The Infernal Devices: Alternate Universe

Chapter Ten: Daggers

Will's P.O.V.

"I would sleep better if I had you."

I continue to look at the dark door for a few moments in hopes that Kathleen had heard my mumbled words that I spoke as she left. Much to my disappointment, she does not come back in.

I sigh and run my hand through my long black hair. It is getting far too long, I'm going to need to get Sophie to trim it.

Shaking my head at the simple issue, I turn my thoughts to the situation I was about to face with my beloved parabatai.

I had just gotten him yin fen on last week's eve. It usually takes him two weeks to use up all of the drug he gets. That means he has been taking twice as much twice as fast. But why?

I ponder this thought as I continue to pace across my dimly lit room. Not coming up with a valid reason why, I finally decide to sit down.

I look over at my worn and well loved copy of A Tale of Two Cities. I pick it up and flip to a part of it I have come to loved.

With the joy of my mind reading the passages, I fall into a state of peace.

----

I wake the next morning to find the book to the right of me on my soft mattress. I sit up and rest my face in my hands for a moment.

I finally stand up and look over to the wardrobe that holds my clothes. I am not in the mood to dress up, nor am I hungry. I decide to change into gear and head to the training room.

I walk into the training room to find Kathleen throwing daggers and my heart stills for a beat at the sight of her.

Her beautiful face was a calm sheet of freckled concentration as she attempted to throw a dagger at the target and missing the center by the slightest of margins.

I walk over and pick up a dagger quietly and move behind her slightly to the side.

I take a small breath and throw the dagger in one swift movement hitting the dead center of the target.

Kathleen gasps and stumbles into me in shock.

"Easy there, Leen," I say with a small chuckle.

She turns to face me; her hazel eyes wide. "You startled me!"

"My sincerest apologies," I say with light sarcasm and a small smirk.

She rolls her eyes and turns back to the target and picks up another dagger to throw again.

Before she does, I lightly place my left hand on her hip and reach my right arm forward to grab her wrist.

She tenses slightly but quickly relaxes. "Take a breath and keep your balance. When you throw release the knife at the last moment with a flick of your wrist," I say.

With this, I do the motion with her arm and she releases the dagger as I told her moments before. Her dagger hits the edge of the center.

I move back and say, "Now try it on your own."

She does exactly as a told her and hits the target again in the center. She does this a few more times before whirling around and hugging me around my waist.

With my heart thumping quickly, I look down at her and wrap my arms around her. She looks up at me her eyes filled with joy. "Thank you Will!"

"Of course," I say with a smile. I use all my will (no pun intended) to not lean down and kiss her.

She breaks away from me much sooner than I'd prefer.

We spend the next few hours working on my archery skills which fared much worse than her dagger throwing skills.