I saw the metallic glimmer of the knife blade as it spun end over end, hit the wall, and finally hit the floor with a mocking clank.
I cursed under my breath as I bent over to retrieve the knife for what seemed like the hundredth time. I'd been practicing throwing knifes for an eternity, and had yet to even come close to the target.
I walked back to my spot, knife in hand. I was fuming. How was I supposed to become a Shadowhunter if I can't even hit a stupid, immobile target?
I gripped the knife like a dart, blowing a particularly pesky flaming red curl out of my eye in annoyance. I closed one eye, took aim at the bullseye, and hurled the knife at my great nemesis with all my might.
Clank.
Once again, I had missed by a mile. Surprise, surprise.
"You know, it would help if you actually aimed," said an all-too familiar voice from behind me.
I spun around quickly, my heart jumping in surprise when I saw him. There he was, leaning up against the opposite wall with a smug grin on his face. His golden eyes were filled with laughter as he scooped up the throwing knife, walking towards me.
"Clary," Jace said, "Not to be rude or anything, but you look like you're struggling to say the least."
"Actually, I was doing perfectly alright until you about gave me a heat attack," I replied with as much dignity as I could muster.
"Darling, how many times have you hit that target?" inquired Jace, examining the knife blade.
"Umm, ss-seven," I stuttered. I felt a blush creeping across my cheeks. I was never the best at lying.
"I would beg to differ. You look like a tomato," Jace said, calling my bluff.
"Oh, I suppose you could do any better," I said, my pride getting in the way of my reason. He inspected the knife in his hand and he spun it in an arc over his shoulder, releasing with perfect aim. The knife buried itself to the hilt in the exact center of the bullseye. He hadn't even looked.
He reached for my shoulders with a smirk on his face. I was quite embarrassed. "Dearest Clarissa," he said with mock seriousness, " You're a great person, but a terrible knife thrower. I'm a terrible person, but an excellent knife thrower. I think we'd make a good team. What do ya say?"
"Fine." I replied, with acid in my tone.
"Fantastic!" Jace said with entirely too much enthusiasm.
"First things first," Jace said, grabbing me by the hips and spinning me towards the bullseye, "I want you to be quiet and close your eyes."
"You want me to do what?" I exclaimed, immediately suspicious.
"Just trust me Clary. After all, what good is a team when one partner doesn't trust the other?" He said reassuringly. Again, he spun me towards the target.
I decided to go along with it. I huffed as I closed my eyes, waiting for his next instructions.
"That's the spirit!" he said sarcastically. "Now, visualize the target in your mind's eye. See the knife hitting the bullseye."
I relaxed the tiniest bit, his voice pulling the tension out of me as I saw the target in my mind. Stupid target.
"Do you see it?"
"Yes."
"Great. Now I'm going to hand you this knife, but don't think of it as a knife. Think of it as an extension of your hand." He pressed the knife into my palm, and I automatically curved my fingers around it. I don't know what he had done to it, but it felt different somehow. Holding the knife no longer felt foreign, it felt as natural as holding one of my charcoal pencils. Curious, very curious.
"You're doing fantastic Clary Fray. Now, here comes the tricky part. Again, see the target in your mind's eye. Inhale, draw the knife back, and throw it towards the target as you exhale." He said.
I felt his arm snake around my waist as his lips pressed against my ear, sending shivers down my spine.
"One last thing," He whispered, his breath tickling me and I let out a giggle. "Don't get distracted."
He pulled away abruptly and retreated a couple of paces. I stood up straighter as I eyed the target. I saw the knife hit the bullseye in my mind and drew the knife back as I took in a deep breath. My arm whipped forward as I exhaled, and I flung the knife at the target. I closed my eyes at the last second, expecting to hear the all-too familiar clank of failure. After not hearing anything, I finally found the bravery to peel open my eyes.
There it was, the stubborn knife, buried in the center of the target.
"Holy crap!" I exclaimed. "I actually did it!" I spun around and faced Jace. " I actually did it!" I said again.
He had the biggest smile on his face and his golden eyes were gleaming as his toned arms reached out to encircle me. He drew me in close and I tucked my head into his chest.
"I told you we would make an excellent team."