Page 14 of Unholy Tsar

I shoot him a glare. “Because I’m sick, and someone insisted I be here despite that,” I growl. His brows rise sharply.

Game on.

5

MAKSIM

I don’t believe for a second that she’s sick, but I still let out an interested, “Oh?”

“Yes, Uncle Maksim.” My niece jumps in, rolling her eyes in exasperation. “I tried to tell Vincent, but he wouldn’t listen.”

Because I told the man to do everything possible to make sure Cecilia came to class. I knew the little liar would try to find a way to avoid me after what happened last night. It seems my niece bought her lies.

“She looks better now. The drive must have done her a world of good,” I say mildly. Bree gives her friend a second look.

“You’re right. She has more color on her face now,” Bree agrees. “But she could have felt even better resting at home.”

“What am I even doing here?” Cecilia asks, crossing her arms over her chest with a glare.

“Bree needs a partner to practice her self-defense on—that’s where you come in.”

“Oh, but how could I when she’s sick?”

“That’s okay, Bree,” Cecilia chimes in. “You know, a little anger can be just as good as any medicine. I already feel way better. I can’t wait to let out some of this steam.” There’s a hint of aggression in her voice as she turns to me. “I’m sure you wouldn’t want me to hit your precious niece, though, so can I practice with you? You’re just who I need to hit–I mean, practice with.”

I can’t help but smile at her audacity, which only seems to infuriate her even more. “You’re mistaken, Cecilia. You won’t be practicing, but rather, practiced on. You’re nothing but a live dummy for my niece to use for her lessons.”

Cecilia’s whole face turns red with anger, and her body vibrates as if steam were about to puff out of her ears and nostrils like in a cartoon. So much temper.

My smile widens.

Bree glances between the two of us in confusion, probably wondering why we’re so hostile toward each other. “Easy, you two. We’re all friends here. Be nice.”

“I am always nice. The issue is your old man,” Cecilia growls and spins away from me to collapse into one of the chairs. I let her have the last word and gesture to Bree to take her seat as well.

When everyone’s settled, I turn to the projector I’ve set up with the help of Rian, and a life-sized image of my nephew appears. “Rian!” Bree pops off her seat with a grin.

“That’s right. He’s here in spirit,” I explain to my niece. “We thought it might help with the lectures.” She plops back down into her seat.

I pick up a cane I got just for this purpose and point it at Rian’s eyes. “First of all, if you girls ever come across a real threat, you go in with this knowledge; you have no chance against any man worth his salt.”

“What? Isn’t the purpose of this whole thing to be able to have a chance?” Cecilia asks sourly.

“Let me give you an example. Does a cube of ice have any chance with a brick? The answer is no. The brick outweighs the cube, making the fight an unfair one. All the brick has to do is hit the cube and it’s crushed.” My students watch me in hushed silence, and I nod, knowing they’ve gotten my point.

“In any fight with a man, you’re overpowered. But you’re not outwitted. By dint of a man’s strength, the fight is already an unfair one. So, you’re not going to fight fair. You won’t win. What you need to do is neutralize him. Once that’s done, you run as fast as you can toward help. Understood?”

I wait for their agreement before I continue. “Good. In this lesson, I’m going to show you some weak points to strike.” I point my cane at the eyes again. “The eyes of your opponent should be your primary target for two reasons. One, they’re easy to reach in any circumstance, whether it’s a standing fight or you’re being choked on the ground. The eyes are just right there. Two, by hurting your opponent in the eye, you have a high chance of blinding him, which will obviously give you the upper hand.”

I myself don’t fight dirty, but I’m not about to teach the girls to fight fairly. Any man who wants to grab them isn’t going to have any honor, so he doesn’t deserve a fair fight.

“Now, when I say go for the eyes, I don’t mean a puny punch or slap. You’re going to poke those fucking eyes with your fingers or any sharp objects you may have on your person. A bunch of keys. A knife. Anything. The goal is to blind your opponent, and that’s the most efficient way. You have to get it right in one go, otherwise, you’re fucked.”

They nod in understanding, and I point at the next spot. “Next is the nose.” I spend the next few hours showing them the many weak points that can be used to incapacitate a man. Thankfully, my audience is fully enraptured, making my work easy.

At one point, I call in one of the men from Bree’s security detail and use him to demonstrate. Then, I let the girls try him out—without hurting the poor chap, of course. Teaching them in theory alone won’t do them much good; they need to practice as well.

At first, they’re sloppy, but with more practice, their movements become quicker, more precise.