Page 30 of Maddie

Maddie slipped her backpack off, set it on the grass, and dug into it. When she stood again, a pistol rested in each of her hands, pointed directly at him. She looked between them, then up at him. “Do you have a preference?”

The fuck…?He’d never seen a gun in real life, and it instantly had him stepping back. “Where the hell did you get those?”

“There’s a seller in Scarlet who brings them back from the mortal world.” She held both out toward him. “So?”

“What?”

“Which would you like to use?”

His eyes widened. “Neither, thanks.”

Maddie shoved one of the pistols into his hand. “Don’t be a silly goose. How do you expect to enter werewolf territory without one? I have plenty of silver bullets, but we’ll practice with regular ones now. They’re easier to come by.”

“I don’t know, Maddie…” He gripped the weapon carefully, keeping his finger off the trigger. This would make going up against the werewolves much easier, though, so he’d just have to get over his reservations. “I’ve never shot a gun before.”

“That’s why we’repracticing,” she said as if it should’ve been obvious. “Look, it’s easy.”

Noah’s gaze lifted slowly—or at least it felt slow. He barely had time to see that she had raised her gun. In his direction. The boom reverberated through his skull as the bullet whizzed by his head, the sound extra loud to his immortal hearing. A wave of dizziness swept over him.

What the fuck? What the actualfuck?“Did you just shoot atme?”

“No, I shotpastyou.” Maddie lowered her arm and grinned. “My aim never fails.”

“Like I give a shit about your aim? What if I’d moved?” he shouted.

“Well,” she said, dragging the word out. “I suppose you’d heal then. Now it’s your turn.”

Noah shook the ringing from his ears, cursing his amplified hearing at the moment. “I don’t know how to shoot a fucking gun. It’s not like they were lying all over the place back home.”

“Don’t be a coward.” She bent down and set her pistol on the ground, then circled around behind him. “It’s simple.”

“I’m not a coward. A lesson is supposed to come with instructions though.” He’d much rather kill than be killed, but he didn’t want to accidentally shoot the wrong thing. Like Maddie, for example.

Maddie’s hand gently slipped down his arm from where she stood a little to the side behind him. “You don’t want to become a meal for the hungry beasties, do you?” Her hand reached his wrist and lifted his arm up. “Turn off the safety here,” she said, pointing to a small lever. “Now aim.” She steadied his arm, her fingers skimming his wrists, and her breasts brushed against his back. The contact sent an immediate heat straight to his cock, but he had to concentrate. This was important. So when Maddie’s warm breath skated along his arm, he squinted ahead at his target. “Put your finger on the trigger and—”

Noah curled his finger around the trigger as she spoke and the gun blasted. His arm jerked back, his body practically humming from the blast. “Oh my God,” he whispered, his heart pounding, a smile crossing his face. He hadn’t expected such a power rush to come from shooting a weapon.

“Well, you weren’t supposed to squeeze it yet,” Maddie said patiently.

Noah took a steadying breath and nodded. Shooting was the smartest option. Quicker for everyone involved. He scowled at the gun in his hand—if only he wasn’t a shit shot.

“Try again. Hit that tree over there.”

Noah lifted the weapon, attempted to line it up with the trunk a few yards away, and shot. The bullet blasted through the air and completely missed its target.

“No worries.” Maddie shrugged. “Werewolves will be bigger and closer.”

“I’m not sure that’s comforting,” he grumbled. If he couldn’t hit a target standing still, how did she expect him to hit one thatmoved?

“We’ve made enough noise for now. You can try again tomorrow.” Maddie took the gun from him and slid it into his backpack before skipping to retrieve her belongings. Pulling her key ring from a pocket in her skirt, she sang, “Come along, immortal.”

Noah rubbed his hands together as he plodded behind her up to the tree they’d raced to. He watched quietly as she slipped one of her keys into a crack in the bark. “What’s this?” he asked curiously.

“Our safe house for the night.”

With a single push, the side of the tree shifted inward, revealing a spiral staircase leading beneath the ground. Maddie ushered him inside. When he was three steps down, she came in behind him and shoved the door closed, locking them in the pine-scented safe house. He blinked twice to adjust to the darkness, but then everything was completely clear, thanks to his improved vampire vision. And by everything, he meant the smooth brown walls and matching wooden staircase.

“Go on,” she said.

---