Damon brought the arrow up. He carefully placed the notched end of the arrow onto the tight bowstring.

He began giving her slow, detailed tips on how to shoot an arrow perfectly.

"Keep your left arm completely straight," Damon instructed, his deep voice rumbling right next to her ear. He gently adjusted her elbow. "Do not lock your joint. Keep your shoulders entirely relaxed. Focus your eyes only on the red target."

He covered her right hand with his own. He guided her fingers to grip the end of the arrow and the string.

He held her hand securely as they pulled the arrow backward together.

The bowstring was incredibly tight. It required massive physical strength to pull it back.

Camilla could feel Damon doing all of the real work, pulling the string smoothly backward until the feathers of the arrow touched her cheek.

They stood together, locked in a perfect archery stance. The sharp metal tip of the arrow was pointed directly at the red apple resting on Mildred’s shaking head.

Mildred looked at the sharp arrow pointing right at her face. She let out a muffled, pathetic sob through her gag. Her knees went completely weak, but the thick ropes held her standing upright.

Damon lowered his head. He brought his mouth right next to Camilla’s ear.

He whispered into her ear. His voice was incredibly dark, completely cold, and terrifyingly calm.

"Should I kill her?" Damon whispered.

The question hung in the quiet air.

Camilla completely froze. Her heart skipped a very large beat. She stared down the long arrow toward the crying assistant.

She knew Mildred was a bad person. She knew Mildred had tried to frame her and if the reverse was the case, she would have been the one to die. But hearing Damon casually offer to murder the girl right in front of her, simply to avenge her honor, was entirely shocking. He was giving her the absolute power of life and death over another human being.

Camilla couldn’t form words. Her throat went completely dry. She opened her mouth, but absolutely nothing came out.

Damon did not wait for her answer. He had already made his decision.

Damon smoothly released the string.

He let go of her right hand. The tight bowstring snapped forward with explosive, terrifying speed.

THWACK!

The arrow flew through the air faster than the eye could see.

It flew straight and true. It completely missed Mildred’s face by mere inches.

The sharp metal tip slammed directly into the bright red apple on Mildred’s head. The arrow pierced the fruit perfectly through the center, carrying the apple backward and pinning it violently deep into the thick straw of the archery target with a loud crunch.

Mildred’s tears increased instantly. The sudden, violent sound of the arrow hitting the target right above her head completely broke her mind. She tried desperately pleading for her life. She screamed and begged through her tears, but because she was gagged, all the sounds came out as muffled, pathetic whimpers.

Mmph! Mmmph!

Camilla let out a sudden, shaky breath. She realized he had never intended to shoot the girl in the face. He was just showing off his perfect, terrifying accuracy to punish the assistant with pure fear.

Damon lowered the bow. He looked at Kade.

Damon told them to put another apple on Mildred’s head. His voice was completely casual, as if they were just playing a fun game in the garden.

An armored soldier quickly ran forward. He pulled the pinned apple and the arrow out of the straw target. He placed a fresh, bright red apple back onto the very top of Mildred’s messy hair. Mildred squeezed her eyes tightly shut, crying hysterically. The soldier quickly ran away.

Damon raised the heavy bow again.

He stepped close behind Camilla. He wrapped his arms around her again. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Damon took another sharp arrow from the leather quiver and placed it carefully on the bowstring.

He covered her hands with his own. He held her hand securely as they pulled the tight string backward together. He adjusted her aim slightly, aiming slightly higher this time.

"Breathe out slowly," Damon instructed her softly.

They let go together.

The string snapped. The arrow flew.

THWACK!

The arrow hit the apple perfectly again. The red fruit exploded into pieces, pinning the core directly into the thick straw target.

Mildred sobbed loudly, her body completely shaking against the thick ropes.

Standing in Damon’s arms, Camilla smiled. It was a very wide, very bright, happy smile. The fear from the first shot was entirely gone. She was actually having a wonderful time.

Camilla thought to herself. Her internal voice was filled with pure excitement and true joy.

"I have always wanted to learn archery," Camilla thought honestly, looking at the perfect shot. " but I’ve never gotten the time to learn the bow. This is actually very fun."

Standing right behind her, Damon heard her happy thoughts clearly in his mind.

He let out a small, genuine smile. He was incredibly pleased that she was enjoying the lesson. He liked sharing his military skills with her.

"Replace it," Damon commanded quietly.

The terrified soldier ran forward again. He removed the broken pieces and placed a third red apple onto Mildred’s head. Mildred was completely limp against the ropes now, entirely exhausted by her own terror.

Damon lowered the bow completely. He stepped back, moving away from Camilla’s back.

Damon spoke to her, holding the bow out toward her.

"Do you want to try it yourself?" Damon asked smoothly. He wanted to see if she had paid attention to his strict instructions.

Camilla turned her head. Her eyes lit up with eager excitement.

Camilla nodded rapidly. "Yes!"

Damon handed the bow to her. He handed her a single arrow. Damon took a few steps backward. He gave her space to shoot properly without his help.

Camilla held the bow in her left hand. It was very heavy, but her arms were surprisingly strong. She placed the arrow onto the string perfectly, just as Damon had taught her.