Page 19

19

F aye

Just as our last plate is cleared off, Brock enters the ballroom and goes to stand in front of all of us. The din of conversation silences as all eyes turn to him. He’s wearing an elegant blue suit and his dark hair is combed back, making the sharp lines of his face stand out even more.

His gaze sweeps across the entire ballroom, as servants line up behind him. “We have a surprise late night game for all of you to enjoy. Tonight, we will be playing hide-and-seek. The groups you’re eating dinner with will be your partners for the night. Half the group will be hiders, and half the group will be seekers. If you stumble across members of other groups, simply ignore them and search for your own group members. No one is to go beyond the lawns. The woods are strictly off-limits, as are the rooms that belong to others. Each of you will be given a flashlight.” He nods, and the servants behind him step out, carrying little baskets, handing out flashlights to everyone at the tables. “When you have found all the members of your group, you may retire for the evening. Any questions?”

I glance around, but no one speaks.

“Good,” he says, rolling his neck. “Everyone with a silver flashlight will be a hider. Everyone with a blue flashlight will be a seeker. Enjoy your game!”

The flashlights are handed out at our table. Ezra and Cayson are given blue flashlights, so they’ll be looking for us, and Maverick, Xander, and I were given silver ones. Well, this should be interesting.

“We’re going to absolutely destroy you,” I tell Ezra and Cayson, grinning.

Xander’s bright blue eyes meet mine, and there’s nervousness in his face. “I believe I played such a game when I was little, but I don’t remember now.”

Confused, I ask, “You haven’t been around that game since?”

“Life is about survival. Not games,” he says, his brows wrinkling.

I look at Ezra and Cayson, concerned. My life was pretty strange, and even I played games as a child. What was his life like as a feral? It seems like he had a very different experience from Maverick.

Cayson reaches a hand out and grips his shoulder. “Hide and seek is like chasing a rabbit. You three will be the rabbits, and we’ll be the wolves. Once we find you, we win.”

“Although it’s all for fun,” Maverick adds, grinning. “We don’t need any fights to the death here.”

I laugh.

Xander looks a little more relaxed. “Hunting rabbits. This I understand.”

Everyone has already started getting up from their tables and heading to the door. Well, at least the hiders are rushing out the door. The seekers are lingering around the tables, giving them time to hide.

“Well, it looks like it’s our turn to hide,” I say, nodding to Maverick and Xander.

They stand up too, and Cayson and Ezra watch us leave, amusement on their faces. That’s the difference between wolves and humans playing this game: humans can’t smell their prey and follow their trail the way we can. At least that’s what I heard. We’ll have to be careful not to leave our scent everywhere, or we’ll be caught in no time.

When we make it outside, I say, “We should split up, so we’re harder to find.”

Xander frowns. “But I want to stay close to you.”

My heart flutters. “It’ll only be for the game.”

He looks disappointed.

Unable to help myself, I move closer, putting my hand on his arm. Leaning up, he instinctively leans down, and I plant a kiss on his cheek. “Don’t worry. It won’t be for too long.”

He rewards me with one of his rare smiles. The ones that light up his eyes and seem to shed years from his age. Because although Xander looks young, there’s something in his eyes that speaks of a much older man.

Drawing away from him, I instantly decide where I’m going to go. The greenhouse. “Good luck to you,” I say, turning on my flashlight and heading down the stairs.

I don’t watch where they go. I’m too excited to go to my perfect hiding place. There aren’t a lot of things to leave my scent on along the way, with the neatly trimmed paths, so I think I have a solid chance of winning this game.

The darkness of the night closes in around me. For a while, I see flashlights bouncing in every direction. But as I keep going to the lesser known area of the greenhouse, the flashlights disappear, and it’s just me, alone with my light. The wind picks up, and instead of bringing a welcoming chill, it just leaves a chill.

I’m biting my lip by the time I reach the greenhouse. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea. Maybe I should go back where the others are. Except, this is a game. I’m supposed to end up alone, so I don’t get caught. I’m worrying too much, not that anyone could blame me after all I’ve been through, but not everything is dangerous. Not everything has to be scary and horrible.

