Page 98 of The Gods Forbid

I nodded down at the arrows, silently asking permission to take one. Sebastian extended his hand in a sweeping motion, the universal signal for go for it.

I grabbed the arrow, surprised by how light it felt. I’d seen people do this before, so I knew the basic mechanics of it. I notched the arrow and settled my fingers over the bowstring. I pulled my elbow back quickly, barely thinking about my movements.

This wasn’t going to be pretty, might as well get it over with faster.

The only problem was that when I released my hand and sent the arrow flying, it landed directly in the center of a target, one that was so far away it wasn’t nearly as marred as the ones closer.

My mouth fell open in a gape the second Sebastian asked, “Where did you learn how to do that?”

He sounded really angry.

I shrugged, even though I was equally mystified myself. “I don’t know. I’ve never shot an arrow before.”

“Well, fuck. You’re one of those.” Sebastian handed me another arrow, nodding with his chin to notch it.

I looked up at him, trying to ignore the jolt of electricity that shot up my arm once my hand made contact with the arrow. “One of what?”

“There are some people who don’t need to be taught. They just naturally feel the balance and know that the bow does most of the work if you don’t fight it.”

“Huh,” I said, pulling the bowstring back. I understood what he meant. I could feel right where it needed to go, my muscles lining up to follow. I didn’t fight it. I released my hand and the arrow flew through the air.

For a second, I thought that it had disappeared. Then I blinked and realized that I’d simply cut the first arrow in half with the second.

I turned to see Sebastian’s reaction, but moved too fast and caught my foot on a stray root. I stumbled directly into his hard chest, which would have been lucky in any other situation than the one where I was trying to keep some serious distance between us so my mind stayed clear.

Sebastian’s hands folded around my upper arms, steadying me as I straightened. The proximity caused me to scrape against his front, our clothes sliding together.

“You alright?” Sebastian asked, the words rougher than normal. Or maybe it just sounded different when his mouth was inches away from mine.

“Yes,” I said, staring directly at his lips. I forced my eyes back up to his, though that didn’t feel any better. “I split that first arrow.”

Sebastian grinned, looking over my shoulder. “That you did, love. Good job.”

My skin warmed under the praise, the feeling pooling where Sebastian’s hands were circling my arms. I felt his thumbs make a pass over my skin, and I prayed it didn’t pebble in response.

Sebastian looked back down at me, his gaze sliding from my forehead down to my chin. It lingered somewhere between my nose and chin, but before I could think about that any further, I lost the battle with myself and let my eyes fall back to his lips.

It would be really easy to kiss him. I wouldn’t really have to move that far. I wanted to. I really, really wanted to.

I breathed in, trying to regain some composure, but my mind didn’t bend. It was halfway to convincing itself that not only could I kiss him, I should.

My hand tightened over the bow, pressing into the wood. That was what did it, what snapped me out of it. The reminder of what this was. That I was the silly one for developing feel—an attraction towards him.

I would never forgive myself if I crossed that line. Even though I had never felt like any of this was work, almost to a concerning level, I didn’t know how he felt.

If he viewed me as his jailer and I tried to…

No, I wouldn’t even entertain that thought. I wouldn’t do that to him. I wouldn’t do that to me.

I stepped away from him, nearly whimpering when his hands fell to his sides. He took his own step back, nodding at the sleeve of arrows. “How about a little healthy competition?” he asked, through a voice that sounded a touch too hoarse.

“What’s the prize?” I asked, forcing a smile to my face.

Sebastian’s eyes went mischievous. Oh, no. “A favor.”

“That is incredibly broad,” I argued.

“Scared?” Sebastian shot back.