Read Dawn of Darkness (Daeva, #1) for Free Online Page B

laughed.
    "Well, I
should head back home. Mom and Dad are probably freaking out by
now."
    "They'll
be pissed that you came anyway. You should stay a few more hours,"
Ash said. "I hardly get to see you these days."
    "Nah, I
got things to take care of for tomorrow." Graeme put an arm around
Ash and gave him a few taps to the back. "I'll tell Mom you said
'hi'. She'll be glad to know you're doing okay."
    "Yeah,
whatever," Ash grumbled.
    "It was
nice meeting you guys. Take care of my big bro, okay?" We shook
hands again and he left, waving as he passed out of
sight.
    Ash left
soon after, saying he needed a nap, leaving Lucas and I to head to
the cafeteria for lunch. I hadn't realised how hungry I was until
Lucas mentioned food. We parted ways afterwards, and I went back to
the dorms, stopping along the way to pick up two copies of the
incident report form, in case Ash had forgotten. He was already
fast asleep, so I changed out of my uniform and sat down at the
desk to fill out my report. Ash stirred a couple of times, mumbling
something I couldn't quite make out. Sleep-talking was common after
exhausting ourselves through the use of our abilities, especially
for Ash. It was as though he reacted to the emotions around him
even in sleep. I felt tired myself, so I decided on having a quick
power nap, and laid down on my bed, looking up at the
ceiling.
    *****
    When I
awoke, I noticed Ash was up and nowhere to be seen. Only the faint
glow of the street lamps illuminated the room. So much for a power
nap, I thought. The sound of the door opening and closing caught my
attention.
    "Look
who's finally up," Ash said. I sat up and wiped the gunk from the
corners of my eyes. Ash was out of breath and I saw the sweat
beading on his forehead. "I went for a jog to clear my head," he
said. "You up for a bit of sparring? I need a chance to really
vent."
    I was a
little frustrated too after the day's events, so I nodded and we
gathered up our things to head to the gym. There were only a few
others using the facilities when we arrived. We secured our items
in the locker room, and went out into the open hall. After doing
some stretches and a couple of laps around the place, we grabbed
some head guards from the storeroom. The sparring started off
light, but we quickly got into it. Ash had been kick-boxing since
he joined the academy. It had become more of a way to relieve
stress than an actual hobby. My interest in the sport only begun
after meeting Ash a little over a year ago. Since then, he had
taught me everything he knew.
    "That all
you got?" he taunted me, dodging another blow to the head. I
replied with a front kick, catching him off-guard. He let out a
gratifying grunt. His feet continued to dance every which way,
keeping me on my toes, but he was tiring. I could hear it in his
shallow breaths, and see it in his sluggish movements. He was
slowing down. I wasn't in much better condition. My heart beat
against my rib cage, and sweat poured from my brow and everywhere
else imaginable. Every muscle was beginning to ache, begging me to
stop, but my first victory was just within reach. A little more and
I would finally beat him.
    I willed
myself to keep going, barely blocking the flurry of punches aimed
at my head. I focused on his movements, biding my time as he wore
himself down, and waiting for an opening. I blocked a kick to my
side, and seeing my chance, lifted my right leg into a front kick.
Ash moved back out of reach, as I hoped he would. At the last
moment I faked out and moved into a roundhouse kick with my back
leg, aiming for his unprotected flank.
    For a
short while, time slowed almost to a halt. I could see him grinning
as he dropped to the floor, his leg sweeping mine out from under
me. Then I was falling and time resumed. I landed with a thud on
the mats, gasping for breath as the wind was knocked out of
me.
    "Man, I'm
exhausted." Ash was at my side, hunched over, fists resting on his
knees as he caught his breath. He ripped the