Chapter 13

Chapter

Thirteen

ZARA

T he night of the second challenge arrived much the same as the first.

Damp. Hot. Hostile.

There was no platform this time. Instead, an enormous, crumbling temple rose from the ground, its stepped sides overflowing with vines. The netherlights were missing, too. In their place, bamboo torches cast flickering shadows over the competitors. Moonlight spread a silvery glow over everything. The moon's pull was more forceful now, its draw like a string anchored on the top of my head. It was an effort to keep my chin down. The air was thick with the scent of moss and decay. The jungle loomed, its canopy scraping the night sky.

And Struan and Finn loomed on either side of me, their arms folded over their chests. They'd appeared the second I exited my tent—and they hadn't left me alone for a moment since. Ignoring them had proved ineffective. Putting distance between us was impossible. Every time I inched away, they moved closer. The other competitors slid the three of us speculative looks. I could only imagine the gossip flying through the crowd.

Once again, Drute stood a short distance away, his gray-toned features fixed in the scowl he'd worn since he fetched me from the dragons' tent.

He'd held his tongue until we returned to our own tent. Then he'd pinned me with a look I'd only ever received from my father. It was so much worse than anger.

Disappointment. With a healthy dollop of disapproval.

"Do you want to tell me what just happened?"

"No," I'd muttered, going to my pack. Slinging it around my shoulders, I'd quickly filled him in on my theory about Brader working with Galen. When I finished, Drute shook his head.

"I'm not discounting the possibility of Brader being behind the attack, but Galen appears clean. According to the people I talked to, he's here legitimately. Word has it he lost his fated mate years ago. He wants the elixir so he can resurrect her."

It was my turn to be disappointed. If Galen hadn't orchestrated the doppelganger, that left Brader as the sole suspect. That sort of magic was beyond a werewolf. And even if it hadn't been, I didn't have any proof to take to Bolveg.

Drute watched me closely, questions practically hovering around him. His nostrils flared. A second later, his brows drew together in a frown.

I grabbed my father's sword. My body still buzzed, every nerve ending primed and oversensitive. Moisture dampened my panties. Drute was no fool—and his senses were just as good as mine. He might not have seen me wedged between Finn and Struan, but he didn't need to. His nose worked just fine.

"We should head out," I said, wondering if it was actually possible to die of embarrassment. When my heart stubbornly continued beating, I added, "I want to reach the second challenge site so I can get some sleep." And avoid two aroused dragons tailing me through the jungle.

Drute had obviously wanted to press. He didn't like secrets between us, and I understood why. To advise me, he needed to know every challenge I faced. But he respected me as alpha, so he'd nodded his agreement, collapsed the tent, and plunged into the forest at my side.

We'd encountered no issues—or dragons—on the trip to the next challenge site, but his disapproval had lingered even as I spent the daylight hours in another stretch of fitful, unproductive sleep.

Now, he listened as Bolveg stood at the front of the crowd and described the challenge.

"As you can see, we stand at the foot of the mighty Temple of Ozzan. Tonight's challenge will test your physical prowess as you navigate obstacles inspired by the four arcane elements."

A few feet ahead of me, a werewolf turned to the man next to him. "Well, that's giving the witches a big fucking advantage."

He wasn't wrong. The witches would be able to use their gifts. The vows they took at the Fountain of Truth only prevented them from using magic they didn't ordinarily possess.

"As you know," Bolveg continued, "the arcane elements include earth, water, fire, and air. Every obstacle poses unique dangers."

For about the dozenth time, I searched the faces around me for Brader. If he was present, he'd chosen to stay hidden. Unease flooded me as I recalled his parting words. No, threats .

"You'll regret this."

"Good luck tomorrow. You'll need it."

I rubbed my forehead. How had I misjudged Brader's character so badly? Had he changed, or had I simply failed to pay attention?

But that wasn't exactly fair. I'd spent the past year battling moon sickness at every turn. Lately, I'd faced pressure from the Council, as well as the threat of mutiny from within the pack. Maybe Brader had changed, but I couldn't beat myself up for not noticing.

Bolveg raised his voice over the murmuring crowd. "Now, some of you are shifters. Others possess hyperlocation magic that allows you to dematerialize and then reappear within your visual range or in places you've visited before. You'll find that the obstacles require you to engage fully." He adjusted his glasses, his gaze briefly landing on a cluster of vampires. "In other words, you can't leapfrog from one side of the obstacle to the other. You must touch and experience this challenge. There are no shortcuts."

