Dashing devil 5 bold beg.., p.7
Dashing Devil 5: Bold Beginnings, page 7
Boyd knew this was a trap, if not how. Because he didn’t know the nature of the trap, he also had no way to avoid setting it off. Deciding that the crafty kitsune would just have to be punished later, based on the nature of her trick, he could only reply, “That’s right, the Devoted keep our promises.”
Raev smiled at him for another moment before turning back to Laura, laid out on the bench before her. “See? I’ll keep my promise… now you just need to set your record. Come on, one more!”
“You better,” Laura growled as she began the lift that would set her new personal record. Her muscles flexed and strained through it and he saw her jaw set in effort.
“A bit more,” Raev offered as Laura struggled to push the bar up the last few inches that would make it a proper lift.
“You got this,” Boyd rumbled his own encouragement.
Laura groaned through the last inches until the bar clicked into place and the machine took the weight.
“That’s right, Ell, you showed that bar!” Raev cheered in her best impression of Silvie—who normally led the cheers when they were in the gym. She gained very little through regular lifting, so only bothered when Boyd got after her.
“Phew,” Laura brushed the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, panting as she regained her breath, “I thought I would never get past one-seventy-five.”
“Weren’t you at one-sixty-five at the beginning of the month?” Boyd asked with a chuckle. Adding twenty pounds to the bar over the course of a month was nothing to scoff at.
“Yeah, but Raev added forty pounds to her bar in the same time frame,” Laura grumbled as she sat up. Collecting her sports bottle, she took a long pull from it. “Ah,” she sighed after taking a few swallows with her head tilted back in a way that made her throat flex—though Boyd didn’t pay attention to that, of course.
She gave him a wink when done, then added, “and you have added literal tons to your PR, mister ‘not quite S-Rank’.”
“Yeah, but we cheat,” Raev laughed as she adjusted the machine for herself, setting it to three hundred and ten pounds. “I plateaued at three hundred for ages—a hundred pounds short for C-Ranked strength before getting Enhanced. My Enhancement shot me up to just over four hundred pounds, and then I added another twenty or so pounds for Tinker’s and then Mindy’s boosts.”
Boyd set the weight for his own machine and started strapping on the belt that would make the basic pull-up worth doing for someone capable of lifting not quite three hundred times their own body weight. He didn’t quite hear Laura’s reply to Raev, but the velvet chuckle his foxy-featured love made in response gave him a general idea what it had been about.
Instead of letting himself get distracted by the two beautiful women, he got to work. He’d started with a warm-up weight of thirty tons, and went through twenty super-slow reps. His regenerative Power made the need for traditional stretching almost obsolete; he saw barely measurable improvements to his gains when warming up in such a manner.
Just enough to justify doing them.
He felt Laura’s eyes on him as he went through the slow motions and failed to restrain the urge to flex a little extra and put on a show for her. At least he wasn’t arguing with himself anymore. Instead, such conflicts of will now showed through in subtler ways.
With his warmup done, Boyd set the weight to his new maintenance level of sixty-five tons and got to work. His usual focused state was no more difficult to find or maintain, now that he and his Gestalt were of one mind. The only change was that he now had the ability to let his eyes wander over his lovely companions while staying in the zone.
The downside to this new ability was that while he was focused on the next rep, he lost his focus on keeping his eyes away from places they didn’t belong. This meant he became an equal opportunity voyeur—and couldn’t help but notice the remarkable results Laura’s hard work had on her figure.
She obviously knew it, too. Shortly after he’d agreed to stop avoiding her, she’d figured out how to wait for him to enter workout mode before moving into his field of view to use a piece of equipment. If he wasn’t facing a piece of equipment, she moved into the open space he could see for calisthenics or yoga.
