"So you can't swim, hmm?"
Anabelle's and Kanes' eyes glittered with pure glee as I struggled to regain some semblance of composure as I walked. Vomit lingered in my mouth, and my chest continued to burn painfully. Clyde's entire body was shaking with barely suppressed anger as I was guided towards him by Kanes, and I shook my head in warning at my friend, silently pleading for him to say nothing, to do nothing.
But my attention painfully swayed from Clyde when a resonating slap echoed in the room. My cheek stung, and vision blurred as I listened to Anabelle demand that I answer her.
"You saw me." My voice was rough, and it hurt to speak. "You saw me in that tank. I can't swim."
"Look at her. Such a sharp mouth she has." Kanes' claws dug into the back of my neck, and seeing me wince seemed to break the restraint Clyde had over his anger. I watched as he barged forward, hands still chained, and shoved himself at Kanes, effectively surprising the lycan and making him release me. I could feel blood trailing down the back of my neck from where Kanes' claws had pierced my skin, but that was the last thing on my mind.
"No. Please." I shook my head, hot tears trailing down my cheeks as Kanes backhanded Clyde, and the man fell on his side against the floor. Anabelle's lips curled into a cruel smile as she took several steps backwards, allowing the guards of Klawmoon to slip before her. Clyde's large eyes were on my own, and I could see him mouthing for me to 'be calm'. But I couldn't be.
Especially when the guards erupted, and one by one, they each took their turns delivering blows to Clyde, drawing blood from his mouth and the skin of his temple split open when heavy boots kicked at it. I heard his nose break, and then saw bruises rapidly begin to form on his exposed arms. Clyde's grunts soon turned to choked begs. I jerked forward then, but Kanes kept me backwards, his hand fisting the back of my shirt as he looked on.
"Stop!" I shrieked desperately, watching the way Clyde began to curl his body into a fetal position, attempting to protect his already battered stomach. Those in the room had begun to look our way, but none attempted to stop the beating. This carried on for ten long minutes, and when Clyde fell silent throughout it, my worry and horror intensified.
"That's enough." Kanes called out. He released me, and thrust me forward to a guard, who swiftly bound my wrists with thick rope. The guards surrounding Clyde reluctantly shuffled backwards, but Clyde did not move. His body remained curled, and I could see his blood pooling around him. The faint rise and fall of his chest was the only thing which allowed me to know that he was still alive.
Kanes stepped forward, and with the tip of his boot, rolled Clyde onto his back. I broke down at the sight of his swollen face, the blood running from his nose and past his lips. Dark blood also trailed down his sweaty forehead, and his breathing was shallow when I pressed my head against his chest when I fell to my knees, feeling each shaky inhale of breath he took. His split lips moved, as if he was attempting to speak, but all I heard was an indecipherable groan. My chest heaved with each sob that shook my body, and it took three guards to haul me away from Clyde.
Only once had I felt so helpless as I did now, and that had been when I'd watched Kanes set fire to the remains of my mother and father. And once again, that overwhelming feeling of helplessness consumed me entirely as I was pulled away from Clyde's body.
********
"Where are you going?" Hannes demanded an answer when he saw me step outside of my bedroom door, fully dressed for training. I'd awoken him from his sleep early this morning as a result of my relentless shifting in the bed.
Memories of my experiences in Klawmoon had tainted my mind, and although Hannes' nearness as I laid beside him did calm me somewhat, I was still so plagued with many emotions.
And because of those high-strung emotions, Hannes had successfully identified my reasons for being unable to sleep beside him, but I'd said little when he pressed for questions and had left his room to instead pace my own until I saw the sun begin to rise.
"Training." I gestured to my clothes, and began to walk down the hallway, but Hannes' heavy footsteps made me know he was following.
"It's five in the morning. I was told by Willow that she'd informed you that training would start at nine." Hannes said, his voice raising. My lips pressed tightly together, and I knew I was acting based on my emotions as I swiftly jerked on my coat after I was downstairs. My stress stirred in the bond between us when I crouched to put on my boots, but Hannes caught my arm, stopping me.
"Talk to me, Olivia." Hannes' honey colored eyes were pleading as he spoke. "Please."
I hesitated, and Hannes' hand did not drop away. I finally nodded, running my tongue across my lower lip as I straightened. I looked everywhere but at him as I gathered my thoughts, and I was thankful when Hannes did not say anything whilst I did this.
And I eventually told him everything of the recent memory I had, leaving nothing out. I shared my emotions at what I'd witnessed in Klawmoon, described the way Clyde had begged for mercy and the haunting looks of satisfaction that had been on Kanes' and Anabelle's faces. I went on to speak of what had happened outside of Anabelle's house many years ago and after a deep inhale, I met his stare as I went on to finally say,
"I don't want to ever feel the way I did in Klawmoon or when I'd been by your aunt's home. I couldn't defend Clyde or my parents, and they died."
Hannes' expression had been, for the most part, warm and gentle, but the slight crease between his eyebrows and the gripping of his fingers which had yet to release my arm betrayed his true feelings towards everything I'd told him. Anger.
"What happened to them wasn't your fault." Hannes told me gently. I nodded, eyes trailing away to look at a blank wall.
"I know. But I still need to train. I need to...learn how to defend myself and those who are innocent." I shakily inhaled again, and moved my hand away from him.
"Can you arrange for Willow to train me earlier?"
Hannes frowned, and he watched me for a long while. "I won't ask her." His eyes glanced behind me, to the direction that would lead to the front door. "I'll train you myself."
***********
The doors of the shed creaked open loudly, and I stood behind Hannes as he opened them. His hand reached inside, and light lit up the entire room. Hannes slipped the key he'd used to unlock the doors into his pocket and stepped backwards, allowing me to enter first.
"What I'll be teaching you will require you to do little physical acts." Hannes voice echoed in the quiet shed, and I could feel his eyes on me as I looked at the tightly sealed containers and wooden boxes in the shed. The scent of dampness was faint, but everything in which I could see looked clean. I looked at Hannes in confusion.
"Then why am I here?" I asked. Hannes said nothing at first, but walked further into the shed, hauled up a small wooden box and placed it on a table. It banged loudly and my ears rang as I walked to stand by his side, watching as he opened it after using another set of keys.
I was silent as he took out three guns, and I easily recognized one of them. Hannes laid them out on the table, and shoved the sturdy box away, allowing me to see the weapons clearly.
"I'm going to describe to you the different parts of these, and show you how to hold them and use them."
My fingers trailed over a pistol. "That's a Glock 17." I raised my eyes briefly to look at Hannes before muttering, "Eric had shown this to me in Corozal and tried to teach me how to handle it."
There was a long stretch of silence and then Hannes cleared his throat, setting the pistol aside before moving on to the other gun he'd rested on the table. There was a hint of irritation in his eyes that had arisen because of my words, but that dissolved the more he spoke of the weapons. I was silent throughout, allowing my mind to soak in his every word.
"You'll be carrying one of these on your person once you grasp how to use them." Hannes finished. He shot a look towards the Glock 17 and then back towards my face.
"Is there anything you'd like to ask me?" He asked. I shook my head, rocking back on my heels as I once again surveyed the weapons.
"I'm good."
Hannes nodded, and I watched as he placed the guns back into the wooden box. "Great." I expected him to place the box away, but instead he headed towards the door, box in hand, only pausing once to gesture that I follow him. It was only when I fell into step beside him did he say,
"We're going to my gun range."
************
Chapters 37-50 are available on Inkitt for free!