Chapter 14

Fourteen

Crow

I shake my head and sigh. I didn’t realize the king was allowing the Light Ones to participate. I watch the screen, feeling like I need to act, knowing I can’t, as I watch the Vampire climb back to his feet and walk over to Moon, who’s still sitting on her ass. She looks around and watches the area where the Light One just disappeared through.

“What the hell was that?” Daire asks, and Moon shakes her head. The camera zooms in on the bite marks on her neck and then pulls back out so we can see the blood still dripping down Daire’s chin.

“No idea,” Moon whispers like she’s in a daze, and a spark of jealousy ignites inside my chest. Not because I want what Daire just had, although, I do. But because he’s in there, he can protect her. I’m doing everything I can from the outside, but my hands are so fucking tied it’s insane.

I know the king suspects me of treason, but without proof, what can he do? Hell, he’s got his own fucking son playing this year. The man’s a loon.

I have some sway and influence over what games to throw at them next, but in the end, I don’t get the final say. Fortunately, I was able to convince them to pit Moon against a weaker Witch for capture the flag.

However, Moon still has to survive the fucking trial itself, assuming she gets to the flag first.

The screen cuts off as my sister stomps into the room. My heart aches for her because her fate is so entwined with my own. If I die, she’ll be left without protection. If I stop, for even a second, the fucking king will sink his claws into her. His wives mysteriously go missing or die of some illness, whenever he finds someone new to toy with. He’s been stalking my sister for far longer than he should.

She’s still nearly a child in Elven years. She won’t have to worry much longer though, assuming I can enact my plans before my Heart Bonded gets herself killed, thus weakening me beyond repair.

“You need to do something,” she announces, her hands on her hips. She’s putting on a good front. She wants me to believe she’s stronger than she is, but I raised her. I know when her strength is real, and when it’s being faked. Right now, she’s terrified I’ll die. Terrified something will happen to my Heart Bonded. Terrified, she’ll be taken away from her life and have her freedom stolen.

Over my rotting corpse.

“I’m aware,” I sigh. I have nothing more to offer.

“Now,” she snaps, and I stare at her for a moment before I speak.

“I know…”

I just don’t know what the fuck I’m supposed to do about any of this. I have a plan, sure. But the players keep changing, and the game board keeps moving.

What does any of this mean? Why am I Heart Bonded to a woman who’s bonded to six other men? Powerful men. Fuck, maybe even seven others.

Lost princes, royal Fae, the last of the Dragons… fuck.

Bad things are coming for us all. That’s the only explanation.

Moon

As soon as Daire helps me to my feet, there's a thundering voice above us.

Both of us look up, searching for what could be coming next. I don’t know if shit’s about to fall from the sky or pop out of the ground. I’ve spent so much of my life preparing for this, and I have no idea what I’m doing.

It's so strange to have this voice filling the space around us when it seems like we’re out in the middle of nowhere.

The truth is we're inside a game. This game might be somewhere located in the Elven realm, but it is still a game.

Half of the games at my company were invented to simulate games played in the past Elven games.

I don't know how far Daire ran to get us here, but it doesn't seem like the other guys are going to be catching up anytime soon.

Maybe I shouldn't be happy about that, but I do feel a bit uncomfortable being alone out here with just Daire.

Not because Daire makes me uncomfortable, although he did just bite me. But because I'm unsure of what's gonna come next and when you're alone, you're the first target. At least, when you're surrounded by other people, there are other potential targets.

I wonder if Daire would be pissed if I metaphorically tossed him to the wolves and then ran. He’s standing super close to me, like he knows what I’m thinking, and keeps glancing in my direction. I’ve seen him lick his lips like four times, and I’m starting to get suspicious. Is he about to bite me again?

“Contestants will now face off in a one-versus-one competition. There will be six pairs of competitors. Six colors to represent the flag you’re to retrieve and to define your opponent. Green, red, blue, purple, orange, and white.”

“Whoever retrieves their flag first is the winner for that color. Loser will be immediately removed from the game. If the competitor with the same color as you dies, you will automatically win. However, this does not encourage you to kill your opponent. That will not result in a win.”

“But other contestants, and things living within the game, could contribute to the death of a competitor.”

“Again, do not kill anyone going for the same color flag as you. If someone else is threatening your life, though, all bets are off. After all, this is the Elven Tournament of Blood.”

The voice cuts out and in front of Daire and me, two flags appear. One white for me, and the other purple for Daire.

