Page 127 of Fight or Flight
Jace’s demeanor is casual as he tilts his head to the side. “Why are you talking to me like you’re six foot five?” he asks ina mildly amused tone. “You’re a long way from the Shire, little guy.”
I roll my lips inward so I don’t bust out laughing. Mason isn’t short, but he’s shorter than both me and Jace, and his purple face tells me that Jace’s insult did exactly what he wanted it to.
“I never noticed before,” he continues, looking Mason up and down. “But it’s like you have an uppercase body, and a lowercase head.”
Mason splutters something and lunges at Jace, but stops when Jace pulls something metallic and shiny out of his pocket.
“You seem like the type to lose imaginary arguments in the shower,” Jace says, his tone casually cool as he flips open what I can now see is a butterfly knife and spins it around his fingers in a blur of glinting metal. “What do you think your odds are if you try me right now?”
“What the fuck?” Mason stumbles back a few paces, his eyes wide as he stares at the knife Jace is still spinning around like it’s a fidget toy.
“Are you ready to use your words like a big boy?” Jace transfers the knife to his other hand and spins it around in another complicated pattern that makes my entire body clench, and not from fear.
Why is that so hot?
“Or are you going to keep pissing me the fuck off?” His voice is darker now, and full of threat, as he stops spinning the knife and loosely holds it in his hand.
“You’re insane.” Mason’s eyes dart around like he’s looking for someone to come and save him.
“So they say.” Jace’s grin is as dark as his voice. “Now, are you going to be smart and walk the fuck away? Or am I going to get to have some fun introducing you to my friend here?” He emphasizes his threat by spinning the blade around in a complicated pattern that’s somehow even more impressive thanthe others. “And just an FYI, it’s been a while since I sharpened her, so the intro isn’t gonna be quick—or easy.”
Mason’s eyes flick between the crowd gathered around us and the knife, his mouth opening, and closing like a fish.
“Your call,” Jace says calmly and tosses the knife into the air.
The handles split apart as it twists, but he effortlessly catches one of them and moves right into another jaw-dropping spinning combo, never once taking his eyes off Mason.
What the fuck? How the hell did he learn to do that and still have all of his fingers?
Mason lets out a little squeak of terror, then spins on his heel and darts back through the dining room, shoving people aside in his haste to get away.
“Well, that was more disappointing than an unsalted pretzel,” Jace says ruefully and snaps his knife closed with a flick of his wrist.
I can only stare at him, my jaw hanging open like it’s been unhinged, as he slips his knife back into his pocket like he didn’t just scare the piss out of Mason by spinning it around like a serial killer.
The small crowd of people around us is murmuring quietly, but I’m too focused on Jace to pay any attention to them as he runs one hand through his hair to push it back from his face.
“Good talk,” he says, shooting me a secret smile.
I manage to close my mouth but can’t do much more than gape at his back as he slips into the dining room, the crowd parting for him like he can silently command them.
What the fuck just happened?
And why the fuck am I hard?
22
JACE
No one saysa word to me as I walk through the dining room, and I don’t hate the way they scramble out of my way as I head over to the table shoved into the back corner of the room.
I usually try not to let people see what I can do with a blade, but whatever. Mason needed to be taught a lesson, and he’s damn lucky I had to behave myself because there were so many witnesses around.
The table is laden with various types of booze and mixes, and I survey my choices before picking up a bottle of orange juice and pouring a healthy amount into a glass.
“Thanks,” Shane says, his voice gruff, as he comes to stand beside me.
“No worries.” I recap the juice and put the bottle back on the table. “I know it’s going to be a good night when I get a chance to show Betty off.”