Entering the greenhouse, I go until I reach the back corner, where I find a stool. Sitting down, I breathe a sigh of relief. As beautiful as the pale blue dress is, it’s also very heavy. And these shoes aren’t the most comfortable to walk in.

Flicking off my light, I wait, alone in the dark. Minutes tick by. My anxiety starts to creep back up. I angrily try to push it away. All I want is to be normal. I want to go back to the way I was before, when I didn’t have anxiety. When, if I was worried like this, I’d know it was my instincts, and I should listen to them. Now, with anxiety warning me about everything , I can’t trust it to tell me when I’m truly in danger. And I can’t imagine I’m in danger in this greenhouse.

I see a flashlight outside the greenhouse. It bounces around in the dark. Holding my breath, I wait, wondering if it’s Cayson and Ezra, or if it’s some other seeker mistakenly coming to find me.

“ Faye ,” Kurt calls, his voice dark and playful.

My blood turns to ice. No, no this can’t be happening.

Water rushes in my ears and my heart hammers. I squeeze the flashlight as hard as I can, willing myself to calm down. It's okay. I can get away from him. Just not if I'm trapped in the greenhouse.

The flashlight continues to bounce around, probably checking the bushes and trees. He might have picked up my scent, but I was careful. He won’t know where I am, at least not right off the bat.

As silently as possible, I climb off the stool and duck down. Crawling on my hands and knees, I try to make my way back to the door of the greenhouse. I don’t want him to see my shadow, or my movement.

But if he reaches the door before I do, I’ll be right near him, right within his grasp. And I can’t be. I need to be faster than him, and silent.

Creeping along, trying not to breathe too deeply or let my heart race too loudly, I keep going. I’m aware of the light near me, of the shadows and the light fighting as his flashlight moves around.

I should’ve stayed closer to the others. I should have hidden with Xander or Maverick. It was foolish of me to think he wouldn't try to find me when I was alone and vulnerable.

I’m berating myself, trying to fight off the terror that’s threatening to swallow me at just the awareness that Kurt is so close and that I’m alone. Kurt, a man capable of murder, a man I’ve pissed off over and over again. A man who was humiliated tonight. It’s strange just how confident I’ve become when I’m around my guys, and upsetting to realize how vulnerable I actually am the second I’m out of their protection.

Glancing up at the row of plants I’m behind, I realize I’m nearly to the door. It’s also the same moment that I realize Kurt’s light has disappeared. There’s only darkness now. I want to believe that means he’s left, and that I’m safe, but I just don’t think I’m lucky.

The end of the row of plants is just up ahead. The door just beyond that. All I have to do is reach that door, and then I’ll have room to run. A chance to be seen by others if he tries to hurt me.

Crawling a few more steps forward, I reach the end of the row of plants and peek out. My eyes land on something, something I’m not sure about as the shadows separate themselves, and then horror uncurls within my belly. I’m staring at legs.

My gaze slowly moves up, and I see Kurt smiling down at me.

A tremble rolls through me, and I don’t move, frozen in horror. I hope against all hope that I’ve conjured up this image of Kurt from my nightmares, and that he’s not really standing in front of me.

“Hello, Faye,” he greets, his voice low and pleased. “You’re exactly where I want you to be.”

He reaches forward and flicks open the button on his pants, then slides down his zipper.

“No,” I say, terror grasping me tightly. “Leave me alone. Just get away from me. Please. Please. I don’t want this.”

His smile widens, and he reaches out, but he doesn’t quite touch me. “Yes, you do. Believe me, Faye, I’m not doing this for me. After all you’ve done to me, the only thing I want to do to you is teach you a lesson. Remind you of your place.”

I start crying. I can’t help myself. Broken sobs come over me. I need to yell. I know I need to, but I’m just so scared.

A large shadow rises up behind Kurt, and before I can comprehend what's happening, Kurt’s suddenly dragged back from me. He makes a shrill, surprised sound that's abruptly cut off into nothing.