Today, Raev and Laura seemed to be working together. As he went through his pull-ups, bicep curls, triceps extensions, cable rows, dumbbell flys, shoulder presses, and lat pulldowns, he watched as the pair did similar upper body exercises. They looked a hell of a lot better doing so than he did, completing each exercise in tightly fitted and skin-exposing workout clothes.
Although, based on the lust that was slowly building in his foxy love—which he noted matched what he could occasionally see in Laura’s pale green eyes—the ladies might have disagreed with his assertion. It was something of a novel thought, and he found himself glancing at himself in the mirror from time to time to see what they were looking at.
Until very recently, Boyd had been completely unable to think of himself as attractive. He just didn’t see it. Oh, he had been told often enough, especially these last few years with Silvie. But Boyd had allowed the poison that had been fed him by his Mentor and others of similar ilk spoil the complimentary words.
As he continued his grueling workout—to include his lower body and tail—he couldn't help but steal glances at his reflection between looks at the curves and slopes of the gorgeous women that shared the gym. It was a sight that had once filled him with a profound sense of otherness, of monstrosity.
But things had changed, and so had he.
Boyd's Change, the transformation that had made what a normal boy went through in puberty the equivalent of a bad hair day, had given him the appearance of a demon from the depths of old earth’s myths and legends. Massive, crimson-lined leathery wings stretched out behind him during some exercises, and his long, spade-tipped tail snaked along the floor as if it had a mind of its own during others.
For most of his life, Boyd had been taught to distrust creatures like himself. Raised to be a Hero, he had been conditioned to see himself and other Changed as threats to society. But recent events had shattered those beliefs; he had come to accept his own true nature.
As he worked out in the brightly lit gym, accompanied by two gorgeous women making obvious, overt poses and movements to gain his attention, he further accepted a new simple truth—he was attractive. His reflection, despite its fearsome aspects, had also taken on an alluring quality. The perfect symmetry of his face and the aura of power he exuded combined to create a striking and strangely attractive figure.
Boyd could finally see how women might find him attractive. He wasn’t willing to go to the lengths Silvie and the other went to, of course. They liked to describe him as ‘ludicrously attractive.’ Even the normally stand-offish Daisy had said as much.
It wasn't vanity that directed such thoughts, but a newfound appreciation of himself. His slitted amber eyes held a depth and intensity that drew people in, and his imposing presence commanded attention. As he pushed himself through another set of reps, he began to understand that his Change had given him unique qualities that, while intimidating, were also undeniably magnetic.
Boyd couldn't help but smile at this realization, his elongated canines catching the overhead lights in the gym. It was a smile no longer tainted by self-doubt or self-loathing. He had come to embrace the power and allure that his Changed form had bestowed upon him.
He’d accepted that being different didn't make him a monster. In this world, where creatures of myth and legend walked among humans as Changed, Boyd had found his place. And it was a place he was finally beginning to accept—a place where he was not just a Hero, but also an attractive and intriguing figure.
This made accepting Laura’s obvious infatuation easier to understand and accept, even if he wasn’t ready to commit to a relationship with her. Maybe—eventually—he’d let things progress past a mutually held attraction. But it was not yet that time.
Chapter 6
As his workout wound down and he moved over to the small fridge with its selection of sports drinks and water, the pair of women openly eyeing him approached. Raev, like Boyd, didn’t sweat much—even during strenuous activity. Laura, however, was coated in a thin sheen that only added to her allure, especially with her brown hair slightly mussed like it was.
The combination summoned an image of what she might look like after a different, far more enjoyable, form of exertion that he had to shake his head to dismiss.
“Looking good, Big Guy,” Raev purred while he passed her the berry-flavored sports drink she favored a bit more than the others.
She slid passed the offered bottle to loop a hand around his neck and pulled herself up for a quick kiss before dropping back to her feet with a bounce. Raev brushed her fluffy tails across his front as she turned to step back to a more convenient conversational distance, taking her drink as she went.
