Page 38 of Marked

“Is that so?”

“I am assuming you can take direction,” I shrugged. “Or maybe I’m wrong and all that shooting skill will go to waste. Time will tell.”

Ace snorted. “I can take direction, Mouse. Just tell me what you want.”

My cheeks warmed. He didn’t mean that to sound like an innuendo. Why would he? But it placed my mind in the gutter anyway because, apparently, I wasn’t done acting like an angsty teenager.

“I want you to forget your sight right now,” I said.

“With this view?”

I stopped in my tracks, and Ace ran into me. He bounced back before I spun around.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“What?”

“Are you…flirting with me?”

He scoffed, his lip curling up. “How much did you drink tonight?”

I narrowed my eyes.

“No, Mouse. I wouldn’t dream of trying to flirt with you.”

“Good,” I said over my shoulder. “Now focus on the path. The key to moving through the Danu Forest is to embrace your senses. Get a feel of the wind and the crunch of your boots on the dirt. Smell the pine and the decaying berries. They all paint a picture of the area and then you let the moonlight fill in the details, the cracks. We rely too much on our sight and not enough on our other senses. Hunting at night places us on a more level playing field with the animals we hunt. It also allows us to become more like them, to move like them. This in turn helps us connect with the very things we hunt.”

“Which is? Only the big predators are out at night.”

I scoffed. “And why is that? They’re hunting too.” I glanced over my shoulder to see Ace snap his head back, gaze calculating. “This forest in particular is rife with night bunnies.”

“Night bunnies?” His mouth twitched. “Is that their official name?”

“Of course not. But who cares? They’re bunnies that come out at night.” I started walking again.

“I gathered as much from the name. Most rabbits are diurnal, not nocturnal. I’m just surprised. I don’t remember night bunnies on the menu when I was a teenager.”

He could be surprised as much as he wanted, it didn’t change that these bunnies had evolved to become more active at night—probably to avoid humans, which were the biggest source of predation during the day next to hawks.

“We’re coming up to the field where they usually roam,” I whispered. “So, ask your questions now. Once we get to the treeline, that pretty mouth of yours needs to stay shut.”

“You think my mouth is pretty?”

He knew it was. “Focus, Ace.”

Ace moved to stand beside me, his hulking frame blocking the moonlight and casting me in shadow. He jerked his head at the tree line and the field bathed in a silver glow. “What’s the plan?”

“We take only what we need. I am hunting tonight for myself and a few families.” I didn’t bother revealing my plan to trade the meat for new supplies to replace the stolen goods from the storage house. “I plan to take five, maybe six max. We’re downwind, so they won’t detect us unless you start stomping around again. Barring that, once the first bunny falls, they’ll scatter. We’ll shoot in unison. This guarantees us two kills if we shoot fast. More if we’re lucky. I like to keep this field nicely stocked and won’t be back for at least a month.”

“Are there other fields?”

I pulled my bow from my shoulders and smiled. “Of course.”

He mirrored my actions and followed me to the tree line. I pressed my finger to my lips. His gaze tracked the movement and he nodded.

Moonlight cascaded down on the open field and illuminated several bunnies in the tall grass. They blended in well, but not well enough when I knew where to look.

I pulled an arrow from my quiver and slowly stepped to the side to make room for Ace. He needed a clear view of the targets as well.