22

N o one found anything.

Camera footage revealed the partial outline of our intruder but whoever he was never got close enough to trigger the alarm. When I overheard Jarmiel speaking to Zak about it, he said that the man could have had strong, magical properties that alerted the barriers prematurely.

Or it had all been a fluke.

“Jess?” Tori nudged my shoulder. “You okay?”

We sat together on the bus but it had just screeched to a stop. It was the first time I’d been allowed outside of EXO since my arrival. Zak and Jarmiel were present along with Lisha and both groups of peacekeeper trainees.

It was time for the games.

I could feel the heaviness from my eyelids. I’d been focusing on street signs, trying to figure out where we were but must’ve dozed off. In my defense, we were all frazzled by the alarm last night.

“Where are we?” I asked. Lisha mentioned the games yester day, but we were somewhere in the mountains. The trees were dense with dark green, creating plenty of coverage. It was the perfect maze for supernaturals to play in.

“A forest outside of Gayle,” Tori said, “Technically not in Volhold. It’s close but far enough away.”

I raised a brow.

She giggled as she explained. “Our games get a little intense. Can’t be around too many people or buildings.”

That brought me to an abrupt consciousness. What could we be doing that could endanger entire cities?

Lisha stood first, wearing a fitted tank top. It was the first time I’d seen her in something that wasn’t her combat outfit, even though all of us had been required to. “Let’s go. Everybody off,” she said.

We filed outside and I avoided everyone who brushed against me. It wasn’t to be rude, I swear. The spaces between my shoulders and elbows were bare, so each time someone else’s exposed arm touched mine, I received a buzz. Shouldn’t I have been taking advantage of that? No one would know unless I took too much and they fell over.

Zak and Lisha had us make a circle next to the entrance of the great forest. Whatever they had planned might get me killed, but my heart swelled being out in nature again. The earthy smell of trees and dirt mixed with the cool, crisp air did wonders for my fogged mind.

“We need a few volunteers to be our bad guys,” Zak said, “Anyone?”

Mallory stepped forward. Half the group groaned, including myself.

“Mallory, great. Who else?” Zak pointed a finger at our lined-up faces until it stopped on Barrett. “Brave volunteers from my team. Nice.”

Barrett jogged to his side wearing a large grin. At least it hadn’t been Max. His furrowed expressions appeared less hateful and more pensive that morning. I didn’t need him thinking about me too hard but after last night, I expected it.

Zak picked a couple more, as did Lisha. I didn’t recognize most of them because they were from the other team. “That should be good,” he said, “What I want the rest of you to do is to locate the hostage. Somewhere in this forest, our lovely damsel, Mr. Jarmiel, awaits his rescue.”

Jarmiel, who stood beside Zak, blinked slowly and accepted his role in painful silence. Barrett snorted. A few of our new female comrades looked at Jarmiel with twinkling eyes. I could almost hear them saying “ I’ll be your hero! ”

Cute.

“Everyone in red will be the criminals in your way,” Zak continued, “Blue team, use your strengths and teamwork to bring back the hostage. The red team will attempt to either capture your team or the alternative… Don’t worry, not really .”

He made himself laugh. “Both sides have the option to subdue other players. You will all be handed targets to place on your chests and backs along with handcuffs. If someone hits your targets three times, you’re out. If someone is able to get the handcuffs on you, you’re out. Head back to the bus and wait for the games to end. Good luck!”

***

Gods help me.

The games had officially begun and there I was, squatting behind a tree while people mauled each other in the forest. I thought Lisha was cool but she might legitimately be crazy. Zak too. All of them.

The dragoness had a wicked gleam in her eye before letting the blue team begin their search. Only the colored sash around my waist distinguished who was hunting me and who wasn’t. I gripped the fabric like it was my lifeline and didn’t move from my hiding spot.

Zak reminded everyone that a verbal surrender was also an option but everyone seemed to favor the violent alternative. The new combat suits must have really increased morale.

Since most of us healed quickly I knew the blood stains on the ground and the crunching of bodies colliding together didn’t mean anything fatal. Did it have to be so barbaric, though?

Everyone seemed to be enjoying it.

“ Psst. ”

“ Shit .” I jumped, “Oh… Tori, hi.”

