Page 27 of A Kiss From Death
“Looks like more than one of us has superb aim. Your ear is making a mess. You better go clean that up before you dirty the place with your filth,” she spits back at me.
Sure enough, I feel the trickle of blood seep down my ear and drip onto my shoulder. I don’t give her the satisfaction of acknowledging the cut to my ear, tucking the pain away.
This kind of pain, I can deal with easily. It’s the pain that makes my heart feel like it’s ripped in two that I struggle to breathe through, the type of pain that haunts me not only in my dreams, but also while I’m awake, as constant and abundant as the air around me.
Swiping a glob of blood off my shoulder, I flick it at her. “Good thing I’ve been told red is my color.” I shoot her a venomous smile and strut past without a care in the world, bloody ear and all. Walking to the farthest target on the opposite side of the arena, I prepare myself to practice in peace. I need zero distractions from here on out if I want to win this thing.
Lining up in front of the stagnant target, I angle my body, brace my core, and plant my feet in a sturdy stance. I use my left arm to point at the center of the target and raise the blade above my head with my right arm, drawing it back. Taking one last peek at the target with my left arm still pointed, I close my eyes, draw in a deep breath, and fling the weapon forward, rotating my hips to add more strength.
Before I even get a chance to open my eyes, slow clapping echoes around the quiet corner I’m tucked in. “Impressive.” The words are whispered against the shell of my ear, sending chills down my spine.
In one, swift movement, I spin, kicking my leg out and knocking Aeron’s feet from under him in seconds. He lands with an umph on his ass, thoroughlycaught off guard.
“You should never sneak up on a Vagrant, Gavis.” I smirk at him and offer up my hand for help. He snakes his hand in mine and attempts to pull himself up. Just as he starts to lift his body off the ground, I use his arm to spin him around, pinning his arm behind his back and driving my knee into the center of his spine, pressing him harshly to the ground. Straddling his back, I lean down and whisper in his ear. “Lesson number two. Never trust a Vagrant.”
“If you wanted to get on top of me, all you had to do was ask,” he purrs.
“In your dreams, pretty boy.” I push off him and strut to retrieve my blade directly in the center of the bullseye, exactly where I knew it would be. By the time I’ve pulled the blade from the target, Aeron is back on his feet and annoyingly by my side again.
“I saw that little stunt Jade pulled earlier. That was quite the show. Let me know if you need me to step in next time and be your knight in shining armor.” His chest puffs up.
“I can take care of myself just fine, thank you.”
He softens his face just a smidge. “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should have to, Nyxi.”
I turn away from him. “I’ve been taking care of myself my whole life, and that’s not going to change now.”
He huffs to himself. “Fine. How about a partner then? Think of it as us having each other’s backs out there.”
I look him up and down; this is the first time I’ve seen him look sincere.
“You scratch my back, I scratch yours type of deal?” I raise my brows at him.
He looks at me like I’ve grown a third eye. “Is that some type of weird saying you guys use in Vagrant?”
Taking the opportunity, I pounce. “Aww, does that pea brain of yours lack in the vocabulary department?” I tease.
“Only while I’m staring at pretty women, it seems,” he replies smoothly.
Rolling my eyes, I spit on my hand and hold it up to him. “Shake on it, and you have yourself a deal,Command.”
“Did you just call me by my sector?”
“It’s very fitting, seeing as you like to command everyone around. I’m only sad I didn’t think of it sooner.” I narrow my eyes at him. “Now, do we have a deal or not?”
“Deal,Vagrant.” He spits on his hand and shakes mine, officially confirming my first alliance.
This deal better not come back to bite me in the ass, but for now, I need the pretty boy on my side to secure the public’s vote. I can already see all the women in Lunaria falling head over heels for prince charming. Having the little devil perched on my shoulder as a pawn is the perfect strategy. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to have a strong male on my side.
“Now, get out of my hair so I can get some practice in,” I scold.
“I just watched you hit a perfect bullseye with your eyes closed. I don’t think you need practice in that department.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “I don’t need practice in any department, but it doesn’t hurt to get the reps in.”
“What about shooting a bow?”
“Excellent; just ask Jade’s toe.”
