up, Nico was first to react and when he tried to grip my arm.

I slapped it away and punched his jaw, making him stumble backwards but he seemed to be unaffected as he circled me and tried to grab my waist.

I swear he's like a fucking wall.

I surprised him and everyone by wrapping my legs around his waist and swinging myself in a way that I got onto his back and pushed him down with my weight.

He fell to the ground but immediately pushed me off and rolled out from under me. I quickly leapt to my feet along with him and we charged at the same time, receiving and throwing punches, kicks and blows to each to each other.

When he hit me in a way that I fell backwards, my foot touched the stick on the floor and with the help of my foot, I threw it in the air and caught in my hands before expertly swinging it and hitting Nico's shoulder, hard.

He grunted at the impact and stumbled backwards as I threw an uppercut to his face, leaving him dazed and with the classic flying kick, I hit his head with my foot with everything I had and he fell to the ground with a groan.

I sat on his back and twisted his arms so he wouldn't try anything else while he winced in pain and I glanced briefly at the blood oozing out of his mouth.

After a moments, he tapped his hand twice lightly and cheers and applause sounded around us as I got up from on top of him and slumped back into a seat. Nico himself got up and cleaned the blood on his face with a towel handed to him by Jake and smirked at me.

All four down.

"Well done Dove, you got us all didn't you?" Matteo and Stuart looked at me cheekily and I rolled my eyes.

"Please, I know you guys were holding back because of my injuries. But I don't doubt I'd be able to take you down even then." I shrugged and they both scoffed.

"We'll see about that." Matteo huffed and walked over to Nico who watched me carefully while I chugged water from a bottle.

Sure we will.