Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
Halley
Viper’s bag looked heavy for a reason. The Alpha brought a veritable arsenal with him for this training session. I’m not sure what he was expecting to teach a brand new beginner marksman, but I won’t question his teaching methods.
Gentle touches to my elbow, and caresses against my hands.
Apparently, I’ve taught myself some bad habits. Without a teacher, I did my best. I’m not upset that he’s pointing out my errors. In fact, I find myself repeating them so he’ll have to touch me to make adjustments.
The third time I shifted my finger to the trigger before I was ready to shoot, he huffed in amusement.
“Behave.” A deep, rumbling growl that had my panties dampening.
I shot him a cheeky, chastised grin and said in my huskiest voice, “Yes, Alpha.”
The amused look melts off his face, replaced with a burning intensity.
The undercurrent of attraction crackles between us.
Viper shakes his head, clears his throat, and jerks his chin back towards the target.
After working with the rifle, we moved on to a few different handguns. Viper even takes out the most badass handgun I’ve ever laid my hands on. It’s far too powerful for me, the kickback almost making me trip backwards if it weren’t for Viper’s steadying hand on the small of my back.
Finally, he pulls an enormous gun from the bag. It’s almost the length of my body.
I gape, impressed. I’ve never seen a sniper rifle up close.
He motions for me to follow him, and I scramble behind as he walks away from the target further down the ravine. When I think he should stop, he keeps going. When he eventually stops and sets up the rifle on the ground, I can barely see the target. It’s a tiny square in the distance.
He lays down behind the rifle and looks up at me, waiting.
Catching his drift, I lay down on my stomach beside him. I crawl up to the gun, propped on my elbows. The cold bite of the dirt seeps into my clothes and the smell of the soil rises around us.
Viper reaches over me to adjust the weapon until it’s nestled into my right shoulder. It’s heavy.
I squirm as he presses his palm to the small of my back. The weight is reassuring, but very distracting.
“You ready?” he asks.
I nod, licking my dry lips.
I have to admit, the distance between the rifle and the target makes me a little nervous.
“You’ve never shot long distance?” he whispers, like he’s afraid to disturb the silence stretching around us.
“No.” I’ve never shot at anything more than 110 yards.
“It’s a different skill.”
I look down the scope, and am momentarily disoriented by the magnification. Carefully, I line up the target until it’s as if it’s right in front of me.
Viper’s body is a wall of warmth at my side, and I have to force myself not to get distracted.
“It’s not as satisfying.”
“How so?”
“I prefer to be with my team.”
“And being a sniper means you’re not in the fight with them?”
“It’s not the same.”
Silence stretches around us as I get used to the weight and feel of the gun.
When he speaks, it’s rough and raw. “I have to stay out of the fray. To keep myself and others safe.”
“Blood Lust,” I breathe, not looking at him, so he doesn’t feel pressured by the conversation.
He’s opening up to me and it feels so very fragile.
It must be tough to live with the disease.
A constant threat of insanity hovering over your head.
“I get it. You want to be on the ground, fighting with your brothers.”
He’s quiet for so long, I think he’s not going to reply. But eventually he does. “It’s a choice. Stay away or go insane.”
I hum and line up the sights.
“I’m haunted by the things I’ve done when I lose control. I’ve hurt people.”
“It’s not your fault.”
He sighs, long and suffering. “It’s not so simple, but for the first time in a while, I have hope.”
I stay quiet, waiting for him to fill in the silence.
“You put the monster back to sleep, Halley.”
I squeeze the trigger.
My first few shots are awful, kicking up dust at the base of the rock wall.
Viper slips onto his belly next to me, his body pressing into mine. I’m worried it will pull my focus, but instead, it soothes me.
“Okay, now that you’ve got a feel for the gun, would you like a lesson?”
“Yes, LT,” I say with a far too breathy voice.
His eyes narrow, but the smallest smirk teases at his lips.
“I told you to behave.” His low tone rumbles around me, the threat leaving me warm and tingly.
I bite my lip to stop myself from smiling.
“Will you trust me?” he asks hesitantly, like he’s afraid of my answer.
I nod.
“Close your eyes, Halley.”
I obey without hesitation, and he exhales with relief.
I trust the big Alpha.
“Now focus, Halley. Tell me what you can hear.”
I wait a moment and strain my enhanced hearing. I rarely use it, and it’s like stretching a stiff muscle.
“The wind in the trees.”
“Good. Now feel the wind on your skin. What direction is it moving in? How hard is it blowing?”
“It’s coming from the left. It’s a gentle breeze.”
“That’s good, Halley. Now open your eyes.”
