Bruises of Risk

Unexpected Roommates [Pic. of Arella]

So this is the first chapter! Let me know what you think! :D

Pic to the side ---->   is of Arella!

And what do you think of my cover?

And thank you! I got to #44 Fantasy and #472 Romance in just one day!   ______________________________________  

Chapter One

Unexpected Roommates

“Normal is an illusion. What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly.” – Morticia Addams

          "Die, bitch!" Damen yelled as he pinned me down on the mat as we wrestled under Coach Sky's supervision, which meant he wasn't paying us any attention. Surprisingly, though, he had paired us together, something he rarely did.

I rolled us over so that I was straddling him, "In your dreams, asshole!"

He pushed me off and I flew to the opposite side of the mat. He got up smoothly and got in a fighting position, smirking at me. I narrowed my eyes and rolled off of my butt and onto my feet, mirroring his position. He walked to the right, my right, and I walked the other way in a circle. We were always directly across each other, our eyes locked and meager slits, but a conceited smile occupied his pink mouth that robbed me of my patience. He tilted his neck side to side, popping it with an audible cracking sound, yet his sun-colored eyes never left my face. He rolled his shoulders, loosening them. I popped my knuckles, wanting to get rid of my stiff fingers.

Not changing my expression the slightest, I used my left leg as a fake and sprang my right foot out to kick the left side of his face in a roundhouse. I hadn't fought him for a long time and underestimated his sharp reflexes because he grabbed my foot inches from making impact on his face and twisted it so I literally spun horizontally in mid-air for a few seconds before forcefully hitting the foam mat.

Groaning at the sharp stings of pain in my arms and glaring viciously at him, I cursed his super-strength whilst hobbling to my feet. I shook my arms and legs out slowly to let the lethargic feeling spiral away. I grinned slyly and recollected my old nickname for him that he resented so much. "Come and get me, Panties," I challenged in a low voice. His smirk dropped and his eyes turned a blazing, deep yellow.

Suddenly he started morphing slowly into his favorite form, a panther, hence panties. His pupils became smaller as the irises nearly doubled in size and his eyes took on a circular shape. His dark brown hair turned a jet black and grew down to his chin, cut close to his head, and his ears had transformed to those of a cat's. His mouth gaped open, showing two sharp fangs, causing his eyes to appear more feline. He didn't transform completely, though." "You wanna say that again, Mindfreak?" he purred, his suave voice reaching a whole new velvet.

I swallowed my bitter anger at his nickname for me and smiled ruefully. "Panties," I said, whispering in a scornful tone. He unleashed a deep, rumbling roar and lunged at me. His arms automatically sought out my vulnerable neck and squeezed it but his momentum toppled us to the ground. He was on top of me, utilizing his strength as an advantage and using his legs to pin me down. My hands reached for his around my neck and tried to pry them apart, but to no avail. I knew he wasn't trying his hardest and he honestly wasn't sucking the breath out of me, but it still hurt.

Coach Sky had personally told us, and only us, not to use our powers, not that we'd really listen too much. But it just wasn't fair. His strength was double, maybe even triple, that of any Atlantis citizen AND he was a shape-shifter! All I could do is get random visions that usually made no sense and control emotions. Wait a second, control emotions...

I tried to look into Damen's eyes to get the best results, but he was staring at anything but my eyes. I smiled, impressed, but it probably came out looking slightly constipated. He knew what I would do. I altered my plan a little and pretended to moan in pain. That's when he made his mistake; he looked directly into my eyes and I had him trapped. My lips twitched in triumph as I eased the first emotion into him. Peace. I tried to calm his anger and it worked, but only a little, seeing as only his fangs receded back to his normal teeth. Yet, his hold on my neck hadn't budged any. Next, I willed his mind to feel guilt. Remorse at having hurt such an innocent, sweet girl. I could feel him try to deflect this feeling, but he was fighting a losing battle.