“You’re looking amazing as always,” Boyd rumbled back as he retrieved a plain water for himself and another with a light peach flavoring for Laura, the trauma specialist’s preference.
“Thanks,” Laura smiled warmly as she accepted the bottle from him, instinct telling him the gesture meant a bit more to her than he’d intended it to. “I noticed you have perfect form when you lift, which is rare for people with Powered strength. Just how many hours have you spent in the gym? It’s like you enter a trance.”
“A hell of a lot,” Boyd rumbled with a smirk as he uncapped his water before taking a long pull that drained a third of it. Hydration, like most bodily needs, was pretty much a non-issue for him, but he got as thirsty as the next guy. “I bet you’ve spent thousands of hours in a gym, yourself, given your form. It was nearly perfect with very little room for improvement.”
“Oh?” Laura asked, brow raising along with the corners of her lips, “Was it my form you were watching so intently?”
“Parts of it, at least,” Boyd smirked right back, which caught his favorite trauma specialist off guard.
As she blinked her eyes at him he continued, “You tend to set your shoulders a little too tight together, which likely accounts for the way you tuck your elbows in just a bit too much. With a small adjustment, you’d reduce your post-workout fatigue.”
“Oh,” Laura seemed a bit disappointed at the direction he had taken the conversation.
Which was good, because it meant she wasn’t paying attention to the bullshit he spewed to cover for his slip-up. He had been far too distracted by her to notice if she tucked her elbows in too much today—though he had noticed it in the past, so it was a safe option.
“Thanks for the tip,” Laura said with a weak smile before sipping her peach-flavored water.
Boyd had to remind himself that he was not committed to bringing Laura into his family. She was certainly on the list if he determined it would grow further, which is likely why the flirty comment had slipped out. Being indecisive wasn’t good for anyone, but especially not for the woman in question; he’d have to be more careful.
“Speaking of tips,” Raev gave Boyd one of her grins that told him he was probably in trouble. “Laura has been asking about grappling techniques she could use against larger opponents. I told her you would help her out with that, standing in for me to practice with. She didn’t think you would be willing, but I told her you definitely would–given how much you promote a wide range of readiness training for all of us.”
Boyd arched an eyebrow at his kitsune, vowing that her tricks would not go unpunished, while looking for an out that wouldn’t contradict what he’d said before. He only had one, really, even if he knew it would be easily countered.
“I’m much stronger than anybody she should be training to grapple with.” He couldn’t help the smirk that crinkled his lips. “I’m also a fair bit bigger than anyone she is likely to encounter.”
“Yeah, but you can act like you only have D-Ranked strength,” Raev replied, as he knew she would. “It would make for good training. She does all right with me, even when I’m going all out. Come on, I promised her I would get you to do it if she set a new personal best earlier. You wouldn’t want to make me break a promise, would you?”
“You should be more careful about making promises that require other people’s participation,” Boyd grumbled, recognizing that he was just being stubborn at this point.
“I only promised to get you to do it,” Raev smirked. “I didn’t specify a timeframe. If not today, then soon. Besides, you are acting like this something more than self-defense training.”
Boyd glanced over to Laura who had been watching the byplay with amused interest. Her chest was rising in slow even breaths and he noted that her sports bra was something he might expect Silvie to wear. Combined with a pair of shorts that barely covered the curve of her ass, that outfit spelled trouble—especially with her impressive, sculpted physique and the glowing sheen of healthy sweat.
“What are you worried about, Boyd? It’s just training,” Laura said with a smirk in a slightly husky tone that did anything but assuage his concerns.
Still, Boyd was a professional. And, more importantly, had been raised around and trained with many gorgeous women all through his teens, back when he’d actively withdrawn from engaging with them. Arguably, he should have more self-control now than he’d had in those hormone-driven days—especially since he had several willing outlets for his energies.
He wasn’t so sure about that. As a teen, he’d been much tougher on himself when it came to such matters. Those willing outlets might have weakened his resolve, not strengthened it.
