"I'm not a dog!" Ashley said, startled.
"Might as well be, Natural." Charles motioned her up.
Offended, she bit back another response, not wanting to end up Tasered for pissing off Charles and climbed to her feet. "I don't care if your vamps get killed out there," she said.
"You should. They'll be guarding your back."
The three vamps on the other side of their practice area glanced at one another.
"Yeah, they don't share your teamwork ethic," she said sarcastically.
"Jonny gave orders. If anyone fails to do his part, he gets disciplined," Charles was gazing at the three. "You don't have to like it. You just have to obey."
The hesitation in their features vanished fast.
"What does disciplined mean?" she asked quizzically.
"It means he kills them."
She glanced towards the vamps once more and swallowed the question at the tip of her tongue. It was one thing to know Jonny was a vamp, another to know he killed. Not at all certain how to grapple with what he had become, she turned her focus to the vamps.
"Pair up. Spar one another. The pair still on their feet at the end of this wins," Charles instructed.
"Come on, Natural," one of the vamps called to her gruffly.
Ashley went, troubled and tired.
By the end of her day with the vamps, she was ravenous and exhausted. Charles led her by the chain back to her bedroom and locked her in. On the nightstand beside the bed was another bag of fast food. She tore into it and wolfed everything down before taking a quick shower. A gym bag of clothing sat on the bottom of the bed. It was hers, and she sifted through it for her favorite leggings and t-shirt to change into after bathing.
Unable to recall the last time she'd been so worn down from a day of training, she braided her hair and sat down with a sigh. As with before, there was a knock at her door the moment she went still.
Charles opened it. "You're being summoned," he said curtly.
She didn't have to ask who was ordering her around, but she was more leery than before after learning how much Jonny's vamps feared disappointing him. She tugged on her shoes and watched in irritation as Charles picked up her chain again to lead her through the dorm where no one but her was staying.
He escorted her into a neighboring building, this one with larger rooms and more vamps. He led her to a small suite and opened the door for her.
Jonny had a mini-apartment with a living room area and kitchen. He also had a porch, and the open door caught her attention. She didn't know how far away the nearest Guardians or a cell phone was, but if she had half a shot to run, she'd be able to escape.