81. Aurelia

Chapter 81

Aurelia

R unning through a dark forest at night, with three of the most powerful predators I know in pursuit of me, is the most thrilling thing I've ever experienced.

After all, our entire relationship began with me running away from them.

And now we're doing it for fun .

There's a grin on my face as I allow my eagle eyes to take over and guide me through the treachery that is the Hunting Games field. The trees are meant to slow you down and trip you over, with jutting roots, uneven ground, and low-hanging trees. It was made to be difficult for talented predators after all, and at night, the place has become downright spooky.

Lyle, Savage, and Scythe somehow barely make any noise once they enter the forest. I wonder what technique they'll use. If they'll split up into three and try to pen me in, or if they'll take me as a team.

I leap over a fallen branch and land, almost slipping on leaf litter, before getting my feet back under me and weaving through the next lot of trees.

"Leee-uh!" Savage calls from far too close behind me.

With a jolt, I turn abruptly, hoping that my better sight gives me the advantage in the dark. Sure enough, a muttered curse sounds from behind and I grin, adrenaline pumping through my veins, my body heating up against the night's chill.

Something looms ahead of me, and I'm aware of the forest opening up. Minnie and I had studied the map of the stadium yesterday, trying to commit to memory the various obstacles and traps strategically placed for the most trouble. I angle myself towards the Flying Fox I can see in the distance—a zip line placed over a man-made ravine, about twenty meters across, and the drop is about ten meters into water. If you landed in there and weren't an avian or a climber, you had to swim through a long, torturous tunnel, then up a rope ladder to get back out to higher ground.

I'd actually never asked Savage or Lyle how well they could swim.

It's too late now.

Skidding to a halt just before the long drop, I breathe hard as I peer into the black waters below. I use my telekinesis to grab the short rope hanging limply over the ravine and grasping it in a firm hand, back up a little way. I run forward and fling myself down the line. It's completely horizontal, so if you don't get enough momentum to propel yourself, you get stuck in the middle and have no choice but to wiggle your way across or take the drop.

As it is, I've perfectly calculated my velocity so I end up dangling directly in the middle, nothing but black sky above and cold darkness below. I wait only a second, my fingers tight around the hard, woven rope, before my mates arrive.

Lyle reaches the edge of the ravine first, his eyes wide like an angry lion's until he sees me dangling ever so helplessly in the middle. Savage skids to a stop next to him, wheeling his arms to stop himself from falling. Lyle snaps a hand out across his abdomen to keep him upright, but never takes his eyes off me. Scythe appears in the shadows behind them, his silver hair glinting under the bright moon directly above.

"Help!" I say in an exaggerated whimper.

"Regina!" Savage cries in panic.

Lyle's telekinesis wraps around me like a warm hug, but my shields don't let him tug me toward him like he wants. I allow a slow smirk to curve my lips before taking one hand off the rope.

"Don't you dare ," Lyle says, his voice harsh and fevered from the chase.

I tilt my head back and laugh, before holding my breath and letting go of the rope.

Savage's cry of "no!" turns into something more determined, and I know he's leapt off the cliff's edge as I hit the water.

The icy blast drives the air from my lungs, and I use my telekinesis to shove my head above the water so I can wheeze air down my throat.

A splash tells me that Savage has hit the water, followed by another splash that has to be Scythe because Lyle , that darned feline, has levitated himself down and stopped just before he's hit the surface. Furious, hungry eyes pin me through the dark and he looks like some ancient warrior god, long hair loose and bare chested, his supernatural power levitating him over the water.

Taking a quick gulp of air just as he dives for me, I dip below the water, swimming for my life towards the tunnel on the other side of the ravine. It's only fair that I use my telekinesis to propel me along, and I dare not look back at my pursuers. Scythe won't shift because this is freshwater?—

Someone's jaws latch around my foot and I yelp, not from pain, more from surprise and excitement. I turn around and squint at my assailant.

It's Scythe, in his human form, his teeth sinking into my foot, silver eyes excited and satisfied. Three other shadows are moving rapidly towards me.

Wait. Three?

Scythe releases my foot and grabs my calf, his other hand reaching up behind my knee. Hand over hand, he pulls me towards him.

But I'm out of breath and I have to shove my head out of the water. As I gasp in cold air, Scythe shoves my legs apart, rips my thong in two and dives between my legs.

I let out a cry as his hot mouth covers my pussy, latching onto my clit and sucking. His hands hold me open, as he eats me out under the water, his tongue searching through my labia as if there's oxygen in there.

Moaning loudly, I clutch his head with both hands, tilting my head back as he keeps me afloat.

Tingles course through my core, and I suddenly realise the others are nowhere to be seen. Panicked, I look around to see both Lyle and Savage being assaulted by giant waves, the normally calm water of the ravine now choppy like a wave pool.

My possessive shark.

Scythe rapidly draws my attention back to him, fisting my ass cheeks, lapping at my clit before shoving his tongue inside my pussy.

"Oh Goddess," I moan into the night.

But shit. He's caught me way too fast. I don't want to come just yet, and if he keeps this up, I definitely will.

Time to up my game.

I send my telekinetic power out like a wave. It blasts through the water, tearing Scythe away from me, sending him tumbling into the dark water towards my other mates.

Letting out a short laugh, I take another quick breath and commence an efficient freestyle, kicking like my life depends on it. I guess I should thank my father for the childhood swimming lessons every spring since I was five.

An angry snarl sounds behind me just as I reach the tunnel, open like the maw of an angry snake.

I let it swallow me whole, plunging into the darkness.

It's a narrow, low-ceilinged thing, exactly how I imagine the throat of a giant beast would feel like, and I determinedly don't let the scrape of the rock against my skin deter me.

The males are going to have to squeeze through this thing, slowing their hunt. That works well for me. So I keep my head down, only turning my head to the right to gulp a breath every few strokes. A short way in, the ceiling drops so low I have to duck under the water completely to get through.

The underwater portion of the tunnel is almost a breath too long because the stadium makers are no doubt completely sadistic, and just as my lungs burn and I contemplate shifting, a rope ladder appears before me. I grab it, pulling myself upwards until my head breaks free.

"Fuck!" Savage's wet, excited grumble echoes from somewhere in the tunnel.

Frantically, I focus only on each waterlogged rung, climbing as fast as I can despite the swinging of the wretched old ladder.

I barely risk a glance upwards, and so it's with great surprise that when I reach the final rung, a deep, amused voice says, "Hello, little snakelet."

I don't even think.

Quicker than any striking cobra, I make a fist and punch the bastard right in the dick.