I let out a sigh of relief because I don't think I stood a chance against the Vampire. He’s too fast and has just fed. Something we haven’t addressed since someone I’ve never seen before in my life tossed him off me and then ran off. Of course, not before he gifted me another pebble and a freaking kiss.

“I'm glad I'm not going against you,” Daire says. He seems to have snapped back into that guarded nerdy type now that his glasses are back on.

“Yeah, me too. You're fast as fuck, and I don't think even my magic can keep up with you. Also, you should probably, you know, feed…” I shrug. “Not on me, not again, I mean in general.” Daire gives me a look that definitely says, yeah, no shit. “What I mean is, try to stay fed, and if you can’t find anyone else, then ask me again. At least for now. If it’s you and me in the end, I think you understand why I won’t be able to feed you,” I sigh. “I have to win,” I mumble, and Daire nods.

“I have to win too.” The way he looks at me makes some part of me ache. He doesn’t like the cruelty of the games any more than I do, but we both have our reasons. I watch him pat his pocket and wonder if he’s comforting himself the way I’ve started to with these pebbles. I don’t even know why. If my secret pebble gifter is the wild man who chucked Daire… Why should that be a comfort?

The silver pebble was just like the others, but maybe if he saw me admiring them, he just guessed I liked them? I don’t fucking know. Everything is a mess.

“Do you think the others are going to catch up?” I ask, looking back, but not actually sure what direction we got here from.

“I can hear them coming,” Daire says with a chin nod in the direction they must be coming from.

“You can hear them?” I ask, straining to focus on the quiet, but hearing nothing.

“Yeah, they're not exactly quiet; that, and they keep screaming your name. My hearing is already enhanced, but they sound like a stampede,” Daire chuckles.

“Why the fuck would they be coming for me? We are literally being pitted against each other right now. One of them could be my other white flag,” I ask, throwing my hands up. “Do you think they’re gonna like, I don’t know, save me for dinner in case they get hungry?” I ask, semi-serious.

“I think they’d definitely try to eat you,” Daire chuckles, smirking. “No more than I want to, though.”

“That was a bit creepy, my guy. Like… It felt like you were trying to insinuate they wanna fuck me, but you literally just bit me. So.” I hold my hand up, shaking it a bit. “Not exactly comforting.

“Moon, I think anyone attracted to women wants to fuck you. Unless they’re asexual. Which is valid, but my point is, if they like sex and find women arousing, they’re more than likely trying to fuck you.”

“That was… What’s your point exactly? They could still try to kill me. They could want both. I wasn’t asking if they wanted to fuck me first, I was asking if you thought I’d be their literal meal.” I shake my head and widen my eyes, hoping my face says ‘dummy’ so I don’t have to.

“You say the most off-the-wall shit sometimes,” Daire grumbles, walking away from me. “I can hear the arena, that way, for the flags.” Daire points to a dark area, and I wrinkle my nose. “I think that we're sectioned off. The 6 of us against 6 other competitors and for each maze arena, it's 6 against 6.” He looks up at the night sky and nibbles his lip.

“Are you nervous? What do you think's going to happen right now?” I whisper, and Daire shrugs.

“I don't know, but it is the Elven Tournament of Blood, so it can't be anything good. Probably some stuff trying to eat us. Traps. Bloodshed, of course. I know they say we’re not meant to die, but a fuck ton of people end up dying.”

“I remember watching Crow fight in his 3rd trial ten years ago. He decapitated someone within the first 10 minutes of the third trial.”

“Yeah, I know. I've seen the footage.”

“It was weird, though, because the guy he killed was trying to kill him. But not as if he cared about anything other than killing Crow.”

“Yeah, I remember that too. It was one of the strangest parts of his year. It seemed like he killed an abnormal amount of people. Maybe someone was sent in to kill Crow, rather than play the game, and when he failed, they sent in others.”

“I think maybe that's what's happening to me too! Someone else signed me up for the Games, and Crow explained that I didn't have a choice but to play. And then back after the first trial the guys I was with told me that there were two competitors aiming to kill me, or at least they were willing to quit if I was handed over to them, rather than trying to win the game.” I frown, thinking maybe I shouldn’t have just said any of that out loud.

“Let’s focus on this next trial and go from there. I’ll watch your back if you watch mine,” Daire offers, licking his lips, as his eyes wander to my bite mark. I quirk my brow at him.

“Just trying to keep me alive so you can eat another day, huh?” I snark, and he smirks.

“Something like that.”