Cold Blood by Heather Hildenbrand Read Free Book Online Page A

ceased, and Jeremy stepped back in a stiff military march – Professor Flaherty addressed the class.
    “ It looks good, guys. We’re going to use the rest of the class for one-on-one practice. I want you to find a way to use as many of the warm ups as you can, in your defensive moves. Give each other breaks as needed and go easy. I do not want any more strained backs, like last week.” A few chuckles went around but they faded quickly as everyone readied themselves. “Begin.”
    It was a blur of blocked punches and deflected kicks. No one wasted time in pretending to attack each other, and from where I stood, no one held back, either. There were grunts and hard breaths, evidence of the fact that full force was given to every attempted attack. I glanced over at Logan and his music-loving partner. Whatever expression of boredom the kid had worn before was gone, replaced by grim concentration as he managed to duck and block Logan’s attack. From what I could tell, blocking was about all he had time for; Logan was a blur of hands and feet.
    A hand pressed lightly on my arm, and I looked up. Professor Flaherty was watching me, a glint in her green eyes. “A lot to take in. Then again, from what I saw, you’ll pick it up in no time.”
    “ You mean at the warehouse? Thanks, but this is something different. This is more… controlled,” I finally said, still watching the fights.
    “ Control is learned over time, with practice. You seem to have the talent you need to get there.”
    “ Maybe.” I looked back at her. “Not like you, though. You were amazing. I couldn’t believe how fast you moved.”
    She smiled. “It was refreshing to be able to get out there and practice what I preach. Good exercise. You weren’t so bad yourself.”
    “ I don’t know. Alex had to save my butt in there. If he hadn’t…”
    “ Everyone needs a wingman once in a while. You’re lucky to have Alex as a trainer. He’s one of the best at this school.”
    “ Is that why he got stuck training me?”
    She smiled, but her eyes were hard and no longer on me. “Being the best has its price.”
     
     

 
     
    Chapter Five
     
     
    When class ended, Logan appeared at my side looking winded and happy with himself. He slung his bag over his shoulders and let it settle into place before attempting to walk with it. “So what did you think? Are we any match for you?”
    It took me a second to realize he was teasing. Before I could answer, his partner trudged past, shooting him a dirty look.
    “ What happened to going easy, Sandefur?”
    Logan shrugged, which seemed difficult under the weight he carried. “Guess I was in a mood.”
    The kid stalked off, but not before turning his glare on me. I did my best to ignore it and followed Logan onto the path, relieved he’d waited until the rest of the class had gone ahead to head back.
    “ You were really good,” I said as we walked.
    He laughed. “Justin spends too much time reading comics and not enough time in the gym. Besides, this class is pretty easy. Wait until we get to Combat Strategy next year. I hear that one’s pretty tough.”
    “ How is that one different?”
    “ This one is basically hand to hand wrestling. Straightforward attack and defend. Combat Strategy gives you situations where you have to plan and strategize how to get your enemy where you want them, for the easiest kill or best outcome. I hear there’s a lot of one-on-three and stuff like that.”
    “ Wow,” I said, shaking my head and feeling completely out of my league. I should’ve realized it would be like this, a sort of military feel to the way they did things, what with a Hunter’s basic life goal being to learn to kill, but I hadn’t expected to feel so… inadequate. I thought I’d reached a point where my fighting skills were decent enough. Apparently, I was still a beginner.
    The greens of the leaves began to lighten and the filtering sunlight shown through more and more, signaling that we were