Page 15 of Insanium (Devil’s Playground)

“Then let’s not make it easy for them,” I replied, pushing forward with renewed determination. Aisha’s hand was still clamped tightly around mine, her presence a small comfort in the madness. The woods seemed to stretch on forever, each twist and turn ramping up my irritation.

Seriously, what was the deal? If they wanted us to learn something about being prey, they were targeting the wrong demographic. We were here to become hunters, not the hunted, no matter what twisted lesson they thought they were teaching.

Kristy suddenly slowed, pressing a finger to her lips. She pointed through the trees to a structure just visible in the distance—some kind of shed or garage. Cautiously, we crept towards it.

“There’s a side door,” Juno whispered, her voice barely audible.

Moving as silently as we could, we approached the door and found it unlocked.

Kristy surprisingly stepped in first. From our short stint together, I’d already clocked she wasn’t the type to be daring or bold about anything unless it involved running her mouth.

I exchanged a wary look with Aisha as we followed.

Inside, the place was rather unimpressive.

There were no hidden treasures or secret exit routes.

All that was left to see were stacked totes, a riding lawn mower, a wall filled with various garden tools, and an area where chains dangled from the ceiling, ending in sharp hooks.

On second thought, those were rather nifty.

“Looks like we found one of their storage spots,” I murmured, my eyes sweeping across the room for anything that might spell trouble.

Aisha nodded in agreement, her gaze sharp and assessing.

Juno eased the door shut with a gentle nudge, her voice hushed but with a hint of optimism. “Well, at least the windows are covered,” she pointed out, nodding toward the boards that only partially obscured the glass.

“Or this is exactly where they wanted us to end up,” Kristy interjected, her voice flat as she moved toward the wall lined with garden tools. “Or maybe I just led us all into a trap.”

I raised an eyebrow, a half-smile tugging at my lips. “Kristy, I doubt you’re that cunning.”

She glanced back over her shoulder, smirking with mock indignation. “Oh, but I am,” she declared, her tone playful yet laced with a hint of challenge.

“All things considered, she did point this out,” Aisha lilted.

I shrugged, keeping my eyes on Kristy. “You’re right. She seems oddly proud of it, too.”

Kristy stopped fiddling with a particularly nasty-looking pair of shears and faced us squarely. “I don’t think you’re taking this seriously,” she accused, her voice tight.

“Oh, I take Judicium very seriously,” I replied, brushing off her concern with a wave of my hand. “I’m just not overly worried about your little villain monologue right now. Can we wrap this up? I need to go find my better half.”

Kristy’s expression soured. “Everyone thinks you’re a psycho, Kennedy.”

“Me? That title’s already been claimed by my brother.”

“Him too. That sick freak should be—”

“Hey now, aren’t we all just sick little freaks? Who else would willingly participate in this twisted kind of entertainment?” Aisha cut in again.

I leaned in, a playful smirk spreading across my face.

“Psycho and sick freak? What’s this, Kristy?

Are you in love with him too? I hate to be the bearer of bad news.

Wait, actually, I fucking love it, because there’s no way I’d let you be my sister-in-law.

My brother already has his sights set on someone. ”

Her expression became something akin to horrified, and I was starting to feel a bit insulted. My brother may have been a sick freak and a tiny bit psychotic, but that only made him more of a great fucking catch.

“Then I hope she has friends. That poor, poor girl.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?” I took a small step forward, and she immediately straightened.

“Blaire,” she practically spat at me.

“What? No. Her’s names—”

“No, you dumb bitch. Blaire Sainte.”

I titled my head. “Did you just call me dumb?”

“She’s clearly lost her damn mind.” Aisha took a step closer to me while Juno wisely stayed off to the sidelines.

“No, you don’t get it.” Kristy twisted and grabbed the shears.

“She was my best friend.” Her voice broke, and she took two steps back toward me.

“He convinced her to slit her wrists to prove she really loved him. You think that’s normal?

” she questioned, coming slightly closer.

“You think it’s okay he makes all the girls he didn’t love kill themselves? ”

“That’s not remotely true. Juno is still alive, and he most certainly didn’t love her.”

“Thanks for that,” Juno deadpanned, then softened her tone. “Kristy, I know you’re upset, but this isn’t the way to handle it.”

For fuck’s sake. I just wanted to continue my Judgment. I knew there was a chance I’d have to deal with some shady shit, but this was just ridiculous. Ky owed me a big one.

“Kristy, can I be honest?” I side-stepped so I wasn’t within swinging distance of her pointed garden tool. “I don’t give a single fuck.”

“What?”

“She doesn’t care,” Aisha clarified. “And quite frankly, neither do I, and Juno’s just pretending to. We aren’t here for this relationship drama. You could’ve done this literally anywhere else.”

“You know I wouldn’t have been able to get anywhere near her.”

“Well, that goes without saying. It’s not like your weak ass can do much now, either,” Aisha quipped.

“I’m not the one that made your friend delusional as fuck. Why is it me you’re trying to lecture? Not that I would let you so much as breathe on my brothers.”

This seemed to be her trigger. She charged at Aisha, then changed course last second and came at me with the garden shears, her movements sharp and desperate. I danced back, the blades whispering past my clothing.

“Come on, Kristy. Don’t make me do this,” I warned, my voice steady despite the adrenaline pumping through my veins.

She wasn’t listening.

With a wild cry, she attacked again, swinging the shears with more force. I caught her wrist mid-swing, twisting it back. Pain flashed across her face, but she was relentless. Our struggle became a violent tango, the cold floor of the shed on our stage.

I ducked under another swipe, grabbing her arm and using her momentum to spin her around. Kristy stumbled but recovered quickly, her anger giving her a surprising amount of strength. She kicked, catching me off-guard and knocking the wind out of me. I staggered back, pain flaring in my side.

“Not bad,” I gasped, regaining my footing. “But you’re gonna have to do better than that.”

Kristy sneered and came at me again. This time, I was ready.

I sidestepped, grabbed her arm again as it came down, and twisted sharply.

The shears clattered to the ground. Aisha was immediately there, kicking them away with a clang that echoed through the silent garage.

Before Kristy could recover, I pushed her hard against the wall, pinning her there with my forearm against her throat. I had no mercy for her.

She clawed at me, trying to free herself.

During her struggle, the door banged open.

Two masked men rushed in, their appearance momentarily freezing everyone in place.

Kristy took advantage of the distraction, shoving me away with surprising force.

She scrambled toward Juno, seizing her and pulling her back as a human shield just as the masked figures advanced.

“Get the fuck off me,” Juno snarled, elbowing Kristy in an attempt to dislodge her grasp.

Both men paused, reassessing the sudden struggle before them.

With calculated movements, one of them kicked the door shut, sealing us in.

Something about the way he moved—a certain familiarity in his stride—caught my attention.

The other figure, moving with deliberate calm, reached up and pulled off his mask, revealing a face I knew all too well.

Eryx Draven.

“Oh, motherfucker. I knew you two were up to something.” I took a defensive step back, Aisha quickly aligning herself beside me, her expression a mix of wariness and curiosity.

Eryx smirked before fixing his gaze on Kristy, an unreadable expression playing across his features. “Let’s handle this little issue first. Then, you and I need to have a chat.” His voice was cool, the threat unmistakable.