“There, see! You’re already a professional. But of course you are, because you’ve been taught by the best.” Danny yanked the knife out of the target and handed it back to me. “These will be a lot quicker to wield than those arrows you’re shooting. Arrows are great for long-distance targets, but the knives will be useful for close combat.”
It was a lot easier to wield the knives than it was to try and push the guys off of me. “Thanks, Danny. Hopefully I’ll never have to use these, but if I do, this helps.”
“Always keep one of the knives on you, in a concealed place nobody will take a look,” Danny said, and his voice turned serious. “It’s always good to have at least one hidden knife, so if they think they’ve taken all yer weapons, they haven’t. Then, when someone rolls on top of ye that ye don’t like, instead of trying to toss them off, ye just stab them like so, and keep stabby stab stabbin.”
“Where do you keep your secret knife?” I raised an eyebrow.
Danny’s fangs glistened as he laughed. “Right next to me cock.”
I wrinkled my nose. “No you don’t. You’re lying.”
“You’re always welcome to check.”
“Ugh. Go away,” Charlie growled.
I spared a quick glance at Charlie. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, acting like he wasn’t listening to us, but I knew he was. His expression was absolutely fuming.
Was he jealous of Danny? Or, more likely… jealous of the attention Danny was getting from me?
He couldn’t be more obvious about it. Oberi wagged his tail as if he thought it was funny.
I studied the knives again. “These are pretty useful. I should get myself a set.”
“Keep them, sweetheart. I’ve got more than enough extras. They aren’t even my main knives.” Danny gave me a wink alongside a dazzling fanged smile, and I rolled my eyes in annoyance. Danny flirted as a hobby and for no other reason. He could philander with a cactus if it never talked back.
We practiced drills for a few hours until I started to get tired. Danny had moved on to teaching Chancey the throwing knives, though the angel was clumsy with them and kept giving himself little cuts on his palms as he dropped the knives over and over.
“They’re too small for my big hands! I need a meatier weapon,” Chancey argued.
“I’ve got one for you if you’re willing to see red hair in a place you never have before,” Danny teased.
“You know I’m spoken for.” Chancey’s voice was rough, nearly on the edge.
“You and Ivy? They told me you’d broken up for good,” Danny said skeptically. Even he didn’t believe they were over.
“Doesn’t matter. Can’t get over them,” Chancey said. Danny let it drop.
I glanced at Charlie and gave a sigh. He was still leaning against the wall, ignoring the rest of us. “Yeah. Me, too,” I whispered quietly.
I rolled over to where Charlie was. “You can stop pouting now. Danny isn’t touching me.”
He couldn’t suppress a bitter smile, shaking his head. “I can’t tell you what to do, and I don’t want to.”
I knew what he was trying to pull, and his attempt at pretending to not give a fuck was pitifully obvious. “I’m not into red-headed men who speak exclusively in sarcasm and sexual innuendos."
“A pity for you, dear. I’m dashing,” Danny called across the training arena. His vampire hearing had allowed him to overhear, but I didn’t care. Danny and I were just friends, and we knew that, but apparently, Charlie had convinced himself otherwise.
Charlie scoffed. “Yeah? And who is your type?”
Nobody but you. My heart whispered the words quietly, but the words that came out were, “I’m never getting married again if this doesn’t work out, actually, so consider me permanently off the market.”
The confession dawned on him slowly, softening him up. “You really mean that?”
“That’s what I said. You’ve ruined everyone else for me, thanks.” I grabbed my wheels and turned around, heading for the exit.
He didn’t mean for me to hear him, but I did anyway as he whispered, “I’m not getting married to anyone else, either. Nobody compares to you.”
My heart ached when he said those words. One of Danny’s throwing knives could’ve pierced it, and the blade wouldn’t have struck as true to the core of me.
