Afterlight - Elle Jasper [85]
I gave Phin a curious glance. “So my training is going to really be about becoming an expert knife thrower?” I asked.
He chuckled. “Sort of.” He glanced at me. “You’re going to have to learn how to aim, throw, and score while running, jumping, rolling, and flipping.” He grinned. “How’s that sound?”
I shrugged. “Almost as crazy as a family of vampires teaching a mortal how to kill vampires.”
His grin widened. “We’re not vampires. We’re creatures of the afterlight. We’re . . . special.”
So for the next several hours, I did a lot of watching and a lot of throwing of practice blades made of stainless steel. The pure silver blades, handcrafted in France and shipped to the House of Dupré, were to be used for the sole purpose of killing other vampires, and they were locked up.
“Okay. Your goal for the day is to simply try to hit the marks—the heart, of course—of the dummies, i.e., the Arcoses.” Luc sidled up beside me, placed a steel blade in my hand, closed his fingers over mine so that I’d grasp the short hilt, and then lifted my arm so that my hand rested directly behind my ear. “Like this,” he said. “Don’t let the blade loose until your arm is fully extended and pointing at your mark.”
“Got it,” I said, and did as he’d instructed. The blade flew across the room and landed square in the dummy’s forehead.
“Heart, Riley,” Phin said. “Aim for the heart.”
“I was,” I said, and everyone chuckled. An hour later, I finally hit the mark. I thought my arm would fall out of its socket, it was so sore.
Then Phin and Luc put me through a series of tests to gauge my existing fighting skills. That was one category where I efficiently proved myself. Of course, Phin and Luc were way stronger and faster than I’d ever be.
“You’re not even out of freaking breath,” I said, breathing hard, keeping my eyes fastened on Luc as he circled me, and waiting for the pounce.
“Cool, huh?” he said, grinning, his handsome face determinedly fixed on mine. “Vamp perk.”
I lifted a brow and inclined my head. “Where’d you get that headband?” I asked, noting the one keeping his long bangs from falling in his face. “The eighties?”
Luc’s expression darkened, and he lifted a hand to his band. “Hey, I—”
With a wide roundhouse kick, I knocked Luc’s feet out from under him and put him right onto his ass. I followed him down and straddled his middle. While his siblings laughed, Luc graciously accepted the fact that I’d gotten the best of him, and he laid there, sprawled out, arms spread wide in submission. “Nice move, mortal,” he said, then in one breathless move leapt up, flipped me, and had me flat on my back while he straddled me. He grinned. “Don’t hate the headband.”
He jumped up, bent over, and offered a hand up. I took it, then swept his legs with one solid kick and again had Luc on the mat.
“Dude, you might as well give up,” Phin said.
Luc glanced over at me and grinned. “You know I’m just fucking with you, right?” he said. “Building your esteem.”
I laughed. “Yeah, whatever.”
He rolled and got up, and this time I did let him help me stand. I wiped the sweat from my brow.
“You’re a pretty sick fighter,” Luc said, crossing his arms over his cut, bared chest. “But let’s add a few obstacles.”
I shrugged. “Okay, whatever you want.”
Luc grinned, and it made me shudder. That made him and Phin laugh.
When it came time to add in jumps and rolls and throwing blades while running? God, I needed practice. At least it would keep me busy, and part of my brain thought that was what the whole thing was about anyway: keeping my mind off of Seth. And Eli.
The real shocker came later that afternoon. “Hey, Luc, why don’t you and Phin be moving targets?” Josie said, smiling. “I think that would be wicked cool.”
I’m not sure why it took me by surprise, but it did, and I suppose the alarm was evident on my face.
“No, seriously—it’s fine,” Luc said, and flung