My heart skipped a beat at the sight of his long hair pulled back in a strap at the nape of his neck, his loose shirt with rolled-up sleeves, that familiar necklace swinging against a smattering of dark chest hair. The very top of a red, jagged line peeked out, and I remembered how my claw marks felt beneath his shirt.
“How long have you been standing there?” I asked.
“Long enough to see you mutilate island property.” He motioned to the wrecked tree trunk.
“Well, I didn’t like the way it looked at me.”
He chuckled, that deep rumble sending waves of heat across my skin. “I think you’ve taught it its lesson.” He glanced down at the bow resting on the boulder off to the side. “Are you as adept with this as you are with your daggers?”
I smothered the sly grin that started to work itself onto my face.This could be fun.
I shrugged. “I’m not sure. It’s pretty new for me. I figured I should learn since they’re sendingme on this Hunt tomorrow.”
He frowned. “A what?”
“Some top-secret mission where I have to kill a wild stag, or my family is cursed for all eternity,” I said dramatically, then winced. “Probably too soon for jokes like that, in hindsight. Hector just got done telling me about it. Tomorrow morning, they’ll leave me in the eastern jungles until I can find and kill the island blood stag.”
“You’ll be alone?” he asked, his frown deepening. I nodded. “Are you sure that’s the best idea? Someone is still trying to kill you.”
“And we left them on the mainland,” I said. “Nobody else came aboard our ship, and you have the docks being watched for any newcomers, remember? There’s been nothing suspicious in over three days.”
He took another step, and I had to look up to meet his gaze. “I still don’t like the idea of nobody being there to protect you.”
“I think I can handle it,” I murmured.
“I know you can. But I wish you didn’t always have to.” He held my stare, and after a heavy moment passed, he looked at the bow. “Do you need help?”
I bit the inside of my cheek to suppress a smile. I nodded, blinking up at him with wide, innocent eyes. I could practically see his spine straighten and his chest broaden with masculine pride as he reached down to pick up the weapon, then led me to the center of the clearing.
Men. They were too easy.
I followed him, letting him position me with my feet shoulder-width apart. “You want a solid base,” he said, then tapped my feet with the tip of his shoe. “Point your toes slightly out for better balance, but keep your hips and shoulders facing your target.” His hands fell to my waist, gently guiding them forward. My breath hitched when his thumb slipped beneath the edge of my shirt, his skin grazing the ridge above my hip bone.
“Good,” he murmured. My eyes met his, and the whisper of wind through the trees and birds chirping in the distance grewfaint. I licked my lips, my mouth suddenly dry, and his gaze latched onto the motion.
“What now?” I asked softly.
His eyes lingered on mine a moment longer before he backed away, knelt to grab the bow, and stepped behind me. “You favor your right hand, yes?” he asked, and I nodded. “Then take the bow like this”—he placed it in my left hand—“and hold the grip here. Make sure your hand is relaxed.”
He stood with his chest to my back as he reached out and covered my left hand with his, those corded arms flexing at the motion. His quiet words brushed along my neck, making the hair there rise. The heat left me for a moment when he bent down to pick up an arrow and nocked it onto the bowstring.
“Draw the string back like this as far as you can go,” he said, leaning in closer. Warm lips skimmed my ear as I pulled the bowstring back. His other hand wrapped around my elbow and carefully lowered it. All I could feel was his body pressed to mine, his warmth seeping into my back.
“How does that feel?” he asked in a whisper.
“Perfect,” I breathed out.
“Then let go, Empress.”
At the last moment, I shifted my aim ever so slightly and released the string, watching as the arrow embedded itself into a tree to the left of the red target.
“Oops,” I said.
He chuckled. “No, that was good. Let me go get it, and we can try again.”
He strode off toward the line of trees, and I let out a breath to clear my head. I quickly grabbed another arrow from the quiver, nocked it, and closed my left eye, steadying my breaths. Muscle memory from all those nights spent practicing came back to me as I smirked.
I pulled back the string and let it fly.
