Tasting The Forbidden

9. Top-Notch Stamina

Derrek’s pov:

My ire was unlike any I had ever felt. My mate was on the verge of tears, because of her cheating ex, and her best friend, Billy, was ready to throw hands. Seeing as I would rather not have them miss my period for detention, I stepped in.

Admittedly, the words spilling out of the punk’s mouth made me slightly happy. Sure, he only meant to ridicule Melissa, and yet learning that she wasn’t the kind to just sleep around – I had her mislabeled because of the random kiss – did something to me. Something unfathomable and completely and irrevocably illegal.

She appeared to calm down with my intervention. And I was tempted to smile, but caught myself before I could.

I wasn’t supposed to be playing favorites.

That being said, Jake what’s-his-name, Melissa’s ex, was now on my radar.

As we were about to begin combat class, I knew already that I was going to have him as my partner. I planned to teach him a lesson to remember.

“5 laps, everyone,” I let out in a firm tone of voice. “Make them count and don’t fall behind.”

Many of them groaned, but I didn’t pay them any mind, and began. A select few were on my heels already. Billy and Melissa were among them. And now more than ever, I was proud of my mate for sucking it up, and ignoring the snide remarks of the cheerleader who had been kissing her ex.

Some people truly were shameless, whether they were adults or teenagers.

I picked up the pace by the second lap, and the students did as well.

By the fourth lap, only 5 of them were following right behind me, and my mate and her best friend were once again among these select few.

Once we finally came to a halt, I only grabbed a bottle of water and emptied it in seconds, first in my mouth, then over my face.

That was something I hated about California. It was hot.

“How come… You’re… You’re not… out of breath?” Melissa asked as she panted, her eyes bulging at the sight of my drenched tank top, before she averted her gaze.

“I have better stamina than all of you,” I shrugged.

“Not fair,” Billy quipped, even as he wheezed out a few breaths.

We had to wait some time for everyone to finish their laps, before we started the next phase of training.

“Yesterday, some of you showed promise,” I let out in a loud voice, looking at a few faces successively. “And some of you ate dust.”

Many groans followed that statement.

“And it’s my role as your combat teacher to make sure you become better warriors,” I went on, uncaring of their reactions. “Listen up! Whoever you might be, and whatever your rank might be, know that you are always 3 seconds and a distraction away from utter defeat.”

Some nodded in understanding, as their eyes shone.

“There’s always a bigger hill somewhere,” I went on. “Never think you’ve achieved it all, or be a pompous know-it-all. Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir,” many students let out in unison.

“Now, I want all of you in pairs, ready for the next part of our training session.”

And so, it went on.

By the end of the second hour, Jake what’s-his-name had eaten dust at least 5 times. Many were tired and out of breath, all were drenched in sweat, and a couple of students became all wobbly, and nearly passed out from exhaustion.

“We don’t run on empty stomachs, folks!” I chided, and they offered me small apologetic smiles. “To the bench, both of you.”

I went to my duffle bag, and soon came back, offering them a chocolate piece each.

“I feel tired too,” one of the cheerleaders all but purred, batting her eyelashes at me.

“Look around. Everyone is tired,” I deadpanned, and that had the knack to shut her up quickly.

“You’re a beast,” tears sprang up to her eyes as she returned to her supporting role at the improvised game of chase they were playing.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” I chuckled dryly, rolling my eyes at her.

** ** ** ** **

Melissa’s pov:

I could agree with Samantha on this. Mr Blackwood was indeed a beast.

He had run the 5 laps at the utmost speed without even getting breathless. His stamina must be top-notch, and soon my mind began to wander to other activities which might require some stamina too.

The man was wearing a black tank top which had his muscles bulging out of it beautifully. Sinfully. Temptingly.

And my mouth went dry when I saw his lips move into a smirk as he addressed Samantha, right before he chuckled dryly, “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

The game of chase resumed… Before long, he blew into a whistle and said, “Good job, everyone. Time for your stretching.”

“Stretching?” One of the guys argued, his tone of voice slightly outraged. “What would we need stretching for?”

“You’re not in battle. Battle doesn’t allow for anything. You need to be sharp and quick. As for here, at school, I would rather send you back home with as little damage as possible.”

“Can we still sit this one out?” One of the two seniors, who had almost collapsed earlier, asked.

“No. I already gave you chocolate, and it’s just stretching. It’ll do you good.”

Truth be told, his no-nonsense tone of voice did something to me that should be forbidden, and I didn’t know how to face the harsh reality. He and I could never be. He was what wet dreams were made of, and I was just one of his students.

The only student who had kissed him, a part of me argued… But I wasn’t sure that was enough to have any claim over him.

And heavens did a primal part of me want to mark him and make him mine for all to see!