Page 31 of Marked

“Phaan,” he muttered and ran a hand through his dishevelled brown hair.

“Looks like I won’t need those additional shots, either,” I said.

“Let’s see if you can repeat that.” Ace raised his bow and fired at the target.

Another bull’s-eye.

Damn. He was good. And I didn’t detect any power humming in the air around him. He didn’t have the benefit of magic to help his arrows hit home, yet he was shooting as if he did.

My friend’s mouth dropped open in a perfect “o” as if she read my mind. We exchanged a look before I returned my attention to Ace and the targets.

Stepping to the line, I drew a new arrow. Ace leaned in, his body heating my back, his breath fanning the sensitive skin around my ear. “It’s okay to admit defeat.”

I lifted my foot and slammed my heel down on his boot.

He hissed and stepped back.

“I hope you remember those sage words when it comes time for you to cede.” I fired my shot. Wood splintered, the arrowhead piercing the target. My magic hummed around me, happy.

Ace cursed loudly as my arrow split his for a second time.

“What’s going on here?” a familiar voice asked.

“A friendly competition,” Sley called out.

Orion emerged from the path that led to my cabin. He’d bathed recently, his shirt clinging to his skin, and his damp blond hair curling around his ears.

“A competition,” I clarified again. Sure, I was being snarky, but Ace’s return to my life stirred up a lot of feelings.

Orion raised a brow and shifted his gaze to Ace. The two men considered one another in silence. Ace’s lip curled down as if he’d tasted something rotten and Orion squinted at Ace as if trying to figure out if he had symptoms of the plague.

“And this is your friend?” Orion asked.

“This is Actaeon. We grew up together, but he left Perga before you arrived. He’s recently returned as a hunter and the queen assigned me as his babysitter. He had the audacity to question my suitability for the role,” I explained.

Ace grumbled.

Sley whistled again. “Yeah, I guess there’s nothing friendly about this. Not with those fighting words.” She cast Ace a wary look.

Orion laughed. “I swear Queen Titania gets more ridiculous each year.”

“Are you insulting the Queen of Wast?” Ace asked.

“Me?” Orion placed his hand on his chest. “Never. Nice to meet you Actae?—”

“It’s Ace,” he said. “I go by Ace.”

“Of course, you do,” Orion said.

“What the phaan does that mean?” Ace asked.

Orion plastered a fake smile on his face and shrugged. “You look like an Ace.”

Ace scowled and stepped forward.

“Ace,” I interrupted before they both resorted to chest thumping. “This is Orion. Or Rye. He’s our local healer, and very good at what he does.” Basically, don’t piss him off.

Ace clamped his mouth shut, visibly thinking twice about whatever he’d planned to say next. Healers were rare and hard to come by and no one risked angering one.