The murmurs swelled again, with several competitors grumbling their displeasure. But no one challenged Bolveg outright, probably because the rule made sense. Without it, every vampire in the competition could simply channel from one end to the other. The witches and fae would still have an edge, but everyone had some sort of edge depending on the nature of the challenge. Based on what I'd read in the History of the Firstborn Games , the competition's organizers were supposed to take this into account when they created the challenges.

"We'll begin at once," Bolveg announced. Inessa appeared out of nowhere right next to him. Tonight, she wore gleaming white cargo pants, a white tube top that exposed her midriff, and a wide-brim bucket hat with a string dangling under her chin. When Bolveg's eyes widened, Inessa gave a decisive nod.

"You're right. It needs a scarf." She snapped her fingers, and a brilliant white scarf appeared around her neck. "Thanks, demon," she said, flashing Bolveg an equally brilliant smile. Then she turned to the crowd and raised her arms. "All right, party people. You ready? Who am I kidding, of course you are." She turned and flung both hands toward the temple. Golden light streaked from her fingertips and slammed into the ancient stone.

A roar like a jet engine ripped through the surrounding trees, and then a pair of massive stone doors at the temple's base slowly opened.

Murmurs ran through the crowd. My heart sped up, and I pushed my concerns about Brader from my mind. The elixir was the only thing that mattered. I had to stay focused.

But that was going to be hard to do with Struan and Finn close enough to touch. Even as I trained my gaze on the temple doors, I couldn't help stealing glances at the dragons flanking me. The moments in the tent ran through my mind like a movie reel. Struan and Finn had been so warm when they pressed me between them. Warm…and dominant. Aggressive. I'd waited for my wolf to rouse—to rush to the surface and warn me away from the pair of superior predators.

But she hadn't. Instead, she receded, leaving me to twist in the wind of my desires.

And that was all it was. Raw desire. The past year had hardly left time for dating. Sporadic bouts of rushed self-care in the shower were poor replacements for the kind of satisfaction only a lover could bring.

Or two lovers. My heart pounded. Struan's shoulder brushed mine, and my breath hitched as my nipples tightened. My lips tingled. More tingles gathered low in my stomach and then slid south.

Gods, what was wrong with me? Light spilled from the temple's doors, which continued to open. The sound of stone scraping stone filled the air.

Inessa waved a hand, and a glowing scroll materialized. It unfurled with a snap, displaying rows of names.

Bolveg spoke in a booming voice. "These are the standings after last night's challenge. Competitors will enter the temple in two-minute increments based on their rank." He looked over the crowd. "Struan MacLure will enter first, followed by Finn MacAlasdair."

Struan touched my arm. For the first time since entering the clearing, I dared to look at him directly. His eyes gleamed, torchlight dancing in his dark pupils surrounded by midnight blue irises. He spoke in a voice low enough that only I could hear. "You won't be alone in there. Finn and I will see to it there's no repeat of last night."

Warm fingers stroked down my other arm, and I turned to meet Finn's glittering stare. "We'll see you after the challenge, Zara lass." He flicked a look at Struan, then bent and spoke directly into my ear. "The three of us have unfinished business."

I held my breath as they strode away from me, moving with a predatory grace that turned heads as they passed. When they reached Bolveg, he motioned toward the doors. Struan walked forward, his black hair gleaming in the torchlight, and entered the temple.

Drute appeared in front of me. "The witches will excel at this challenge," he murmured, "but speed is your strength. Stay calm and trust your gut. This challenge is yours to win."

Gratitude swelled my chest. He didn't like that I'd visited the dragons' tent, but that didn't stop him from rooting for me. He was firmly on my side. Always.

"Thank you," I said.

He nodded, his steady gaze letting me know he understood I was thanking him for more than the advice. "Anytime, Alpha."

Two minutes later, Finn entered the temple. Two minutes after that, Galen of House Baudelaire disappeared between the giant stone doors. Then it was my turn.

My heart tried to beat from my chest as I approached the yawning stone doorway, which had to be at least fifty feet high. Intricate carvings decorated the doors, the symbols and artwork depicting strange animals and humanoid figures. An eerie green glow spilled from the temple's interior and lit up the doors, making the figures appear to move. The air between the doors rippled like the surface of a lake, iridescent colors writhing and shifting.

Bolveg greeted me on the threshold, his glasses reflecting the ominous light. "Thirty seconds." He glanced behind me, then dropped his voice. "I recommend taking it at a run."

