He didn't reply. He didn't even look at me. Just drove like... okay, I had to be fair. He drove like a NASCAR racer or something. Steele had mentioned Archer was the one who drove well in real life, but I’d sort of figured that meant he could parallel park like a champ. Not this.
But still. With my history of car crashes, I found myself flinching every time he took a corner too fast or overtook someone in a dangerous stretch of road.
"Breathe, Kate," he muttered at some point on the outskirts of Shadow Grove when I almost had a heart attack, thanks to the speed he was taking the turns. "I'm not going to crash. Just take a damn breath."
I was too freaked out to argue, I just did as I was told. In truth, I hadn't even realized I wasn't breathing until he’d pointed it out.
"Where are we going, Archer?" I asked in a shaking voice, attempting to distract myself from the vivid images of a thousand and one different crash scenarios playing through my mind.
He flicked a glance at me, his brow creased, but his speed eased off ever so slightly. "Shooting range," he replied in clipped tones. "It's time you learned to shoot properly."
Of all the things he could have said, I hadn't expected that.
"Why?"
His fingers flexed on the steering wheel. "Because you shot someone over the weekend, and it was damn lucky you didn't accidentally shoot your own foot off. Had you ever fired a gun before?"
I frowned, irritated at his tone. He was acting like I was some kind of incompetent moron, when I'd quite deliberately fired from about an inch away so I wouldn't miss.
"Of course not," I snapped. "When the fuck would the Princess of Shadow Grove have learned to shoot?"
He gave me a glance, and his lips twitched. "Nice to know you're claiming that crown."
Annoyance simmered in my belly, and I scowled. "Shut up, asshole."
"Don't be like that, Princess. Open communication is such a key aspect to a successful marriage, after all." The grin he shot me was pure mockery, and I refrained from punching him in the throat. The second he stopped the car, though, he was going down.
I just shook my head and stared out the window, at a total loss for words.
"You seem different," I commented after a few minutes of silence.
"How so?" he replied. He didn't even sound combative or suspicious. Just... curious. That was exactly what I’d meant.
I bit the inside of my lip, considering what the fuck I was going to say. "I don't know. You're just..." Less angry, more relaxed. Less infuriating and more... tolerable? "...different."
He shot me another quick glance but didn't say anything. We drove the rest of the way in total silence without even the distraction of music to detract from the tension filling the car and growing with every passing minute.
By the time he pulled to a stop in front of a shooting range set way up in the mountains behind Shadow Grove, I was practically clawing at my skin. It was safe to say I regretted commenting at all. Now that I'd pointed out how his attitude had changed, the tension between us was only getting worse.
I unbuckled my seat belt and climbed out of the car before he’d even shut off the engine, then hesitated in front of the entry doors to the range.
"Aren't you eager," Archer commented, pushing the door open and holding it for me to enter.
"Eager to get this over and done with," I snapped back at him. "I have better things to do with my day than suffer your infuriating presence, husband dearest."
He shot me a sharp glare as my heels clicked on the concrete floor of the shooting range’s front shop. "Yeah? Like trying to apply for an annulment? Good fucking luck, Princess. I take my business arrangements seriously and would never leave a loose thread like that hanging out." His tone was pure arrogance, but his face flashed with anger. He was probably just pissed that I would even try to screw him over.
I said nothing back, but silently thanked him for confirming my suspicion. An annulment would be a dead end. I knew it sounded too easy to work—regardless of legal grounds—and besides... I wanted to cut out a pound of D'Ath flesh when I regained my name.
The range seemed empty of other people, but the steady crack of gunshots clued me in to at least one other person there.
"Oh good, your instructor is here already," Archer commented, walking straight over to the door behind the cashier’s desk and opening the lock with a combination code.
I gave him a narrow-eyed glare. For some reason, I'd assumed he was teaching me. Not that I was objecting to someone else, but...
"You must be a pretty lousy shot if you're outsourcing that task," I muttered, then mentally berated myself for saying that much. What was wrong with me that I was disappointed?
Archer just huffed a laugh, leading the way through a door where the gunshots grew louder with every step. "I can admit when someone has superior skills. Meet your teacher for the day."
The dude in a black hoodie with his back to us popped off a few more shots at his target, then placed his gun down and turned to grin at me. His gray eyes swept over me from head to toe, and heat flared in his gaze.
"Hellcat, that's an interesting outfit for a shooting lesson."
I rolled my eyes. "I wasn't exactly given a chance to change. Caveman here grabbed me off the street and tossed me in his car."
Steele shot Archer an accusing glare, but he just shrugged in response.
"I guess I forgot my manners when I found my wife coming out of a meeting with Demi Timber." His tone was edged with sarcasm and anger, and that fun little vein throbbed in his temple.
Aw yeah, someone's ego was bruised. Suck it, bitch.
Steele's brows shot up, and he gave me a curious look. "That's the meeting Zane set up for you?"
I jerked a nod. "Yep."
Steele's unreadable gaze passed between Archer and I a couple of times, then he shook his head and sighed. "Alright, let's do this. Arch, fuck off and get us coffee."
I grinned at his casual dismissal of the big bad bastard, and Archer looked like he wanted to punch his friend in the face. Still, he didn't argue. With one last, all too lingering look at me, he stalked out of the gun range, letting the door slam closed heavily behind him.
Looking around, I didn't find Kody anywhere nearby, which seemed odd. I cocked a brow at Steele. "Where's the third stooge today?"
Steele flashed me a grin, stepping closer and placing his hands on my waist. "Getting us coffee. Proper coffee, not that sewer water Arch drinks."
I snickered a laugh. "Smart." Acting on instinct, I looped my arms around his neck and tugged the hood of his sweatshirt down. He wore a ball cap underneath, and it was an insanely sexy look on him. "So, you're going to teach me how to shoot, huh?"
A wicked smile crossed his lips. "I'm going to teach you all kinds of things, Hellcat. But we'll start with shooting today." His hands tightened on my waist, and his eyes burned with desire. "I can't wait to see you handling a gun in this outfit, by the way. Maybe I owe that surly bastard a thank you, after all."
Desperately fighting the grin that wanted to plaster across my face like a lovesick moron, I forced myself to step out of his grip. "Well let's do this, then. I'm excited to learn." I couldn't help myself, I shot him a suggestive look over my shoulder as I approached the area where he'd left his gun.