Chapter 84: Hurt and Worried

River

His ribs ached, and the cut on his forehead was beginning to burn as sweat seeped into it, but River refused to let Ellie know that she had hurt him. They were almost a week into her training, and her kicks had gotten stronger. He was using the pads now, but sometimes, she was so fast, he didn't quite block her kicks fast enough. The cut on his forehead had come when she'd knocked him back into the trees and a wayward branch had dug into his skin.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Ellie asked, hardly even breathing heavily even though she'd been working out for nearly two hours now. "We can take a break."

"I'm fine," River insisted, not for the first time. "I'm just fine."

She didn't believe him; he could tell by her expression. But he refused to back down. He would wait for her to say she needed a breather and then he'd rest.

Ellie whirled around in a circle, kicking the pad with one leg and then the other. She was so quick, she was just a blur in the air. River had never been s