Page 72 of Shadow

She threw the hatchet, and it missed its mark, making her let out a huff of air. I retrieved it for her.

“Like this,” I said, demonstrating how to hold the hatchet. “Remember what I showed you before? Bring your arm back. Keep your elbow in. There you go. Now throw.”

I watched her ax slam into the tree trunk she was aiming for. Asylum looked at me and nodded, a smirk on his lips. I grinned back and grabbed the ax for her.

I’d learned to throw things long ago in the Underground. One of the regulars was into it. Instead of feeling me up, he’d rent me out and teach me things. I had no idea why he did it, but I was grateful to him just the same. He taught me a lot, and since I never forgot anything, it has worked out in my favor.

I brought the ax back to Sirena, and we watched as she continued to slam it into the various targets we set up for her.

“Two-handed,” I said, getting behind her and helping her to hold the ax over her head. “Thumbs like this.” I demonstrated the thumb position for her. She nodded, and I handed it back to her.

She launched it into the tree trunk to Asylum’s growing smile.

She really was perfect.

We worked on it for several hours before she turned to us, her eyes bright and her nose red.

I watched Asylum tweak her nose.

“Want to fight?” he asked, raising his brows at her. “We can work on that stuff. I want you to be able to get out of tricky situations should they ever arise.”

She nodded eagerly, and that was all it took. Before long, they were knocking each other to the ground, grappling with one another, Asylum shouting instructions to her and demonstrating whenever he could.

I swapped out with him, demonstrating some of the skills I had, from disarming someone to applying pressure points that could bring people to their knees with just a thumb and two fingers. She was a natural.

“Damnit,” I shouted through a laugh as she brought me to my knees after disarming a stick from my hand with a move I’d taught her by simply grabbing and twisting at a pressure point.

She released me immediately, a triumphant smile on her face.

I let out a gasp of surprise when she tackled me, knocking me onto my back.

And then her lips were on mine, kissing me deeply in the snow. I kissed her back, losing myself in the moment as the sun set around us and the forest grew quieter.

Asylum didn’t try to interrupt. Instead, he took up a seat on one of the logs and sharpened her ax for her as she slid her tongue against mine.

“Fuck, what you’re doing to me,” I whispered against her lips between kisses. She answered by kissing me again.

I could get used to this.

And I hoped I got the damn chance because I was worth it. I just needed to keep proving myself.

* * *

It wasunlike the Watchers to have people in their house, but they were making exceptions because the place was lit up and music was pounding out. People were on the patio, laughing and drinking.

“Weird,” I murmured.

Sirena nodded, apparently thinking the same thing.

“We’ll make a few rounds. Not stay too long,” Asylum said as we stepped onto the crowded patio. Church had a patio heater going, so people weren’t freezing out there, and Ashes had a burning barrel in the yard where people were gathered around. Someone had built a snowman, and Winston Hall was making out with it. I’d seen that guy kissing trees before, too. I was sure he’d be fucking the damn snowman before the night was over.

Sirena gripped my hand, and I cast her a quick look as Asylum placed his hand on the small of her back. I’d heard the whispers and rumors on campus. Everyone thought she was done with the Watchers for good, and I’d gotten her with Asylum.

I ignored it for the most part, but my friends kept trying to get me to spill what it was like to beat the Watchers and steal their girl. Not that Sirena and I had gone public, but we were seen on campus with Asylum whenever we were out and about.

But the way she threaded her fingers through mine and her nearness let me know she didn’t care what anyone thought.

I was OK with that.

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