I nodded, my gaze on the rippling space between the doors. Twenty seconds. My stomach tightened. Sweat trickled down my back. Ten. Blood pounded in my ears. Ahead of me, the rippling, iridescent air began to clear.

Five…four…three…two…

The curtain of air dropped, revealing a massive stone cavern supported by soaring carved columns.

One.

I sprinted forward. Instantly, the ground dropped from under me.

A scream ripped from my throat as I plummeted into darkness. Seconds later, my scream turned into a grunt as my feet landed in sand.

Thrown off balance by the impact, I pitched forward, falling to my hands and knees. Sand bunched around my fingers, bubbling up like it was pumped from a giant garden hose. And it glowed , its light illuminating everything around me.

It took me a moment to make sense of my surroundings. When I did, I couldn't control my whimper. I perched atop a plume of sand just big enough to support my weight. The temple's walls were hazy suggestions on either side of me, the ancient stone too far to reach. And in any case, reaching it was impossible—because the temple had no floor.

An inky, formless abyss stretched under me, ready to swallow me whole except for the plume of sand.

Earth. This was the earth portion of the challenge. Now, I just had to figure out how I was supposed to cross the void.

As if my thoughts had summoned an answer, another plume of glowing sand shot into the air in front of me. The soft sound of shifting sand echoed off the temple's walls. I stared at the plume, my heart knocking against my ribs. Was I supposed to jump onto it?

The geyser beneath me rumbled—then started to sink. Panic surged, and I scrambled to my feet. My boots sank in the shifting, crumbling sand as I backed up as far as I dared. The plume ahead appeared to rise higher. But no, my plume was sinking faster. If I waited much longer, I'd never clear the distance.

Leaning forward slightly, I put on a burst of speed and leapt toward the newly formed geyser of glowing sand. Wind whistled in my ears, and I landed on the back edge of the plume. For a second, I windmilled my arms, fighting for balance. Then I caught it and sagged forward, my palms on my knees.

Ahead and slightly to the right, another sand plume shot into existence. The sand beneath me began to crumble. Gritting my teeth, I straightened, backed up, and jumped.

Landed.

Another plume.

And another.

I fell into a rhythm. Landing and jumping, landing and jumping. It became a race against time, each leap more difficult as fatigue set in and my muscles screamed with the effort of keeping my balance on the shifting sand. The geysers rose and fell rhythmically, carrying me across the abyss toward an unseen destination. I didn't think about what lay at the bottom of the cavern. Just kept jumping and landing. Sand coated my skin, mixing with my sweat until my hands and arms glowed as brightly as the plumes.

My feet hit the center of a geyser. I paused as the plume ahead of me shot into the air. The sand's heat permeated my boots and climbed up my legs. But it didn't matter. I kept going.

Jump. Land.

Jump. Land.

Jump. Land.

My clothes stuck to my skin. Sweat stung my eyes. I swiped my forearm over my forehead and kept going.

Jump. Land.

The geyser ahead of me glowed. I backed up, bent my knees, and jumped. This time, I landed on stone. Solid ground stretched in every direction. The sand was gone. Ahead of me, fat, round columns marched in two seemingly endless rows. The temple's ceiling was too distant to make out. Except for the columns, the cavern around me was empty. The eerie light persisted, painting the stone in green shadows.

I collapsed onto my hands and knees, my breath sawing in and out of my chest. Adrenaline pumped hard in my veins. Lifting my head, I looked over my shoulder. The abyss was gone, as if it had never been. I'd done it. I conquered the earth element.

A flash of light made me face forward again. My breath caught. Whereas before, the cavern had been nothing but stone carvings and thick columns, a vast jungle filled the space. Thick vines tangled around the columns. Brightly hued flowers adorned clumps of foliage. Trees towered toward the unseen ceiling, the branches festooned with broad, glossy leaves. A colorful parrot soared through the air and landed in a nearby branch. And somewhere ahead, water splashed.

Water . I'd found the next element.

Pushing to my feet, I brushed sand from my clothes and started forward. The shadows persisted, as if I walked through twilight. Instinctively, I searched for the moon only to remember I was inside the temple. But the full moon was out there somewhere, its pull stronger by the minute.

More splashing sounds drew me forward. The chirping of insects filled my ears as I stepped over vegetation. I pushed aside a curtain of vines and found myself on the shore of a vast, still lake. Lily pads floated on the surface. Here and there, stone statues thrust from the water, their crumbling pedestals covered in moss.

Movement drew my gaze. On the other side of the lake, Galen of House Baudelaire emerged from the water and climbed onto the shore. He stopped, his back to me, and shook his head. Water flew from his hair.

