Nine

Kili

W hen Moonlight's ex finally got the hint and took off running, I couldn’t help myself. How could I not chase down the man that frightened my Moonlight? Sure, she handled herself like the Goddess she is, but had she not, he would have hurt her. I can sense the nefarious intentions in his soul. No doubt the Phoenix did as well. He would have stepped in to protect Moon, but luckily, she didn’t need him to.

I’m not going to kill him or anything, don’t worry. I’m just gonna scare the fuck out of him, the same way he likes to scare women he perceives as weaker than him.

If I thought I could nibble off a limb or two, without killing him, I would.

I might be a killer, but I’m not a murderer. Mostly. I can feel the shadows in my soul dancing with the darkness inside me, and I snarl at the weasel.

My Moonlight doesn’t need anyone to defend her or fight for her honor. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to do it anyway.

I suppose this is more for me than it is for her since she’ll never know that I’m the one who’s dismembered him. I mean…not dismembering, uh…hunting him. Yeah, that's all. It’s just a little game. No blood.

At some point, I do wish to reveal myself to her, but there hasn't been a good time. Yet. And I’d rather not have to confess to the murder of her ex on our first face-to-face encounter.

Crow and I have had our work cut out for us since entering the games. Clearly, someone wants our Moon dead, just as my brother said.

I have my suspicions, and from what I can tell, Moon isn’t the only target. What I don’t know is precisely why. There’s more at work here than I realized.

Of course, ever since I found out about Moon, and who she is to me, I’ve spent a lot of time…well, stalking her basically.

I know I’m just one of many, and I also know Moon has the capacity to love all of us.

But I’ve kept my distance for her safety. I have a lot of enemies. But now that she needs my protection, maybe it’s time for her to know who I really am.

I’m still in my wolf form as I chase down the sack of shit known as Spencer. He’s caught on to the fact that I’m chasing him and is running like a ferret on two legs.

I’m about to pounce, so I can give him a proper scare, when the man suddenly disappears.

And by disappears I mean he falls off a fucking cliff.

I slide to a stop at the edge of the cliff and look down and watch as he tumbles down the side of it. He hits rocks and trees, and I swear I hear a very sickening crack. I cringe because even a hired killer can still be grossed out by that sound. That is punishment enough, I think. I’m not the one he has to worry about, after all. Teresa’s father makes me look like a dandelion.

My father broke my arm for the first time when I was just six years old. Not even I, as a six-year-old, screamed like that, though. Terrible sound. Distasteful.

When it’s clear he’s being eliminated, because you can't continue to play the game in the state that he’s now in, I move on. I mean, the games should have a rule, if someone is stupid enough to fall down a cliff on their own because they’re running away like a scaredy-cat, they deserve to be eliminated.

I don’t imagine the Tournament of Blood will be continuing after this year, though. At least, if my plans for the King go the way they’re meant to, who would continue to fund it? The new King, Tristan? Perhaps, if he did, he could turn this event into what it was originally meant to be. Just a game. No death.

The magic that creates this game, and sustains it, is quite fucking strong. But the King? He’s weak. He’s weak and pathetic. Once we make sure our Moonlight is safe, we'll dispose of him.

The Elven Realm isn’t the only realm that needs new leadership. I have a feeling my Moonlight has a greater purpose than any of us really understands yet.