Chris took one of the knives and copied Nikolas, nailing the third target. I hadn’t even seen him aim. Not to be outdone, Jordan held out her hand and Nikolas laid a knife in it. Her knife hit just inside the center ring of the second target.

“Show-offs.” I felt inadequate next to the three of them. Sure I was a good shot with the bow, but knives were a whole different matter.

Nikolas handed me a knife and I took it reluctantly. I must have made a face because he smiled. “It’s actually fun when you get the hang of it.”

I hefted the knife, trying to get a feel for it. Unlike my dagger, this knife was entirely silver to make it difficult for a vampire to pull it out. I couldn’t help but remember the first time I’d seen knives like this. Nikolas had thrown them at Eli to stop him from taking me from the alley in Portland.

Chris came to stand beside me. “Here, watch me.” He took a knife and slowly demonstrated how to position my body and where to hold the knife. He drew his arm back then swung it forward, more slowly this time, sending the knife into the target with a soft thunk. “Now you give it a go.”

I mimicked his movements, but the knife felt awkward in my hand, and I was sure I was going to slice my fingers off. Chris repositioned my hand on the knife, then stepped back and told me to throw. I did and the knife spun through the air and hit the ground a good five feet from the target.

“Not bad for your first throw,” Chris said as he went to collect my knife and those in the targets.

I snorted a laugh. “Not bad? I totally sucked.”

“You still have all your fingers and none of us are bleeding, so I’d call it a good start.” He walked back to me and held out one of the knives. “Want to go again?”

“If I say no, will you let me stop?”

He flashed his dimples. “We could always try the swords.”

“No thanks.” I took the knife and got into position again.

“Here, like this.” Jordan moved to stand beside me. Chris handed her a knife and she showed me how to hold it, explaining how it should feel in my grip. Then she slowly drew her arm back and swung it forward without releasing the knife so I could see the angle of her arm and the point at which she would release the weapon. She did that several times until I thought I understood the basic principles of knife throwing. Then she released the knife and it hit a few inches from the center.

“Do you need me to show you again?”

“No, I think I got it.” I lined up the target and threw my knife. It nicked the bottom of the target before it stuck into the ground.

“Much better.” Chris passed me another knife. This one actually stuck into the bottom of the target. So did the next four.

“How many do I have to throw?” I asked when Jordan went to collect the knives.

“We’ll stop when you can hit the second ring from the center,” Nikolas said.

Chris laughed. “We might be here a while.”

I punched Chris’s arm. “You’re family. Aren’t you supposed to be encouraging me or something?”

He snickered and jumped back out of my reach.

He was right, it did take a while. I threw dozens of times, and my arm was aching and my fingers hurt by the time I finally landed a knife in the elusive second ring. It wasn’t by chance either. It might have taken me a while to get a feel for the knives, but once I did, my aim improved. My next three knives hit the same ring. The fourth one nailed the center one. After that, every knife I threw hit home.

“Damn, you are lethal with those things,” Jordan exclaimed. “If you weren’t my BFF, I’d be totally jealous right now.” She cocked her head to one side and studied my target. “Who am I kidding? I am so jealous.”

Chris smiled broadly. “Cousin, if you are half as good with a sword, you are going to make one hell of a warrior.”

I flushed from their praise. “Let’s not get carried away.”

Nikolas hadn’t said anything, and I was nervous to look at him and see his expression. It surprised me how much I suddenly wanted his approval.

“Great work, Sara.”

The sincerity in his voice sent warmth through me. I turned to face him and the admiration in his eyes made my stomach do a little flip. If someone had told me a month ago that I’d react this way to a man’s approval, I would have laughed at them. But Nikolas wasn’t just any man. He was a fierce warrior and a strict trainer, and he did not throw his praise around lightly.

“Thanks.”

“We’ll add weapons to your daily training routine.”

I dared to hope. “Does that mean I don’t have to use the skipping rope anymore?”

“Nice try. We’ll start working out after this.”

The three of them laughed. I thought Jordan, at least, should’ve had compassion for me after her workout with Nikolas yesterday.

I barely made it through dinner that night without falling out of my chair. Nikolas had made up for the lost weeks and had put me through a grueling workout. I was pretty sure Chris had been right and a little payback was involved. After dinner, Jordan wanted to watch a movie, but I declined and dragged my aching body to bed. What I wouldn’t have given for thirty minutes in one of the healing baths they had at Westhorne. I was out as soon as my head touched the pillow.

Chapter 12

Over the next two weeks, my life became an endless cycle of training and more training. In the mornings, I worked with Aine, who made good on her promise to find some sick or injured creatures that needed my help. I healed a lame mustang in Wyoming, a blind terrier in Florida, and a sickly werecougar cub in Oregon. It amazed me how we could pop away from the estate and arrive in some place a thousand miles away. I loved being able to heal things again, especially since it no longer drained my power.