This Dark Wolf (Soul Bitten Shifter #1) - Everly Frost Page 0,40

my stance and posture, shifting my arms and feet until I’m in the position she thinks is best. Her hands are cool, but not as cold as I was expecting a vampire’s touch to feel.

“Knowing how to safely hold your weapon is just as important as knowing how to hit your target,” she says.

We have the whole place to ourselves. It’s still early morning, but even so, Iyana told Helen not to allow anyone else onto the gun range this morning. I guess she’s worried I might not stick to my lane.

“If you’re moving around a space carrying your handgun, hold it close to your chest like this,” Iyana says, continuing to demonstrate. “You need to be ready to fire at any moment, but you also need to maintain control of your firearm at all times. A trained killer will also be trained to disarm you.”

With a final look at me, she says, “Okay, you’re good. Take your first shot when you’re ready.”

She places a pair of earmuffs over my ears. Apparently, I’ll move on to silenced weapons eventually, but for now, I need to protect my ears.

I breathe out quietly, trying to center myself while Iyana steps back and pulls on her own earmuffs.

Taking aim—or at least what I’m hoping is a good aim—I squeeze the trigger like Iyana showed me.

The first bullet tears through the paper target at the end of the firing lane, leaving a ragged rip in the right-hand edge.

I’m way off target.

Adjusting my aim, I try again, this time tearing through the left-hand side of the target.

I empty the remaining thirteen rounds into the target before I lower the weapon, the corners of my mouth turning down as I survey my handiwork. It’s not so much “target practice” as the slaughter of every edge of the target, leaving the center frustratingly untouched.

I can feel Iyana’s disappointment burning across my back. I guess she hoped I’d be a quick study.

Placing the empty weapon carefully on the bench, I remove my earmuffs.

“Shake it off,” she says. “It’s your first day. Let’s keep at it for a while and then we’ll head upstairs to the gym.”

Twenty minutes later after making zero progress despite all of Iyana’s instructions, I bite my lip in defeat. I even managed to hit the targets in the neighboring lanes several times.

“That’s okay,” she says. “You just need practice.”

She’s far more gentle with my feelings than I was expecting her to be.

“Let’s try again tomorrow.” She inclines her head toward the door.

After showing me how to clean the pistol, she leads me back up the stairs. A single flight up, the corridor opens into a gym with a boxing ring at the closest end, weights on one side, and punching bags on the other. At the far end is an open area with wrestling mats leaning up against the wall.

Before she can say anything, I point to the boxing bags, needing to redeem myself.

She arches an eyebrow at me, as if she didn’t expect the bags to be my first choice.

When I go to choose a pair of boxing gloves from the ones hanging on the wall, I’m not surprised to find a pair in my size. Hidden House constantly adjusts itself to my needs. I strap my hands while Iyana leans against the wall. She’s already smiling, since it’s clear I know what I’m doing this time.

Taking up position and finding my balance, I jab the bag a few times to get a feel for its weight and density before I lay into it with a rapid combination of punches, dodging around the bag while it swings before I pound into it again.

Damn, it feels good to hit something knowing it won’t hit me back.

After keeping up a series of rapid combinations while I dance around the bag, I’m sweating through my shirt by the time I step back to find Iyana smiling at me. Tomorrow, I’m going to dig around in my closet for better workout clothes—hopefully a gym shirt and shorts to train in.

“That’s good, but can you kick?” Iyana asks.

I smirk, take a step back, and wallop the bag with my foot—high and fast where a man’s face would be.

“Okay,” she says, her smile broadening into a grin. “Now that I know what you’ve got, be prepared to work harder than you’ve ever worked before.”

By late morning, we’ve progressed to the mats and Iyana has tested my reflexes and identified weaknesses she wants me to work on. I’m not upset