Page 119 of The First Spark
“Tighter. You don’t want someone to rip it out of your hand.”
Her knuckles turned white on the grip. He adjusted her thumb, and a jolt shocked his hand. Kalie shivered but didn’t pull away, and as a flush colored her cheeks, her shallow breaths sounded in his ears.
Zane surveyed the grip. It would do.
She turned, and it dawned on him how close they were.
Blood rushed to his face, and he turned. “We should fix your stance.”
“My stance?” she echoed, smiling wryly.
He let go of her hand and modeled a proper stance beside her. Her brows creased as she tried to copy it.
“Feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees, don’t lock them.”
She shifted, but it looked like a parody of the stance. Screw it. They didn’t have all day.
Telegraphing the move in advance so she had time to stop him, Zane stepped behind her. She tensed, but didn’t protest. Reaching over her shoulders, he curled his hands around hers. Her fingers were clammy on the grip of the pulser.
“Loosen up a bit,” Zane murmured. “Straighten your arms. There you go.”
He leaned forward, keeping his arms wrapped around her, and she bent towards the pulser. The scent of cherries wafted off her warm body. He inhaled the intoxicating aroma, and all thoughts fled his mind except for how right this felt. Her soft hands, her silky hair brushing his cheek, their bodies pressed together, their breaths fluttering in sync.
“Should I pull the trigger?”
“Not yet,” he whispered.
Kalie chuckled. “My father would have you beheaded if he saw this.”
Zane stepped back and forced himself to snort, but he wasn’t entirely sure she was joking. “Tell him to wait until after you learn to defend yourself.”
She bit her lip, and her gaze flickered to the ground. He could’ve sworn the sparkle in her eyes dimmed.
A bird soared overhead, hooting and hollering, and a warm breeze ruffled her golden curls. With trees lining either side of the field and rocks jutting out between blades of grass, the range looked like Dali. But despite the sunlight and scenery, the air seemed heavy between them.
Kalie seemed to sense the weight in the air, too. She hadn’t looked at him since he stepped away.
Clearing his throat, he pointed at the target. “Line up the sights. Focus on the front. Take a deep breath in, and fire on the exhale.”
The tinny shriek of a pulser rang out. The shot missed the target.
Her chest rose, and as it fell, she tapped the trigger again.
The stunner struck the target’s outer ring.
As Zane grinned, Kalie gasped, pressing her hand to her chest. She twisted around to face him, and her lips curved into a stunned smile.
“Did you see?—”
Her holocomm beeped. She tugged out the chirping device, still beaming.
“That was good.” Zane stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I mean, you were nowhere near the bullseye…”
Kalie didn’t rise to the bait, and he trailed off as her brows pulled together. An article’s translucent projection appeared over the comm, rippling in the air. Her face whitened.
Frowning, Zane peered at the article—then his eyes widened. “What the hell?”
In bold letters, the headline read:
