NOVEL NEXT Chapter 29: Fancy a Spar?
Vorden ran a hand through his sun-kissed blonde hair as his gaze was lost, looking out the window, far into the distance. Deep in thought, he was not actually seeing the waking world, but lost in the memories of his past. Recalling a time forever etched into the essence of his soul. The time he himself has spent at a military academy was brief when compared to his life as a whole, but they shaped him as a person, and molded him into the man he was today.
Classes had been finished for the day for a while at that point, and Vorden had been picking up, finishing up some notes, and working on his lesson plans for the coming weeks. Now that his tasks were complete, he was standing still, lost in thought.
Momentarily absent from reality and lost in the adventures he had gone on with his friends, with Quinn, and Peter, his heart began to ache again, and he had to shake off the icy cold grip of the vice buried in his chest. Just then, he couldn't help but squint as a blinding glint shining directly into his eyes from just outside the window caught his attention and like a lead brick forced his mind kicking and screaming back to the present.
"Ahh, God, what the...." He grumbled, shielding his eyes from the painful beam of something reflecting the sun. He held out his hand to block the infuriating invader while he glared in its general direction, attempting to deduce the culprit.
Vorden's breath hitched in his throat. Time itself seemed to slow down. He saw Jade through the window, making use of the shared outdoor training space. Her deep brown tendrils of hair were pulled back into a messy pony tail to keep it out of her face. She was relentlessly kicking the practice dummy clearly visible outside her own classroom. A smirk turned up at the corner of Vorden's mouth.
He could still feel her soft lips against his and had the image of her bussom pressed up against his chest still lingering in his mind. A shiver ran across his whole body. He and Jade had continued to eat dinner together every day, and after they would walk back to their building together, and every time Jade had given him a goodnight kiss, or two, or three, before they would usually regain their composure before any other faculty could interrupt them.
They hadn't taken anything a step further just yet, because while the desire was there indeed, Vorden felt like he had more respect than that for Jade. He also didn't want their first experience together, his first experience, to be meaningless. He had planned their date for the following weekend, and he hoped that if it went well, the situation would present itself. He let out a deep sigh.
Vorden locked up his classroom and headed over to wear Jade was training. He walked up silently behind her, and simply watched for a second as her graceful figure desamated the training dummies one after another. She was spry and strong. Her martial style was one of elegance, grace, and utter devastation. He stifled a proud smile. Why did he feel this overwhelming sense of pride at seeing her skillful movements? He wanted so badly to shout from the rooftops that she was his, that he alone was the one man that was allowed to kiss her. He felt warmth at the thought.
"Fancy a spar?" as his smooth dulcet tone flowed sweetly into her ear, and his words tickled the deepest reaches of her brain, Jade paused mid-kick as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, her brown eyes lifted with a mixture of surprise and curiosity that sent Vorden's pulse racing again.
"A spar?" Without lowering her leg, she looked back at her intended target, the training dummy, and stared at it pensively for a split second with her flushed face and replied "Hmm, sure. Why not?" Just then as if spring loaded, she let the leg fly and finished her kick before ending smoothly, returning to a basic battle stance. He movement were the precise, delicate, fluid motions of a student proficient in ballet. Of course the dummy was thrown back spinning on its stand before bouncing back as designed. "Hope you know how to handle a few kicks". She shot Vorden a sideways glance with a sinister little smile. He could have sworn there had been sparks of light flashing in her eyes.
He grinned back, confidence rising as his genuine joy belied any nerves. He only had a foreboding sensation of dread deep down. However, he dared not let it show on the surface, allowing himself to frown inwardly. Something about her toned, and athletic, yet tall, thin, and wire like frame gave him the sneaking suspicion that she was not one he should carelessly underestimate.
She turned to walk a small distance away from him before turning back to face him. One of her delicately shaped eyebrows lifted as if to beckon him forth. Seeing this he smirked back, mirroring her own devious expression. "Handle? Oh, I'm pretty sure I can take a few".
The outdoor training area was silent except for the rhythmic sound of footwork and the sharp breaths of exertion. Vorden and Jade circled each other, eyes locked, bodies coiled like springs ready to snap. No powers—just pure skill.
Jade struck first, a sharp jab aimed at Vorden's ribs. He deflected it with a flick of his forearm, but she was already pivoting, spinning into a roundhouse kick. He ducked, the wind from her leg rushing past his face, and countered with a low sweep. She leapt over it, landing light on her feet.
"Fast," Vorden admitted, smirking.
Jade grinned. "You haven't seen fast yet."
She lunged again, this time faking left before twisting right, aiming for an open spot on his side. He barely dodged, her fist grazing his shirt. Capitalizing on her forward momentum, he stepped in, catching her wrist and attempting to flip her. She twisted out of his grip mid-air, landing in a crouch before launching up with an uppercut.
Vorden barely shifted back in time. "Alright, showoff."
They moved like two pieces in perfect balance—her agility against his adaptability. A flurry of punches, parries, and kicks blurred between them, neither yielding.
Then Vorden saw his opening. A feint. He made it look like he was overextending on a punch, baiting Jade in. She took it, stepping forward to counter—exactly as he planned. In an instant, he pivoted, using her own momentum against her.
A sharp twist. A shift of weight.
And suddenly, Jade was off balance, stumbling as Vorden maneuvered behind her. Before she could react, he stopped—his hand hovering just an inch from her throat.
Jade froze, eyes flickering to the deadly position.
But instead of striking, he leaned his head in a planted a gentle kiss on her neck. She spun around, wrapping her arms around him, and returned the sentiment with a kiss of her own. Fire had ignited in her eyes and a deep longing took over her body. She looked into his eyes with a ravenous desire.
"Want to go back to one of our places to shower, instead of rinsing off in the locker rooms?" Jade suddenly asked tentatively.
Vorden knew that there was a deeper meaning behind her words. He thought it over for a split second, and in the end carnal desire won out. With a firm nod they set out for his room. Upon arriving there he allowed for Jade to go first, opting to wait politely in the front living area, to offer her some privacy. She had a small bag with her that she usually had with her where she kept her change of clothes for after her workout, and where she then put her soiled clothes to bring back to her room.
Vorden looked around in his kitchenette for some snacks or anything to offer company, unfortunately there wasn't much there. He decided to put on a kettle for tea. As he did so Jade emerged from the bedroom, only instead of her usual post work out loungewear that he would see her in after her shower, she apparently had decided to borrow a shirt from Vorden's closet, a simple white t-shirt, which hung off her shoulder slightly as it was a bit large for her small frame. It caused Vorden to smirk.
"Nice look... " He said from across the room as he made his way over to her. She blushed slightly and looked down. She had put on the pants she brought thankfully, and had her regular tight undershirt, to Vorden's relief. He wasn't sure what he would have done had she been standing there with no pants.
"My overshirt snagged on my bag when I went to pull it out... I hope you don't mind," she said sheepishly.
Vorden leaned in a grazed her cheek with a soft touch before kissing her gently. "Not at all, in fact," he paused as he took her hand and stood back, admiring her petite figure in his oversized shirt. "You look cute. I like you wearing my clothes," his expression turned mischievous, and then his eyes were alight with desire this time. Which only caused her to blush further. He offered her a quick kiss on the hand before walking over to the room himself. "My turn, make yourself comfortable," he said with one last glance before disappearing into the bedroom to shower himself.