Chapter 4

Four

Moon

“ O h shit, oh shit, oh shit!” I squeal, as I run for my fucking life through the maze. Good thing I wore sneakers today.

“On your six, baby girl!” the most infuriatingly sexy voice calls out, as he advances.

“Fuck off, Echo!” I holler back, as I push my body harder. If I had known Lust was going to have me play Ultradoom in the new Doom Room, I would have worn real pants! Thigh highs and booty shorts are not great for long-distance running. These are my cozy gaming clothes.

“Nice ass, Witchy Moon!” he shouts, gaining on me.

“This win is for you guys!” I shout, pointing at the camera that is magically trained on me. Have to give the audience what they want!

“Stop playing around, Moon, and finish the game!” Lust shouts through my headset. He knows full well that half of my job is entertaining the viewers, and the other half is playing the game.

“Everyone, let Lust know his sass is not appreciated. We’re trying to win a game here!” I talk directly to the camera, making sure my live audience feels included. They don’t pay me to ignore them. Everyone subscribed to my channel can also see Echo and Lust since both men are in the gaming room.

Echo is my arch nemesis, and Lust, or Marcellus as he’s called outside the game world, is the moderator. I have a tendency to cheat if given the chance, so Lust watches me closely. He’s such a party pooper.

What?! It’s so much fun to get away with it, and if I get caught? Still fun.

Because Marcellus is a Phoenix, every time I piss him off, just enough, he bursts into flames! It’s extremely entertaining. Sometimes, I cheat while playing against a high-value customer, just to watch his face get all red and angry.

“If you don’t move that curvy ass, Echo is going to catch up and steal your spotlight. Again,” Lust taunts me, and I growl in a very unladylike way, pushing stray purple hairs out of my eyes.

“He’s a cheater!” I accuse and hear the sneaky bastard laugh behind me. Shit, he’s way too close now. How did he catch up already? Sometimes I wonder if he’s more than just a Witch.

With one last leap, I launch myself at the giant red target that marks the end of the maze and slam into the wall seconds before Echo would have blasted me with a paint cannon.

Ultradoom is basically tag, paintball, and a maze dash all in one. With a few Witchy tricks thrown in. Like the damn cannon.

I’m panting, holding one hand up, and protecting myself from the paint splatter Echo had tried to demolish me with, when he steps up onto the platform.

“Ha, loser!” I tease. “Now you owe me lunch and a foot rub. Live!” I do a silly victory dance, and the gamer boy rolls his eyes at me.

I can only see half his face since the lower half is hidden behind a black mask with a skull face. This mask, much like the last one, covers him from the bridge of his nose, all the way down to his chest. Just like always. His vibrant magenta eyes glow as he stares at me in amusement.

I clear my throat, looking away from the attractive jerk when he pushes his jet-black hair away from his face. That's way too sexy for someone who is the literal bane of my existence. Okay, maybe not literally. But he is way too flirty and all around a pain in the ass.

“Sure thing, Moon, just let me know when you want me.” I don’t miss the suggestion in his tone, but I wave it off, looking back to my camera and smiling at my viewers.

“Okay guys, tune in today at noon for my next live! We’ll play Valor and Gangs, while Echo here gives me a foot rub!” I cut the camera off, hoping no one saw my blush. When I made the bet, I thought Echo having to rub my feet would be embarrassing for him, but I think maybe it’s only going to fuck with me. The man is way too attractive, even hidden under that mask.

It’s his energy, his swagger. He gives off this vibe like he doesn’t care about anything, so when his focus is fixed solely on me, butterflies dance inside my chest.

“Nervous?” the annoying man asks, as he steps in front of me, arms crossed over his chest, making his biceps bulge. The tight black shirt makes his colorful arm tattoos stand out even more. He’s so tall that I have to crane my neck back to meet his eyes when he’s this close.

“For?” I ask, grabbing a towel, and heading to the locker rooms. I worked up a sweat during that game and need a shower.

“Having my hands on your body, Witchy Moon.” The way he says my gamer tag is way too sexy, considering he’s only doing it to fuck with me.

“Oh, shut up,” I grumble, turning away and heading for the exit to the Doom room. I need to get cleaned up, so I can head up to my gaming studio, where I usually do most of my lives. Echo and I have the same job here at the largest magical gaming company.

Witching Games WonderRealm.

The only competitor is the Elven realm, whose magic is so damn impressive, they hold a competition every ten years, where the winner gets Elven crystals so rare, the only way to get your hands on one is to be in the royal family or to win the tournament. No other realm has access to them, and from what I understand, the Fae realm is very salty about this.

This will be my first year entering, and I will not be losing. I need those fucking crystals. I’ve heard rumors that the crystals are so valuable because they come from a secret realm that only trades with the Elves.

“See you in two hours, Moon,” Echo says, as we both leave the room, heading in separate directions.

“Sure,” I grumble, mentally scolding myself for not thinking that bet all the way through. That’s two bets this week. You’d think I’d learn my lesson by now.