Me and Kat where sprawled on the grass in the back yard that afternoon, the sun delicately kissing our skin as we sunbathed side by side.

"Talk to me" I turn my head to look at her and shielded my face from the sun with my hand.

Her red hair had fallen around her, entwining with the grass, slithering over it to follow her as she turned to face me.

"About what?" I ask as I watch the sun caress her freckles and make her green eyes sparkle with a predatory shine.

"Your...encounter with that Unsellie" She replies, a grin stretching across her lips, showing her canines.

"How...?"

"Last night he came back in a very sour mood, nearly spoiled my evening." Her eyes looked distant as she remembers the events of last night.

"What do you mean?" I ask with curiosity but my body tenses up.

She smiles sweetly at me. Of course she wasn't going to tell me, she enjoyed this too much.

I huff and lay back onto the ground. My white dress wrapping around my legs as I do.

Last night after I had gone swimming I had returned to find the windows in his room dark, the only evidence of our fight was the  phantom feel of his hands on mine.

Silence sits with us for a bit, I finally tell her.

"I told him I hated him." My eyes followed the flying clouds as they slid across the blue sky.

She hums in approval "Serves him right."

"Kataly!!" I sit up and shove her, she laughs, squishing dandelions under her pale green dress as she roles away from my attack.

I lay back down, the sun stabbing my eyes.

"I fell horrible!" I groan out as I cover my face again.

"Of course you do" She signs as she comes to lay next to me. The smell of grass and dandelions fill my lungs.

We lay there in comfortable silence, letting the wind run its fingers through our hair.

"If it bothers you so much you should apologies to him tonight"

I nod in agreement even as my stomach tightens at the thought of having to talk to him again.

"Don't we have training tonight?"

She hums again "you do." I sit up abruptly.

"Where will you be!"

"Hunting" Tarken replies from behind me, I squint as I try to make out his smirk, the sun hiding it.

"I want to go!"

"No." I hear Osoes deep voice and heavy footsteps as he come into view, joining us in the garden.

"What why!" I ask in outrage and relief and stand up as tall as I can, looking up at Osoe with begging eyes, Kat and Tarken try and fail to hold back laughter.

"You have to train, you've already missed three lessons. I can tell from your posture your stance has weakened."

I straighten my posture and hold up my head

"That is not fair-" Tarken cut in.

"Actually princess it is, see, when you where relaxing and picking flowers or gods knows what you do in your spare time I've been having my ass kicked by him."

He points to Osoe, who sends him a satisfied grin.

My cheeks flush as I back down. But Tarken tries giving me another jab.

"And besides, your not that good at hunting, last time you-

I cut him off with a dark look, he wisely shuts up, but his little outburst drew a big belly laugh from Osoe.

Ragnar appears In the threshold, his sharp brows pinching as he looks questionably at Osoe, who is still clutching his stomach.

Before he can say anything I interrupt in a panic "Okay!"

"Okay i'm going to training!" I quickly scurry of, my dress flying after me. Turning my back to Tarkens slay smile and praying Osoe won't tell Ragnar about the time I had failed to kill a wild boar and It chased me up a tree...

***

Later that afternoon

"Your not focusing, pay attention Lillian!"

I'm panting so hard my lungs ache, and as I try to catch my breath Osoe trips me down, again. Knocking the breath out of me. My whole body hurts, there are no doubt bruises will Make themselves known later.

Tarken, Ragnar and Kat had left to go hunting about an hour ago. And Sam was hiding away in his office, so I was at Osoes mercy.

"You've gotten weak" I flinch, Osoe may be kind to me but when it comes to training, I am no different than anybody.

"You are weak"

Maybe it was the memories or the fact that Azrael returned but those words echo in my ear, whispering the nightmares back to the present.

"An iron tipped whip"

"Cold floor clawing into my knees"

"You are weak"

I shudder and shut my eyes to try to contain the tears that threaten to spill as that memory sliders over my minds.

I am not weak, I am not weak, I am not weak

I chant in my head as the memories try to drown me. I take a deep breath. I am not weak anymore, after another deep breath I stager up to my feet .

I am not weak

I repeat as I approach him, zero in on his open right side and run to the left, he falls for it and brings his arms up, I jump and go to kick him in his side. He predicts it and grabs my ankle.

I kick my left foot up and wrap it around his neck. Now I'm sitting on his shoulder with my legs wrapped around his neck cutting off his air. A shadow flares in the corner of the room, I glance at it, it's black inkiness distracted me.

Before I knew it I was back on the floor with a groan.

"Well done" Osoe compliments as he holds out his hand, I take it, proud and relived that the memories had been locked away again and stand up, brushing myself off.

"You got determination il give you that, but you got distracted again, we are going to work on that tomorrow." I groan as I pick up my water bottle and plop myself on the bench, gulping the water down with glee.

Osoe takes it and finishes the rest, then hands back the empty bottle with with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

I glare at him playfully and jog towards the exit, wondering what that shadow was as a stone starts forming in my stomach, becoming heavier as I realise i have to go apologies to Az.

When I open the doors to of gym my face plants into Azraels rock hard chest as he suddenly appears in front of me. My nostrils itch with the heavy sent of pine and midnight.

I jump back with a start, clutching my chest as my heart pounds again my ribcage.