I brush back my tears and see Xander with his arm around Kurt’s neck, squeezing with all his might. His expression is something worse than anger, something darker and more dangerous.

Kurt flails about, clawing at the arm with his nails, but Xander is someone else. Something else. His expression is dark and intense. His mouth is drawn into a firm line.

I try to stand but fall several times, my legs shaking too badly to support myself. I finally make it to my feet. All I want is for Xander to hold me, but he’s still squeezing Kurt’s neck. I find myself standing, watching as the life drains out of Kurt. His panic is so similar to the panic I saw on my brother’s face.

I’m ashamed to admit it, but I like watching him. I like seeing him be taught a lesson that he’s not as strong as he thinks. That he only thinks he’s strong because he picks on the weak.

And then he stops flailing. His arms fall at his side. And I imagine a world without him in it, and it eases something deep inside of me.

But then I think about what will happen to Xander, and it snaps me out of my fantasy. “Xander, you have to let him go.”

Xander doesn’t react.

I take a step closer. “Xander, you’re killing him. You have to let him go.”

“He was going to rape you,” he grinds out.

I move closer and rest a hand on the arm around Kurt’s throat. The asshole’s eyes have rolled back in his head. He's passed out. “If you kill him, they will punish you. You won’t be able to be my mate. They’ve already tossed you out of your pack, so they’ll probably kill you. I can’t handle that, Xander. I need you. Please don’t hurt me.”

His gaze meets mine. “I could never hurt you.”

“So let him go.”

He does, dropping the man on the ground like a sack of potatoes. Stepping around him, he holds me closely as Kurt gasps on the ground. “I–I don’t want him to live.”

“I don’t want him to live either, but I love you more than I hate him.”

He pulls back from me. “You love me?”

Damn it. I hadn’t meant to say that. I don’t want to play with his heart. The thing is, I don’t know what I want any more. Could I even walk away from these men now? They feel like my heart and soul.

Something is wrong with me.

“I–I care for you,” I say.

He sweeps me into his arms and carries me out of the greenhouse. And it’s weird how safe I feel in his arms. I barely know him, but it’s like Cayson and Ezra unlocked something inside of me, and once that door was open, all four of these men came running in.

Up ahead, I hear Cayson say, “You guys are terrible at hiding.”

Lights fall on us, and I wince before the lights are lowered.

“What’s wrong?” Ezra asks, a concerned note to his voice.

“ Kurt ,” Xander hisses with all the venom in the world.

“Where is he?” Maverick asks softly, and there’s a threat in his voice.

I try to look at them. All three of them are tense and ready, and I know if I say the word, they’ll end this thing with Kurt once and for all. Which will lead to me finally being done with Kurt, and some kind of terrible consequence to these men.

“Xander almost killed him. He learned his lesson. Can you please just take me back to my room?”

Ezra draws his shoulders back. “I’ll go to Lance’s room and report this.” Then he hesitates, running his fingers through his hair. “But with Kurt’s father, and how they’ve been taking his side about you not spending time with Kurt, I suspect they’ll sweep this under the rug again as an alpha getting too excited. Especially since ‘only’ a feral and an omega saw it happen. I’ll make it clear to them that if all they intend to do is make him apologize again, to not bother.”

“Agreed,” Cayson says. “At least this will be in their files.”

Xander looks shocked. “This truly can’t be how things work. Packs are supposed to be more civilized than ferals. Kurt would die for what he did here today.”

“When you’re powerful, you’re untouchable,” Maverick murmurs, and we all get quiet, his words sinking between us.

No one moves for a painfully long moment, then Cayson says, “How about I have the dessert cart taken to my room, and we all have a treat before we take you to your room?”

He just wants to make sure I’m alright. “Okay,” I say.

We head back to the castle, my men flanking me like I’m something important. My heart eases a little. There were so many things I missed about my brother, but I think one of the biggest things was having someone I could trust completely.

Somehow, I have that again.