“Huh…” Raev let out a disappointed sigh, “I suppose I understand… given how hot Laura is. You probably couldn’t keep things professional. I get it.”
“Of course, I can,” Boyd replied firmly, mentally preparing himself as he set his water down.
He marched over to a cabinet that had a set of grappling gloves sized for him. Boyd kept his nails filed down, but the extra precaution just made sense. Plus, the thick material would make his job of keeping things professional while making sure a member of his support staff received self-defense training a tad bit easier.
“I’ll try to go easy on you, but it might be a good idea to wear some padding,” Boyd rumbled as he pulled the gloves on.
Laura prowled over to a cabinet not far down from his and pulled out a pair of fingerless gloves that would offer her wrists some support and little more. She smirked at him as she pulled them on. “These will do. I won’t worry about a few bruises, but the fact that neither Mindy nor Tinker have come into my ward has me pretty confident about your self-control.”
Boyd caught the wordless grumble that almost escaped him in his throat, turning it into a hum of confirmation. The padding would have made his job easier.
“I’ll get the room set up,” Raev called out as she trotted out the door and over to a panel outside the room that was most commonly used for yoga and other guided calisthenics they took turns leading.
Laura picked up her water bottle from where she’d set it on top of her cabinet and took another sip before capping it. She popped in a mouth guard, and sauntered after Raev.
Boyd regretted not taking the initiative as he struggled to pull his eyes from her firm rear in those tight shorts. He’d heard of but never seen a quarter. Suddenly, he wished they still made them so he could test an Old Earth phrase Royce had repeated a few times. He wondered how high it would bounce.
By the time they reached the smaller, mirror-walled room, the floor had changed out for something with a little extra padding. It wasn’t exactly cushiony, but it was soft enough to take some of the impact out of any falls, drops, or throws without affecting their footing. Laura and Boyd wasted no time moving out to a ring that was marked in the center of the room.
“Let’s start with the basics,” Raev said from off to the side. “Face each other and then Boyd, take an untrained wide swing you might expect from your normie-standard mugger. Laura, show him why he should take this seriously.”
Laura smirked at him as she adopted a solid ready stance, the same challenge he saw in Raev’s eyes glowed in her paler green orbs. She bounced on her toes a few times before nodding her readiness.
Boyd raised his fists in the classic bar brawler stance men with no training naturally took and looped the requested punch at Laura at a lazy pace.
The trauma specialist’s reaction was anything but lazy, and would have worked on anyone less trained or solid. Both hands snaked out to clasp his swinging wrist as it closed on her and she stepped inside his guard, moving forward to get some momentum before dropping her weight on his arm and swinging forward to drive her knee into his thigh before planting the firm rear he’d admired before into his hip and twisting into a throw.
Boyd was slow to react, as he’d limited himself to what a normie his size might do, and allowed her to roll his bulk over her back, surreptitiously assisting with a little leap. She disengaged, releasing his wrist as he flopped over onto his back. Instinct almost drove him to use the wings he’d curled tightly to his back and push himself back to his feet, but he fought the urge long enough to allow Laura a follow-up.
Scooting across the ground in a flash, she got her strong thighs locked around an arm and his neck in a solid hold. Again, he restricted the instinctual urge to twist his neck so he could bring his horns into play or to otherwise break the lock.
Instead, he rumbled, “Very good,” as she applied enough pressure to take any normal person out of play.
“Thanks,” Laura said as she released him and slid away before popping up to her feet. “I’ve taken up to the intermediate self-defense training for non-Powered, so I should be solid on the basics.”
Boyd performed his wing-assisted kip up and turned to face her with a nod, “Intermediate is more than the basics. What did you want to work on?”
“Up to what I can handle.” Laura shrugged before she shook her arms out. “Raev thinks I might do alright against someone on the lower end of D-Ranked strength, assuming they didn’t have any extra resistance.”