My pulse picked up as I stared across the lake. This was the next challenge—and it was under the surface. As with the shifting sand geysers, I was probably walking— wading —into a total shitshow. For starters, how the fuck was I supposed to breathe?

Then again, Galen was a fire witch. His magic didn't give him any special advantages when it came to water. If he could survive the lake, so could I.

Something brought my head up. Galen stared at me. Water plastered his dark hair to his head. Several strands had escaped the knot at his neck to trail down his chest. Slowly, deliberately, he tapped his wrist, his finger striking the spot where someone might wear a watch. A smirk played around his mouth as he turned and continued ascending the shore.

Without another look in my direction, he disappeared into the jungle.

Dislike seared my gut. His taunt was clear. He was already ahead of me in the Games, and now he was ahead in the challenge. But I'd dealt with far bigger assholes than Galen of House Baudelaire.

Striding to the edge of the water, I drew a deep breath and waded in. Something grabbed my legs and yanked me down.

The breath rushed out of my lungs as I screamed, twisting to grab at the shore. But it was useless. Whatever had hold of me tugged harder, sucking me downward like I'd been flushed down a toilet. Bubbles swarmed around me, obscuring my view as I kicked and thrashed. My lungs burned. The urge to suck in a breath pummeled me, pressure and panic growing in equal measure. My ears popped as I continued descending. It was like being trapped in an underwater elevator. I was going to drown.

Abruptly, the bubbles cleared, leaving nothing but turquoise water. The clamping around my legs disappeared, and my feet touched a hard surface. A glance down revealed the rocky bottom of the lake. When I looked back up, a beautiful woman hovered nearby, her red hair floating around her like a cloud. The upper half of her body was nude. The lower half was a long, shimmering tail that flared into a broad fin. Several long, beaded necklaces nestled between her bare breasts.

Mermaid. I tensed, my lungs screaming and fresh fear coursing through me. Mermaids were known for their viciousness—and virulent dislike of the Firstborn Races. Of course, they also despised humans, gleefully enticing sailors and then dragging them screaming from their boats.

But how the hell had a mermaid ended up in a lake in the middle of the Amazon? Then again, how had the Amazon ended up in the middle of the temple? Maybe I shouldn't overthink it.

My lungs ached. Bending my knees, I tipped my head back and kicked hard against the rocks. I shot upward, hit an invisible barrier, and quickly sank back down.

Trapped.

The mermaid tilted her head as she studied me. Her necklaces shifted, and I realized they weren't beads, after all. They were human teeth.

A second mermaid darted from somewhere and stopped beside the first mermaid. Her long blond hair was arranged in elaborate braids threaded with teeth necklaces. She folded her arms under generous breasts and gave me an assessing look. After a second, she spoke in a clear, melodious voice.

"Do you think she'll figure it out?"

The first mermaid wrinkled her nose. "No. This one doesn't look very smart."

"The witch and those dragon halflings figured it out."

My heart skipped a beat. Dragon halflings? That meant Struan and Finn had conquered the lake. Unexpected longing gripped me, the force so powerful I couldn't hold back a gasp. Bubbles spewed from my mouth, taking the last of my precious oxygen with them.

The redhead pursed her lips as she turned to the blond. "See? This one is stupid."

"Mmm," the blond said. She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Hey, dummy! You can't breathe underwater!"

The redhead turned to her with a horrified look. "Don't do that, Muriel! We're not supposed to help them." For a second, the blond looked cowed. Then the pair collapsed in a fit of giggles.

Their laughter rippled around me, mocking me as my vision blurred and unconsciousness threatened. But as they leaned against each other, something behind them caught my eye. A structure wavered in the water like a mirage. Maybe it was a mirage. But, suddenly, the need to reach it possessed me.

With the last of my energy, I pushed off the rocks and swam around the mermaids. The structure was a small castle, complete with turrets and a draw bridge. Six-year-old me would have squealed with delight and moved right in. Battlements topped the walls, which looked about six feet tall. Aquatic blooms spilled from flower boxes under the windows. I couldn't have said why, but I suddenly knew I had to reach those flowers. I stretched a hand out, but I was too far away.

The mermaids' laughter swelled behind me. Maybe it was my imagination, but the peals started to sound more like growls…

Blackness slid over my vision. I couldn't hold on. Pain seared my lungs. I had to take a breath. Had to. The urge to open my mouth overwhelmed me. I couldn't hold out?—

A strong arm clamped around my waist. Bubbles eddied around me as I shot toward the castle. Struan appeared before me, his face determined and his black hair waving around his head as he yanked a flower from one of the boxes. He stripped the fuchsia-colored bloom off the stem and held the tube to my mouth.