She ducked her little blonde head and we watched someone getting dragged between two trees by their ankles.

“They’re animals,” I said.

“Yup,” she snorted, “This is where they really let loose.”

I felt a pair of phantom teeth against my neck in anticipa tion. Mallory was on the opposite team and I couldn’t remember if Zak said biting was against the rules or not.

When I still made zero effort to move, Tori poked my ribs. “I know you’re a little nervous but it gets better. It’s also best if we keep moving. No pressure or anything, but if I found you, someone else sure can.”

She was right. My scent probably saturated this poor tree already. It would be pathetic to be caught this way and with out a fight.

There came a faint sound from the bushes directly behind us and without thinking, I threw myself forward. I caught my self in the dirt and looked back. A male voice grunted when he collided with the tree I’d been using.

Barrett’s tall frame bounced back quickly. A smile of pure glee spread across his face. “Hello, ladies.”

Tori disappeared from existence only to reappear behind Barrett. She leaped onto his shoulders and shielded his eyes with her tiny fingers. “Run Jess!”

“Not cool,” Barrett said with a chuckle, “Wait, newbie! It’s better if I’m the one who catches you, trust me.”

Part of me wanted to let him get me but curse my minuscule ounce of pride. I forced my legs to run. My lungs were on fire as I ran. I knew the direction most of my team headed in, but that was about it.

The “teamwork” thing didn’t play out smoothly. Without Barrett, Max was a lone wolf—pun intended—and left us all in the dust. Aiden couldn’t be bothered. He was probably sleep ing in a tree somewhere or handcuffed himself already.

I hadn’t run into anyone else yet, but from the sound of it, I was nearing the creek. The view itself was serene; wildflow ers and stones framed the moving water. I couldn’t enjoy the view for long, not with the sounds of battle drawing near.

A jarring and enchanting melody tangled itself into madness. Someone sang without lyrics. The tones had random spikes in low to high notes that flowed eerily together. The world was spinning off its axis. Vertigo tripped me over with my own feet. Luckily, there was a big rock to catch me on the way down.

Yara.

I’d never heard a siren sing. Not unless it was filtered through an electronic device. It was a huge niche in the music industry, but this was war. The song ruined my ability to pinpoint where other sounds were coming from. She was on my team, so I doubted she was hunting me. I must have just been close enough to be in the range of her attack.

The singing slowed and a stoic figure crossed my path.

“Stay still.” It was Darren, the more docile vampire sibling with reddish hair. His monotone voice sounded like it was coming from my left even though I was looking right at him. When I couldn’t quite obey, still too dizzy, he pinned me to the nearest tree using one hand. I took a sharp breath but he glowered, signaling me to be silent.

The vegan was scary.

We waited. Darren must have sensed others nearby and kept us hidden. Yara did her job well to confuse anyone in earshot, even if that included us.

“That was close,” Darren said, “Come on. We’ve already zeroed in on Jarmiel’s location. Steady your nerves.”

Easy for him to say. He sounded as hard and soulless as the rocks lying about. That last bit wasn’t true, contrary to vampire myths. He had a soul. I felt the essence of a flame burning from his hand.

He let me wobble away from the tree and we set off in a new direction. “So. You’re really a demon,” Darren said.

That was sudden.

“Yeah,” I said. The singing had stopped but we continued to speak in whispers. “Sorry, I didn’t come with horns.”

“Is that the story you’re sticking with?”

He sounded annoyed like I’d patronized him. I’d been hiding most of my life, so his accusation tickled me. We stalked onward, careful with our footing. Leaf-lined paths guided us through the trees. At least we were getting closer to our goal instead of running blindly as I had been before.

“You think I’m hiding something?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Does that bother you?”

“If you didn’t know I was a vampire, would you still be nervous?” Darren asked.

I frowned at the back of his head. “I’m not. The situation is just tense.”

“Your heart is beating in my ears.”

“Tune it out then.”

He gave me another icy stare. I missed the days of living with Namoi when I didn’t have to explain when my heart rate was slightly elevated.

“To be honest, I was raised to ignore what I am. All of this is like culture shock. I’m not trying to be secretive, I’m just—” My palms flexed like I was physically trying to grasp the words.