The world is sharper, clearer, brighter. Like the veil has been lifted, and all the colors and smells are more vivid.
“Line it up for me?”
I press my eye to the scope, closing the other.
“Your eyes will lead you, but let your other senses guide you. You have heightened senses for a reason. Make the adjustments for the wind.”
I see the leaves dancing on their branches, rustling as they brush against each other. I focus on the target and adjust my aim to allow for the interference. The sounds and smells disappear until it’s just the target. My ears ring, and the world fades into the background.
“Breathe with me.”
I synchronize my breath with his, inhaling and exhaling at the same pace, completely in tune with each other. He does it four times before holding his breath. I hold it with him.
“Make the shot.”
A loud bang resonates, echoing down the valley, and my bullet hits the target, just one inch from the red center.
A broad grin breaks out, and I squeal with delight. I did it!
I turn to face Viper, and he’s looking at me with such intense pride that I can’t help but lean forward and press my lips to his.
He stays rock still. Not moving, but his lips quiver beneath mine. I pull back almost immediately, but the damage has been done. The sparks that burst beneath my skin have already made their home in my soul.
The look of shock and confusion on Viper’s face sends a spike of anxiety through my chest.
What have I done?
He clears his throat. His ears have gone a deep red, and he shifts his hips against the ground. If I were allowing myself to think naughty thoughts, I’d think he was grinding his cock, seeking relief from a straining hard on. But I’m not. Thinking about his cock, that is.
I look down at the dirt, watching it puff in the air from my exhale. “I, uh, sorry. I’m not sure what came over me. I was excited.”
He grunts and refuses to make eye contact.
“That was a good shot, but you can do better.”
Right. Straight back to business. It’s all about the professionalism with these guys.
I follow his lead and ignore the full body tingles rippling through me. He didn’t kiss me back, and it’s already one of the best kisses of my life, behind what we did in the ICU, that is.
I press my eye back to the scope and adjust my hips, pulling my knee up to stabilize my body. I feel weak and fluttery, like I might float away on the breeze.
“Feel the gun. You’re joined. The same. The bullet is an extension of you. Put it exactly where you want it.”
Frack. My pussy throbs. Does he hear how those words sound?
Despite the raging sexual tension between Viper and I, my shots improve rapidly.
This time, when I hit my mark perfectly, Viper growls beside me with satisfaction.
“Good girl,” he says just as I squeeze the trigger for my next shot.
I completely miss the mark. The rock shrapnel sprays in a dramatic and chaotic fashion.
I turn to pin him with a glare, but he doesn’t look at me.
I narrow my eyes. He did that on purpose, I swear.
“Hmm,” he intones as he looks down a pair of binoculars at my missed shot. There is a hint of a smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
I huff. And he tells me to behave!
I hit the bullseye the next three rounds to prove a point.
He raises an eyebrow in praise, and it’s enough to make me perfume.
“Where did you learn to shoot?”
He’s methodically packing his large duffle bag, placing each gun in a protective case with careful movements. I’m struck by the almost reverent way he handles the equipment. I suppose when your life depends on your gun, you make damn sure it’s in tiptop shape.
I shrug. “Picked it up as a hobby.”
He pauses, considering that information.
“Do you have a hobby, Viper?”
He doesn’t respond.
“Okay then, how about this, what’s your favorite food?”
“Anything.”
“Favorite color?”
“Don’t have one.”
I scoff, handing him a magazine laying on a rock. “You have to have a favorite color, everyone does. It’s the same as your favorite flavor; they’re the two things we’re most wired to have an opinion on.”
“I don’t have a favorite color.”
“Oh come on. Just pick one!”
“Fine,” he sighs, like he’s long suffering, and turns to look at me. He studies my features with a burning intensity for a moment longer than polite. “Purple.”
My brain stutters.
“Purple?”
“Yeah. That’s my favorite color.”
He turns back to his task.
My eyes are purple. Did he… does he…? Is he flirting with me? I suppose, in his own odd Viper way, he has been all day. Teasing gently, almost like it’s an accident when he gets a reaction from me.
I clear my throat and busy myself with tightening my laces, preparing for the uphill hike back to camp. When I’m done, I rise to help him zip up the duffle bag. I hold the bag closed, keeping the strain off the zipper, and Viper pulls the zipper one tooth at a time until it’s closed.
“I guess it is a good color. But if I’m being honest, I’m really feeling green right now.”
I glance up and he’s staring directly at me, his eyes shining green. The corner of his mouth quirked in a half grin.
“Yeah. Green’s feeling you too, pretty girl.”
We walk back to camp, side by side, bumping shoulders occasionally.