Page 40

YOU GOT PLAYED, PLAYA

THADDEUS

Lunch was a fairly quick affair because we had to get as much energy generating food into our bodies as possible before our next class. This one is bound to be easier than the last few—for one, the instructors aren’t sniveling humans looking down their noses at us.

The bigger plus is that we get to fight and wield weapons.

I’m not violent by nature, though my bear is certainly protective enough of those I care about to decimate anyone who deserves it. My sleuth leader has always wanted me to embrace the animal side more, stand up to things to help the cubs, and be ready to take his position someday. I’m just not that guy, though. Being the leader wouldn’t be horrible if they didn’t expect me to fend off new alpha bears or fight with other species for shit when needed. I can do it, and I’d probably win, but I simply dislike violence as the solution to problems.

The only exception to that is sitting next to me inhaling her tray of food like they’re going to go back to limiting our rations later in the day. Sydney’s never been girly, though I wouldn’t mind if she was. From the moment we met, I’ve felt this pull to her that makes every cell in my body hum with satisfaction. So I honestly wouldn’t care if she was covered in pink from head to toe, poured into leather, or wearing a fucking purple dinosaur costume. She’s just the best girl I’ve ever met and I’m happy to be in her orbit, even if she barely realizes I’m a dude.

Which is pretty accurate most days, unfortunately.

“I’m looking forward to fighting with you guys again,” Rory says, as he sucks down a protein smoothie. “The dragon is pretty fucking great at the physical angle. It’s like I actually learned shit.”

Elias grunts, shrugging as he leans back in his chair. He just ate enough meat to feed a small family for two days and didn’t look full in the slightest. “We are trained to battle from the moment we can walk, especially those of us destined for leadership and the defense forces.”

“Imagining a small dragon toddler wielding a sword bigger than him is kind of amusing,” Huck drawls before he belches a smoky puff of air. I have no idea what he was eating or how demons digest, but the weird smoke is interesting. “Is that accurate in the slightest? Please tell me it is, Your Highness.”

A heavy sigh escapes the dragon’s mouth as he gives the playful demon an annoyed look. “They had appropriate gear for younglings. We didn’t look like cartoon characters, Monroe.”

Sydney coughs, covering her mouth as she tries not to choke on her third sandwich. Once she’s got it under control, she grins at the grumpy lizard. “I don’t know, big guy. That image is pretty fun. You sure it’s not right? Like really sure?”

He frowns at her, then shakes his head. “It is not, little rebel. Even if it would please you, I cannot lie about it. If it will suffice, I will instruct you on using a broadsword as I did when I was young.”

Damn. That’s a solid offer and we should all strive to get him to extend it.

“Hmmm. I think I might enjoy that, Elias. Offer accepted.”

Sebastian mutters something under his breath, and I smirk. He knows how to fight with that weapon as well, and the dragon has undercut him. I watch the bloodsucker sip from his innocuous mug carefully, unsure how I feel about his barely contained interest in Sydney. Huck and I aren’t stupid—we know these dudes find her attractive. We also know she’s been intentionally sheltered from dating and sex by her own choice the entire time we’ve lived in Tempest Seven. I’m not sure she gets that they’re gunning for her for real anymore than she understood how obsessed the demon and I have been.

“I’m better with magic, alas, sweet pea. However, I believe the mage and I will be downright indispensable when the time comes.” Huck gives her his best country boy smile, the Stetson tipped back on his forehead as he smiles at her.

That son of a bitch is good at making himself look adorable and sweet when he wants to.

“Have you guys noticed the atmosphere in here?” Rory interrupts as he leans forward on his elbows. “It’s oddly quiet, yet I feel like there’s a thousand eyes on us.”

I blink, thinking about his question as I pretend to leisurely sweep my eyes over the room as I turn to Syd. The mage is right; there’s an ominous feel to the cafeteria and the lack of noise around us is weird. People are talking, but they’re keeping it quiet in their various groups. Occasionally, I see someone’s gaze flicker to our table, then away quickly. Something is going on, and I was too busy overthinking our relationship with Sydney to notice.

“Yes,” Sebastian says as he continues drinking with a bland expression. “I’ve been monitoring it, but I haven’t caught the whispers. Apparently, our fellow competitors are using their skills to obfuscate the surrounding sound. That’s not a good sign.”

Grimacing, I look over at Dante, then Huck, who both nod. They haven’t heard anything, either, then. “They could just be strategizing. It wouldn’t be a good idea to let everyone hear what they’re planning.”

“One does not plan in public places, bear.”

The dragon is right; I was just hoping this wasn’t actually a problem. “Fine. They’re purposefully gossiping behind spells and whatnot. Since the teams have barely interacted, what the hell is their problem?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because we’re all so pretty?” The mage chuckles, then frowns when we all roll our eyes at him. “Look, I wanted you guys to pay attention, but I doubt it’s anything serious. If it was, whatever it was would have made its way to our feet long before the end of lunch. Right?”

