23

Asher

Present

Blair falls into my arms with a soft thud, and relief floods through me.

I catch her, steadying her as I prop her back up on her feet, her breaths quick and shallow. She looks up, grinning, her eyes bright with adrenaline and something else—something that feels like trust. Real, pure trust. I give her triumphant grin back, and for a second, it’s just the two of us, untouchable.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Lex’s voice booms from above, shattering the moment. “We have our final two players of the night—Asher and Blair!”

The crowd erupts in cheers, echoing through the high ceilings of the warehouse.

We both turn. The Collective stands on an elevated platform, silhouettes cloaked in shadows and smoke. A screen above them lights up in garish neon red, casting an eerie glow over the space. It’s the part of the night they’ve all been waiting for, the climax of their twisted spectacle. The stakes have shifted.

“This is the anima section of the night,” Lex continues. “We’ve seen your physical strength, your endurance, your quick thinking. Now, we want to see your souls. Because if there’s one thing that gets a crowd excited, it’s a test of loyalty. After all, the people who play these games aren’t exactly known for their pure hearts.”

Nerves jolt in me. We’ve both made it to the end, but I haven’t had a chance to stop and think about what that means. We both need this money for different reasons. I want to win, but I don’t want to hurt Blair in the process anymore.

The screen flashes, casting a pulsing light over the warehouse floor, and I can feel the crowd’s eyes on us—hungry, waiting for blood. My stomach twists. They’ve been watching Blair and me all night, hooked on whatever dark thrill they’ve found in us, and now they want the final act.

Lex steps forward, his gaze fixed on us. “This final challenge is something we like to call a prisoner’s dilemma. But unlike prisoners, you’re here by choice. You’ll each decide whether to split the prize or steal it for yourself. If you both choose to split, you’ll share the money. But if one of you chooses to take, they walk away with the full prize… and the other leaves with nothing.”

I hear Blair exhale at my side.

“You have five minutes to discuss your options,” he finishes. “After that, you’ll be separated to make your decisions.”

Five minutes. The seconds feel like they’re ticking away already, loud and pounding in my ears.

A guard leads us to a side room, closing the door with a heavy clang behind us. There’s a security camera perched in the corner, its red light blinking steadily. I know they’re listening, probably broadcasting every word of this to the crowd, but it doesn’t matter. We only need a moment.

“I want to split the money,” I say immediately, not even waiting for her to speak.

Blair’s nervous expression melts into a smile. “Agreed. We both have our reasons for wanting the money, and I don’t want anything coming between us again. Ever.”

So, this is how we win. I get to give my grandma the care she needs and Blair gets to finally find freedom from her family. And we get each other.

I grin. “That was easy. Didn’t even need the five minutes.”

“After the night we’ve had, something needed to be easy.”

I laugh, drawing Blair into my arms. Even after this whole evening of literal blood, sweat, and tears, she still smells so sweet. Like jasmine blossoms in the night air. It cuts through the cold, gritty feel of this place. I close my eyes for a second, breathing her in.

For the first time in a long time, I feel like there’s something steady under my feet.

When we walk back out into the main warehouse, I reluctantly let her hand go, dropping it just as we pass through the doors. We’ve already given the crowd too much to feed on tonight, and I don’t want to give them anymore.

Lex’s standing in the center, his gaze sharp, the slightest smile tugging at his mouth as he watches us separate. His eyes flick to Blair, and his expression shifts—a mix of cold calculation and something unsettling, like he’s already plotting his next move.

A guard appears beside me, taking my arm and leading me to the opposite side of the room. I glance back, and I see Lex guiding Blair toward the far wall, his hand on her back, fingers pressing into her shoulder just a bit too hard. He leans down, whispering something into her ear. Her face twists, the smile she’d had with me slipping away as she listens, her eyes widening slightly.

A jolt of unease shoots through me. What is he saying to her? But I force myself to stay calm, to ignore the tightening in my gut.

It’s nothing. Just Lex playing mind games. We agreed to split, and I caught her in my arms. We have the trust between us again that I once thought had been destroyed forever.

If it took this night to heal all the pain between me and Blair, it will have been worth it.

I watch as Lex pulls back, his face smug. He turns away, leaving Blair standing alone. She looks different now, her expression closed off, eyes darting toward the floor…

The guard’s grip on my arm tightens, and he hauls me through another door, leading me further away.

I try to shake it off. We trust each other. But as I look back at her, her face pale, her eyes scared…

I can’t shake the feeling that something’s already starting to unravel.