Page 67 of A House of Fangs & Deceit

“We have to find out what that symbol means so we can hopefully figure out what type of spell it’s used for,” I said, nodding as I took all this in. “Thank you for coming and providing us with this information, Vasili. Please let me or Alaric know if you need anything while you’re here. We have plenty of guest suites available.”

“Tha–thank you,” he stuttered. “I’d like to spend a little more time examining the body.”

“Of course.” I nodded again in thanks and then followed Vail and Nyx outside.

Before I could think better of it, I touched Vail’s arm, and he went still beneath my fingers. Slowly, he turned to face me, eyes flashing in anger before he covered up whatever he was feeling again.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” I murmured, keeping my voice low.

Nyx and Adrienne were close enough that they probably heard me, but they continued to converse as if they didn’t. I didn’t miss the slight stiffening of their shoulders, though.

“How I am,” Vail said in a low, dangerous tone, “is none of your concern.”

He stalked off without another word, and I watched him go, feeling a mix of anger and worry. He was right. Vail shouldn’t be my concern. The man wanted me dead.

Nyx cast me an unreadable expression before following after Vail. Then Adrienne walked over and stood beside me.

“One of our scouting pairs was attacked last night,” she said so quietly that I had to strain to hear the words. “Unrelated to the outpost attacks. Horned bears did it. They’ve expanded their territory farther than we realized. Neither of the scouts survived. Both of them had been trained by Vail.”

I watched as she moved off in the direction Vail and Nyx had gone without another word.

My heart ached for them. Anyone who signed up to be a ranger knew it was a dangerous position, but that didn’t make it any less painful when we lost one. Vail clearly didn’t want my sympathy or condolences, but I was glad he had his own unit to lean on.

Laughter across the courtyard pulled me out of my thoughts. When I looked over, I saw three rangers taking a break from training as they watched a man practicing archery on the targets along the back wall. With their back to me, I couldn’t tell who they were, but they were a terrible shot. Only one arrow had hit the target, while dozens of others lay scattered on the ground where they had bounced off of the wall.

The person swore loudly as they missed another shot, and the rangers laughed again, louder this time. The incredibly bad archer turned to glare at them.

Alaric.

I stood there in the center of the courtyard, debating whether I should leave or go and help him.

He probably wouldn’t want my help because he was a stubborn asshole. Just as I started to turn around, Alaric’s gaze fell on me, and I halted mid-step. He gripped the bow tighter, and his jaw was clenched equally hard. Honestly, I would be surprised if he didn’t crack a tooth.

His expression said that I was the last person he wanted to see witness his absolute failure at using a bow. So, of course, I grinned widely at him and swaggered over.

“Is there any reason why you’re pelting our poor wall with arrows?” I waved towards the target. “It’s okay to hit the target, you know. That’s actually why it’s there.”

“Thanks,” he ground out. “I didn’t realize that. I’ll be sure to hit it going forward. You can leave now.”

“I mean… Icouldleave…”

“Samara,” he drew my name out, and I realized that I kind of liked the sound of my name on his lips. Alaric’s voice was deep and smooth. It was a shame he was such a dick though, otherwise, I’d enjoy listening to him talk more.

I chuckled and held my hand out. Reluctantly, he handed over the bow, and I nudged him to the side with my hip.

“Your feet were too close together. Keep them shoulder-width apart.” I adjusted my stance to show him, and then I deliberately angled my front foot slightly. “I like to shoot with an open stance, but I would suggest starting with a neutral stance and keeping your feet perpendicular to where you’re aiming to start. Once you practice and get a little more comfortable, you can decide which one you prefer.”

I showed him the two different stances. He watched me shift my feet back and forth before giving me a slow, deliberate nod. Then I swiped an arrow out of the half-barrel in front ofme and raised the bow, nocking the arrow in one smooth motion.

“Don’t grip the bow so tightly. It will throw off your aim.” I drew my right arm back. “Keep your elbow slightly raised. You should be using your back muscles to draw. They’re stronger than your arm muscles, and you’ll need them if you need to hold the position.”

“Show me again?” he asked quietly.

I nodded and went through the motion a few more times. “I was too far away to see how you were breathing, but there are a couple of different ways you can go about it. You can hold your breath as soon as you start to draw the bow and then exhale once you’ve released the arrow.

“Or, and this is the way I prefer, you inhale as you raise the bow, and just as you start to draw, you exhale slowly and evenly. You should be exhaling the entire time.”

He frowned at me. “Shouldn’t you exhale when you release the string?”

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