The padded blue surface came rushing up to meet Jake.  He managed to get his arms out in time to break the fall, but he couldn’t suppress an instinctive yelp as his body crashed down onto the mats.

He took a moment to catch his breath before pushing up on his arms and jumping back onto his feet.

He smiled shyly at Anne-Marie; the young woman who had just tossed him over with ridiculous ease: his trainer.

“Sorry, again,” Jake laughed.  “I’m really not very good at this, am I?”

He quickly averted his eyes from her.  He found her quite intimidating... and given what he knew, who wouldn’t?  She wasn’t intimidating because she was butch and masculine; because she certainly wasn’t.  On the contrary, she was toned and shapely and feminine, and graced with immense personal beauty.  But she was a Iunctus, and therefore supernaturally fast and strong and tireless; far beyond the reach of any normal person.  She looked about the same age as him – twenty-one – but in fact she was a good decade older.

Anne-Marie smiled kindly at him, “You’re... improving!” she said, trying to sound encouraging.  But in truth, she hadn’t seen much improvement – if any – since the day she started training him, two months ago.  Jake, she had concluded, was a hell of a nice guy; but he wasn’t a natural athlete – despite his slender build – and he certainly wasn’t a natural fighter.

“Thanks,” Jake said, rubbing sweat off his face, “I mean, I know I’m never going to be a black-belt... but as long as I can look after Jenna; or at least, not be entirely useless if something happens to her...”

Anne-Marie smiled, patiently.  The truth was, as she well knew, if a Demon did come looking for Jenna, then no amount of jujutsu training would help Jake.  He’d be about as useful as a chocolate teapot, up against a demonic monster with ten-times his strength and an unquenchable thirst for pain.  Still, if it made him feel better, then what was the harm?  And besides, it wasn’t like she had anything more important to do with her time...

“I mean, I’m pretty sure Brendan already hates me,” Jake said, taking the opportunity to put his hands on his hips and grab a breather, “I can only imagine what he’d say if something happened to Jenna, while I was with her.”

“I’m sure Brendan doesn’t hate you,” Anne-Marie said, “And I know he appreciates you doing this training, to help you look after his sister.”

Jake grinned, boyishly.

Anne-Marie’s mind started drifting... drifting onto thoughts of Brendan.  How different it had been when she’d trained him in Karate, and Jujutsu, when he first arrived, three and a half years ago.  Ok, sure, it wasn’t really fair to compare Brendan and Jake; Brendan was a Iunctus, like her, so he had a huge natural advantage... but he’d been a great pupil – quick to learn, strong and fast and level-headed.  Not to mention the way he looked in his gym gear.  God she’d fancied him so much back then!  So many times she came close to tying him up in a submission hold and just kissing him like her life depended on it.  She laughed to herself.  How little times had changed; she still fancied him, more than she ever thought it was possible to fancy another person.  She still yearned for his body; his touch; his brilliant hazel-green eyes; his strength; his intriguing charm; his–

“OK, ready to go again!” Jake said, shaking his arms.

Anne-Marie jolted out of her daydreams and focused on him.

“Right, let’s try it again,” she said, “In slow-motion this time.”

Jake seemed enthused by the idea.  Slow-motion meant slow and easy, right?  As in: not ending up with him crashing down onto the mats?

“Ok,” Anne-Marie said, raising her hands in front of her chest.

For a brief moment, Jake’s eyes slipped between her hands and found the curve of her breasts.  His gazed lingered involuntarily for a split-second before he flicked his eyes onto hers.  He hadn’t meant anything by it.  He only had eyes for Jenna.  But still, Anne-Marie’s body was hard to ignore.  And it didn’t help that she left most of it exposed in the gym, wearing merely a black sports-bra and skin-tight black leggings.

Anne-Marie noticed his momentary slip, and she smiled to herself again.  Brendan did that sometimes, when they were squaring up to each other.  She liked it when Brendan did it.  She always hoped it would lead somewhere (although it never did).  But Jake’s slip didn’t have the same effect; it actually made her feel slightly awkward.

“Ok,” Anne-Marie said, “in slow-motion... you go to punch me in the face...”

Emulating something he’d probably seen in a movie, Jake slowly extended his clenched fist towards her face, enjoying the stab at acting, more than watching Anne-Marie’s actions.

Anne-Marie waited until his fist was inside her guard, then, also in slow-motion, she rolled her wrist around his arm and slid her hand down until she could grip his wrist.

“Now watch what I do here...” she said, continuing the slow-motion movement, “See... I’m gradually pulling you of balance...”

Jake allowed himself to be pulled forwards, maintaining his slow-motion act, pretending he was in a kung-fu movie.

Slowly, and deliberately, Anne-Marie stepped around behind him, twisting his hand behind his back.

Jake pretended to scream, in slow-motion, elongating a muffled cry, “aaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh....”

Anne-Marie sighed to herself.  She was supposed to be teaching him how to defend himself, not taking bloody drama classes!

“You see how I have the advantage now?” she said, trying to keep Jake focused.

“Oh, yeah,” Jake said.

He was bent over double, with Anne-Marie behind him, holding his wrist against his shoulder-blades.

“I could do a number of things from here...” Anne-Marie said, assuming her trainer’s voice, “I could take you to the ground... or I could break your arm...”

“Right,” Jake said, nodding, trying to be serious again.

Anne-Marie sighed to herself.  Really, what was the point?

Suddenly the door burst open.

Anne-Marie looked up to see Ramone’s huge bulk standing in the doorway.  Six-foot two-inches of pure tanned muscle, covered by a skinny black t-shirt.

Ramone met her eyes, then slowly diverted his gaze onto Jake, fixing him with a bemused smile, “You okay there Jake?”

“Oh hi Ramone,” Jake said, straining to lift his head straight.

Ramone shook his head quickly and looked back at Anne-Marie, fixing her with intense deep-brown eyes.

“What’s up?” Anne-Marie asked, suddenly hopeful for an interruption.

“Christian’s called the team together.  He wants us in the library, in twenty minutes.”

Anne-Marie’s face lit up.  “Great, I’ll be there!”

“I’m gonna call Brendan now,” Ramone added, turning back out of the door.  He stopped, halfway out, and flashed Jake another bemused smile, “See you later Jake.”

Jake managed a quick “later,” still straining his neck to keep his head straight, and clenching his teeth now against the growing pain in his twisted arm.

Ramone closed the door and strolled out into the wide hallway, pulling his mobile phone out of his pocket.