Portal (Nina Decker) Read Online Free Page B

pulled with my shoulders, back and arms but it still wasn’t enough. I grunted and strained. Sweat beaded on my brow. The string cut into my fingers. Finally I let it drop.
    “It’s too hard,” I said.
    Severin calmly picked it off the ground and handed it back to me. “You’re pulling with the wrong muscles.” He reached out and with the tips of his first three fingers to touch the center of my stomach. “Use what’s in here.”
    I felt another burst of warmth from inside me. But this was only half desire. The other half was my fae body awakening. I felt uncomfortable. This was a part of myself I’d always kept under wraps. I had spent my life avoiding my faerie half. I didn’t want to be labeled as a freak. I didn’t want to be carted away from my father and thrown into some government laboratory. And I didn’t want to admit that my mother was some dark fae princess.
    “I don’t want to,” I said.
    “You may not have a choice. This bow isn’t for me. I already have a weapon. I just have to let it out of its cage.”
    Severin snarled a bit. His canines extended and then retracted.
    “Your mother was a high fae,” he went on.
    “Thanks for reminding me.”
    “You have power in you, Nina. And I’ll bet this bow was created to work with that power.”
    I closed my eyes and pulled again on the bow string. Warmth blossomed inside me. The bow string pulled back slightly. It was easy this time.  But that energy inside made me uncomfortable. I forced it back down again. After all the years of hiding who I was, trying to deny my parentage, it wasn’t easy to just stop and let it all out.
    “You’re not really trying,” Severin muttered.
    He was right. But still the tone of his voice triggered my anger. Had it been anyone else I would have shrugged it off. There had been one time when I had let the fae in me out. That was when Severin had provoked me. For better or worse the alpha werewolf was under my skin. He made me feel like no one else before. So he could irk me like no one else either.
    I wasn’t that mad but it was enough. A small fire ignited inside and it flowed into my hands. As I watched my arms pulled back the bow string. There was no effort this time. There was no tension in any part of my body.  It was easier to draw than my bow in college. It was like a child’s toy, the ones that fired foam darts.
    “You can do it,” Severin said.
    That was all I needed to see. My wings popped out of my back even though I still had several hours to go on my glamor. I gently let the bow flex back into position. The surging heat inside me dampened. It didn’t go away completely but that was probably because Severin was still there and he was still gorgeous. My anger at him changed to something else, fiery and passionate. But this wasn’t the time or the place.
    Still I watched his sinewy, taunt body closely as he retrieved the rest of the archery kit. I savored the arch of his body as he bent over to pull out a vinyl case.
    “Here’s the rest of the equipment,” Severin said.
    I snapped back to the task at hand and looked over the bow’s accessories. Severin give me a wicked smirk. He must have noticed me checking out his ass.
    I couldn’t be sure whether it was fae magic that was making me feel this way or if it was just because I had to think of Severin in order to tap into it. Either way I gave myself a mental cold shower and got down to business.
    “Let’s have a look at this stuff.”
    Most of it was pretty familiar to me. I took out the leather arm guard and glove.  The guard would protect my forearm from the bowstring. Supposedly a truly fine archer had a perfect draw and no need of the guard. I may have had fae power buried deep inside me but I had a sense I was going to need the guard unless I wanted a nice scar along my forearm.  The glove would protect my fingers as I nocked the arrows. Speaking of ammunition it came in a plastic quiver.  Inside I found wooden shafted projectiles