“Ignorant,” Darren finished for me.

“Yeah.”

What a ray of sunshine.

He stopped midstep, holding his foot an inch above the dirt. I stiffened too. His head turned to one side and he waited. But whatever it was, never came.

“That’s not all, is it?” he said, mumbling through the tense air.

I groaned. “Why do you keep asking?”

Darren pivoted on his heel. His face dropped close to my throat and inhaled. The lack of personal space put me back into my nightmare with Clay. Princess. That was what he called me. Yet another annoying nickname I had to endure.

I heard the faint parting of Darren’s lips and took a step back. Vegan or not, he still had fangs and they were much too close to my arteries. His amber eyes held mine while he spoke. “Because your blood—”

A giggle interrupted us from above.

The moon-kissed vampire, Mallory, dropped down from the forest’s ceiling, landing softly on both feet. Darren crouched, arms slightly raised like he was preparing to tackle her.

“Even my baby brother is bothered. Your smell is only get ting stronger by the day,” she said, clearly having overheard us, “Do you really not know why?”

My smell again, really?

“Can we just get back to the stupid game?” I asked, “I promise to shower after.”

Mallory tilted her head. Her dead gaze reminded me of a broken doll. “You want to know why you’re so enamored by Zakiel? It’s not just you. Angels draw all kinds of people to them. Some even go mad. Funny, right?”

Instead of her mocking tone, I heard genuine intrigue. Un fortunately, I was tired of his name coming out of her mouth whenever she spoke to me. “Do you like him or something? What does this have to do with your issue with me?”

“Jess, please. He’s not my kind of man, but his blood? Every drop bathed in light…” Her eyes glazed over like she was lost in thought. “It’s a sin to desire it, like the forbidden fruit.”

I chuckled out of nervousness. “If you want to bite him, that’s between you guys…” Knowing how nice Zak was, he would let her if he hadn’t already. My own blood boiled at the thought of her teeth in his throat.

“I’m not only talking about Zakiel anymore.”

There was no punch line. No creepy smile following her sentence.

“Me?” I asked. “You guys think I smell the same as Zak?”

I wasn’t aware of my own scent like she was, but I had a hard time believing an angel’s blood resembled my own. That would have to defy everything I am.

“She already said what she knows,” Darren said, “Let it go.”

Mallory’s mischief was back and the crimson color in her eyes seemed to deepen. “Don’t pretend you weren’t about to say the same thing, brother. If she really doesn’t know, we can always find out for ourselves.”

She took a more predatory stance, mirroring her brother’s. My heart dropped, remembering where we were. Alone, for one. I felt for the cuffs attached to my hip. Even if I managed to wrangle the vampire, I had a feeling Mallory wasn’t going to play by the rules.

Mallory licked one of her fangs. “I’m not leaving here without a bite, Jess. Or is it Cupcake now?”

Yup. She was a bitch and she was coming for me. I had Dar ren by my side but I had watched Mallory during training for a while now. She surpassed us all.

But I didn’t have to stand there and take it.

This was an opportunity to see if I had what it took as a peace keeper, regardless of the outcome. Zak prepared me for swift attacks that I knew Mallory would throw at me. If I could touch her first, my increased strength might be able to overpower her.

The tricky part was getting close to those teeth.

A cold hand curled around my wrist and I looked up at Darren, confused. Mallory was closing in but he kept me from leaving. “She’s crazy but she’ll recognize your blood,” he said.

What did that even mean? It didn’t matter. Darren sided with his sister and her blood fetish. Two against one. I could just let Mallory take a tiny bite. If she really could perform a magical taste test and confirm I wasn’t lying.

But I wasn’t in a cooperative mood. What did it matter if I had weird blood? One drop wasn’t going to satisfy her, anyway . “Look, maybe you’re all freaking out because I could be related to the succubi,” I said, “I hear they can be… alluring?”

Part of me wished Mallory just had a crush on me and it wasn’t bloodlust. She thought about it with one sharp finger nail tugging on her bottom lip. “How interesting. Now I’m even more excited.”

Both vampires shifted their focus to something else in the woods. While Darren wasn’t suspecting, I wrenched him forward with me, smacking his face into the tree. My idea succeeded in getting him to release me. He didn’t even try to stop me. Instead, he busied himself with his smashed nose.