I didn't think. Just closed my lips around the stem and sucked. Crisp oxygen flooded my lungs. I seized the long, waxy tube from Struan and gulped greedily, my lips fastened around the tube so tightly it was a miracle it didn't snap in half. The blackness receded, and clarity returned.

Struan gripped the edge of one miniature window, his eyes concerned as he watched me recover.

The mermaids swam into view, stopping on the opposite side of the castle. They glared at Struan, their eyes glowing a sickly green that cut through the water like headlights. The redhead fingered one of her necklaces.

The blond hissed softly, displaying multiple rows of sharp teeth that hadn't been there before. "You're cheating! You aren't supposed to come back!"

The redhead flicked her tail fin in an agitated rhythm, creating a wake that rippled outward. "What do the rules say about this? Can we punish him?" She stared at Struan intently, her gaze moving down his chest like she was checking him out in a bar. But the hunger in her eyes wasn't sexual.

It was just…hunger. Horror froze me in place. Struan noticed, and he gripped my hand. Fingers wrapped around mine, he offered me a reassuring smile as he leaned forward and closed his lips around the stem I still held. He winked at me as he drew air into his lungs.

Heat snaked through me. Even in the middle of the lake, with a pair of bloodthirsty mermaids sizing us up as their next meal, his wink set a fire simmering low in my belly.

"We can't do anything," the blond snarled. "All we can do is wait for the tideflower to run out of oxygen."

The redhead's lips curved in a malicious smile. She tipped her head back, her eyes trained on the surface above. "Maybe it won't refill in time for the next one. Delphine is fetching him."

Struan released the stem. He pointed into the distance, then mouthed, Keep going . He mimed sucking air from the tube. Pointing to the tube, his lips moved again. You'll know.

I nodded, showing him I understood. Somewhere ahead of us, other tideflowers waited. And, somehow, I'd sense them. Apparently, the challenge involved finding them before I drowned—or became a mermaid's picnic.

Struan beamed at me. Then he pressed a quick kiss to my cheek and swam away, moving much faster than a man his size should have been able to. For a moment, I clung to the castle in a daze, one hand lifting to my cheek.

He'd come back for me. He and Finn were competing to save their queen—and their people. They were serious about winning the elixir. Perhaps more importantly, they'd shared their secret with me. They trusted me not to tell anyone about Queen Isolde's illness. And yet, despite needing that elixir just as much as I did, Struan had returned to help me. He'd just saved my life.

Because I was his mate. His fated female. The knowledge slammed into me, threatening to knock my world off its axis. But deep down, I'd known all along.

"Is she going to leave?" a feminine voice intruded. "Or is she just going to hang around with that dopey expression on her face?"

I looked at the mermaids. The redhead hissed halfheartedly, her eyes flashing green. "Congratulations. You found a big, strong man to save you." She flicked her fingers at me. "Now, shoo."

Anger rose. She had a point, but I wasn't going to feel bad about accepting Struan's help. Independence was useless if I was dead.

I took another pull of oxygen from the tideflower. When my lungs were full, I shoved away from the castle, leaving the mermaids behind.

But more flitted into my path as I swam. Some circled me, throwing out taunts and insults. Others were friendly, even accommodating, as they gave me directions to the next bank of tideflowers. But it quickly became apparent that they were trying to trick me. When I failed to change my course, they hissed and switched to name-calling.

And they watched me closely, waiting for me to run out of breath and falter. They were stunning, tempting predators. Sharks who looked like beauty queens. Behind every pair of full, red lips were rows of serrated teeth ready to shred my flesh from my bones.

As with the sand geysers, my muscles ached from the effort of propelling myself through the water. My eyes burned, and my hair constantly floated in my face. The mermaids circled and sneered, effortlessly gliding in and out of my path. But I stayed the course, instinct leading me from tideflower to tideflower. Some were tucked at the bottom of small, stone lighthouses. Others adorned the crowns of sea gods and goddesses who stood tall on their pedestals, their stony gazes pointed toward the next crop of flowers.

Slowly, I made my way across the lake. And, finally, the rocky bottom sloped upward. Excitement pumped through my veins, giving me the last push I needed to get my feet under me. When my head broke the surface at last, I laughed with relief.

And when the jungle melted away and another yawning chasm took its place, I put my shoulders back and strode toward the next phase of the challenge.