“Why?” she asked him warily as she discretely tried to back away from him.

“Because I’m going to teach you how to fight. Now move your ass, Munchkin, before I change my mind.”

Chapter 31

“Stop laughing! I’m trying to kick your ass here!” Izzy said, obviously trying not to laugh and sound stern as she tightened her hold around his waist and tried to pull him to the ground.

“Do you want some help?” he asked, enjoying himself more than he ever thought possible, which was actually funny since he’d come close to killing someone not even an hour ago.

He shouldn’t be laughing and enjoying himself. He should still be pissed and needing to take his rage out on someone or something, but his little Munchkin soothed him in a way he never thought possible. If anything he should be really pissed that she was playing around and not taking this seriously, especially since it pissed him off that she couldn’t fight and some f**king human male had put his hands on her, because she’d been helpless to stop him.

Never in his life had he wanted to kill someone more than that son of a bitch who dared to put his hands on his mate, his wife. He wanted to tear the bastard apart and probably would have if he hadn’t felt the need to get Izzy out of there and somewhere safe. It was an urge he couldn’t ignore and one that confused the shit out of him. She was his in every way that mattered and her safety had been his only concern.

After he’d seen her helpless and cornered by that ass**le he knew that he couldn’t depend on those entrusted with her care to be there every second of the day to make sure nothing happened to her. She needed to be trained whether or not her abilities surfaced.

Surprisingly she was learning, quickly. She might be laughing and being playful with him, but she was learning and for the first time in years he was truly enjoying himself.

Working with his father was great. He loved his father, loved spending time with him and sparing with him, but it was always a job to him. Something he had to do to be the best and keep his family safe. It hadn’t always been like that. Back in the beginning when his father started to teach him he’d loved it. He had a great time with Ephraim. They laughed, they joked and he’d enjoyed every minute of it.

Everything changed after he was shot. Workouts became a way to get his body back under his control.

Sparing with his father or anyone for that matter was a way to get his skills up and his job became everything in his world. He’d stopped hanging out with his friends, didn’t watch television, play video games with his brother, or do any of the typical teenage bullshit that Jill and Joshua did. He took every f**king thing in his life seriously.

With his Munchkin he felt alive, carefree and happy.

He knew he was being a selfish bastard by allowing himself to enjoy being with her since he was going to be the one to send her away the first chance that he had, but he couldn’t help himself. He loved the way she smiled, the little growl she made when she was about to “attack” him and the way she was playful even as she did whatever he asked.

“I want to try and flip you over my shoulder again,” she announced, practically bouncing up and down with excitement.

“Okay, but do you want me to show you how to do it again first?” he asked, placing a hand on top of her head to keep her still.

“Yes!” she said, laughing as she moved behind him and climbed onto the small coffee table so that she could wrap her arm around his neck.

He waited until she stopped moving before he started.

“Are you ready, Munchkin?”

“Yes!” she said excitedly and he couldn’t help but smile.

Izzy wasn’t his first student, but she was definitely his favorite. When his father asked him to teach Jill how to fight, because the big pushover couldn’t stomach the idea of hurting his little girl he’d made damn sure that his sister could protect herself in any given situation.

Of course she made damn sure that he knew he was a bastard each and every day that she left the basement limping, bruised and cursing up a storm that often got her in trouble with their grandmother, but by the time he was done with her she knew her shit and he didn’t have to worry about her, much.

The same thing happened when his father asked him to teach Madison how to fight, because the bastard couldn’t hurt his wife, that and every attempt to teach her apparently ended with the two of them tearing their clothes off each other. He’d been more than happy to teach her and she’d been more than happy to go for his throat the few hundred times he’d pissed her off.

Joshua had been his most eager student. For years he’d watched Chris spar with their father and they let him play around a time or two. His brother at fifteen had come into the basement cocky as hell and left bruised, bloodied and trying not to cry as he glared at Chris and their father. When they resisted, didn’t listen or bitched he pushed them harder and harder until he felt they could handle themselves in a fight.

He still made them train with him once a month to make sure that their skills were up to date. If they tried to get out of it, he hunted them down and dragged them to the basement where he wouldn’t allow them to leave until they met his requirements. Needless to say he wasn’t their favorite person for a few days out of every month, but it was his job and he made sure he did it.

At least Marc still loved training with him. Granted, he mostly played around with his little brother, but he made sure the boy had some skills that would help save him on the playground and if some ass**le ever tried to grab him. His brother knew at least two dozen ways to bring a full grown man to his knees and most of those moves consisted of a ball shot, something his little mate had been excited to learn and learned quickly.

“Ready?”

“Yes!”

“Okay, I’m going to reach across my chest with my left hand and grab your arm while I bend slightly to bring you up and give myself an advantage. Then I’m going to reach back with my right hand and grip the back or your head or neck, whatever I can reach and use it to keep you from getting away and to send you flying,” he said as he slowly did each move. “Now remember, I’m going to drop to my knee and use the momentum of the move to flip you.”

When he came to the point where he flipped her she squealed excitedly as she soared through the air. He made sure she landed on the mattress, with his father or Joshua he would have just used the thinly carpeted floor, but this was his little Munchkin so he made damn sure she was safe.

“My turn!” she said, bouncing off the bed and looking so damn eager that he couldn’t help but smile. He noticed that he did that a lot when she was around, more recently.

“Try not to hurt me,” he teased as he moved back to give her space.

She stuck out her tongue at him playfully as she stepped in front of him. This was the tenth attempt to toss him over his shoulder and even though she hadn’t managed to do more than yank on him so far, he was still proud of her. She wasn’t giving up, whining or complaining. She was full of energy and enjoying herself.

“Okay, I’m ready,” she said, stepping back against him.

He put one arm around her neck and gripped her hip with his other hand, bringing her tightly against him.

If she noticed his erection she didn’t say anything.

Then again she hadn’t said anything or acknowledged it since they started and he truly appreciated it since there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.