I felt bad but he betrayed me first.

“Ouch.” Darren licked the trickle of blood that hit his lips. His eyes deepened into a dark, golden brown. I sprinted toward the first opening I had, but a harsh kick sent me spinning on the ground. My body bounced over roots and rocks.

I grasped at the grass to pull myself back up, but damn, that hurt. The leathery blades turned brown in my hands. I’d shrugged this phenomenon off once before during training, but there it was again.

“At least you have some lady balls,” Mallory said, grabbing me by the ankle. She dragged me across the bumpy earth before flipping me over. “It’s no fun if you’re a dead fish.”

It looked like she was going to pounce on me, but I got my legs ready. As she came down just as I centered my boots on her stomach and used her momentum to throw her over me.

Twigs and leaves were tangled in my hair when I got back on my stomach. My strength surprised her as much as it did me. It felt like throwing a feather pillow off me.

She skidded to a stop like an agile little huntress. “I guess you have been paying attention during Zakiel’s one-on-ones.”

I sprang to my feet. Her leg came flying at me hard from the side and I brought my arms up just in time. My forearms shielded my head but the impact still flung me. I caught a tree with my arm and made a loop back around.

“Do you enjoy being Zak’s pet?” Mallory asked, “We should teach you to play dead.”

A flurry of punches aimed at my stomach. I couldn’t catch them all. One of her tiny fists forced the air out of my lungs so hard, I thought I coughed them up. The hunger in her eyes gleamed. Technically, we’d hit each other’s targets enough to both be out of the game.

As I suspected, Mallory had conveniently forgotten the rules.

More kicks. Every hit I deflected was like getting hit by a moving car. When I finally got a swing in, I missed, and her long nails came across my shoulder. They sliced my flesh open like little knives.

I clutched the open wound but I knew my smell was everywhere. While I hunched over, Mallory grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked. I gritted my teeth, already knowing what came next. Her pearly fangs glittered with hunger. The flawless beauty she paraded around as a mask slipped away and revealed the beast beneath. She hissed before diving in.

“ Gah !”

I caught her by the throat before she could bite down. She choked as I closed my fingers tighter around her slender neck. She could chomp at me all she wanted but even if she succeeded, I wouldn’t let her swallow a damn drop.

Mallory tried wrangling herself free, but I was already work ing on my next move. Her spirit energy level was somewhere between Zak’s and Guy’s; not as bright as Zak’s but more fiery than Guy’s. I squeezed her throat like I was draining an orange of its juices.

When I looked into her red eyes, I noticed they’d grown three sizes. I felt my muscles tightening already. She wrenched away that time but her freedom was short-lived. I brought my fist into her gut and the low grunt she made was seriously terrifying. And exhilarating.

After all the crap she’d put me through in training, I could finally make her scramble.

Mallory deflected more hits until one of my kicks landed under her chin, sending her body soaring into the creek. Even with my high from the fight, I cringed at her hard landing. Her white hair, now drenched, stuck to her face like webs.

When she rose from the water, the red from her eyes bled into the whites. She fumed, creating some monstrous, and some how still feminine, growl before charging at me. Another body slammed into her from the side. Darren appeared so fast he only manifested as a blur. He stared his sister down while she made her huffy recovery.

“Go.” Darren looked at me. He probably wanted to secure our team’s overall victory and pretend he hadn’t almost fed me to his sister.

Whatever.

As I ran, I felt the blood drying from my wound and on my hand. I hadn’t seen a vampire act like that before. Her attitude went from standard Mallory to crazed. She could have licked her fingernails if she were that desperate for my blood.

I wanted to find Jarmiel before running into anyone else but without warning, an arm appeared from behind a tree and snatched me up like a hawk capturing a mouse. Someone lifted me onto a low-hanging branch, holding me to their chest.

Warm fingers silenced my screams.

“ Shh …” A gravelly voice chuckled softly.

I forced my neck back and looked up into Aiden’s dark and sexy glory. The veil of leaves above us deeply shadowed him. Had I fallen into a much worse situation? He grinned down at me and slowly removed his hand from my lips.

“Not the most stealthy of beasts are you, Cupcake?”