Sebastian nods, setting his mug down to steeple his fingers together as he leans in. “Stormbringer is probably correct. Violence would have erupted quickly, rather than simmering for an hour. We will need to keep our ears open as we head down to the gym. Someone will be stupid enough to let it slip outside of their safe zone. We’re not surrounded by evil geniuses, after all.”

Perfect. Just add another thing to the plate—why not?

As we head for the elevators, my entire body is on alert. I hate this kind of tension; it makes everyone and everything in the vicinity feel like a threat. That riles up my bear, and he’s a grumpy fuck when he gets territorial. It’s why I try to stay calm and placid all the time—I don’t want to be on the edge constantly.

“I’m useless with this shit,” Sydney mutters as she stabs the elevator button with her finger. “If I don’t get whatever I’m supposed to have before these things start, I might lose my fucking mind. I hate feeling like the weak link even more than I hate being violated by my captors.”

This way, madness lies; time for a subject change.

“Syd, you’re great hand-to-hand. Even Brick and Lancaster said so,” I say. She rolls her eyes at me, and I smile guilelessly. “Come on. You’re doing well with accepting the changes; don’t backslide.”

“Ugh.” Sydney wrinkles her nose and crosses her arms over her chest as we wait for the ding of the doors opening. “Fine. I’ll try not to let this bother me because I get to beat on you dicks soon.”

“That’s the spirit,” Rory chirps and her arm snakes out to punch his arm before he can blink. “Niiiiiice speed there, Vicious. See? You’re getting some powers, just slowly. That was fast as hell.”

“He’s right, sweet pea.” Huck winks at our girl, holding his hand out when the bell signals the elevator’s arrival. “Now let’s go. We need to get changed before class begins.”

“You know, forcing us to wear different uniforms to various things is a waste of time and money.” Sydney walks into the car, waiting for the rest of us to join her. When Dante blocks other teams from joining us with a snarl, she chuckles softly. “I guess that’s one way to keep people talking about us, big guy.”

“I see no reason to allow them in our space if they are plotting something.”

His shrug is nonchalant, but I recognize the protective spark in his eyes. The dragon might be pragmatic, but he’s also quite good at keeping his natural instincts under wraps. Out of the entire team, what I know about his kind—besides their legendary tempers and tendency to hoard things—is that they are fiercely possessive of what they consider theirs. It feeds into the hoarding, I’m sure, but it extends to other beings as well. Elias showed his hand just then, and I bet the others saw it, too.

“He has a point,” I offer, hoping to show the enormous man that I’m on his side. The knowing smirk on his face tells me he understands, and I reach out to push the buttons. “But we’re not going anywhere if we’re all too distracted to remember simple shit.”

“I’m stuck in the middle,” Sydney complains. “How am I supposed to get through the wall of muscle and testosterone mist?”

Chuckling, Rory reaches out to tug her braid lightly. “Very true. Point to you this time.”

Her eyes narrow as she pulls her hair closer to her body. “If we’re keeping score, you’re all in the negative. Keep that in mind.”

“No fair, darlin’. I’ve been accommodating as hell. Where did I lose points?”

“Hey, wait!”

“Excuse me, but?—”

They all scramble to correct her and I just stay quiet, smiling smugly as she growls. I’m smart enough to know she was baiting us and if we protested, she was going to use that to deduct more fake points for being annoying. Sydney turns to look at me, her lips curved fondly. “Thad wins this round. He knew better than to irritate me by whining. You all need to take your cues from him.”

Ha. Suck it, losers.

“Judas, Lilith, and Lucifer…” Huck grumbles as he smacks his forehead. “I walked right into that one like a damn freshly summoned darkling, I swear.”

“Sure did, buddy.” I wink at him, waiting for Sydney to turn away and then make a victorious face at my friend. “Classic blunder, really.”

“I thought that was starting a land war in Asia,” Stormbringer mumbles as he rakes his hands through his golden locks. “Alright. Don’t irritate Vicious is rule number one—got it.”

The vampire taps his fingertips against his lips, looking thoughtful. “Seems like that rule is rather open to interpretation. I’m not sure it’s an achievable goal.”

“Maybe for you, fang face. The others might be able to do it,” she counters. “I like this points thing. I might just keep it. It’s like a demerit system for jackasses.”

I groan softly and she whirls around to look at me reproachfully. My smile is sheepish when our eyes meet. “Syd, I’m not saying it’s impossible , but I am saying it’s not really an objective measurement. You can be a little… volatile sometimes.”

“Ten point deduction for you, Thaddy. Nice job canceling out your victory, man.”

We all look at one another over her head, our expressions equally grim as the ding of the elevator announces the bottom level. Huck moves aside, letting Sydney walk past him with her head held high, then shrugs. “Looks like we hoisted ourselves by our petards, gentleman. This should be interesting.”