Page 33

“ I f you don’t complete this course in ten minutes or less, your mates will not be allowed to compete in the war games.”

The sun beats down my back as the Shadow instructor’s words play over and over in my head as I push my body to keep moving through the assault course.

Apparently being mates makes us a team. And as a team we all have to pass our trials and tests.

But I know it’s really payback for what they did to General Reed. And even though they annoy the hell out of me, I can’t take another thing away from them. Not when it was technically my fault they went after the general.

I’ve slacked on my training the last while, but I know I can do this. It’s just ten minutes, and I can already do it in twelve. If I keep practicing every day and build up my endurance, I can cut it down to ten easily.

At least that’s what I tell myself the third go around. But I still can’t get it down even half a minute.

It’s not crawling through the trip wires, nets, and tunnels that’s holding me back. Or balancing on the stepping stones and balance beam. Or climbing the sloped and high walls.

It’s the jungle ropes after the two-meter-deep pit of water and mud that always slows me down.

After the first time, the ropes are too slick with mud, and the obstacle is nearer to the end, making it harder to finish with exhaustion setting in.

While trying to slow my breathing down, I sip on some water and try to figure out a way to make myself faster on the other obstacles. Maybe if I?—

“Why are you pushing yourself so damn hard?” Knox shouts over to me, making me jolt.

I glance over, spotting the four of them heading my way, and keep my groan to myself.

They reach me in minutes, all staring from my sweating body to the obstacle course behind me.

Theon frowns. “You’ve been at this for hours every day since we came back. Why?”

I shrug not wanting to tell them. I still need to pass this to get my privileges, but if they knew the real reason I was pushing so hard, they’d just freak out and it will only bring us more trouble.

“I want to pass it.”

Knox is the one to frown now. “You want those privileges this bad?”

“I didn’t grow up in the academy. I feel like I just woke up here one day without a choice. I want to see the normal world. So yeah, I want those privileges.”

Malakai must see something in my expression, because instead of blowing up like he normally does, he nods. “Okay.” He turns and heads over to the start of the obstacle course. “Let’s go.”

“What are you doing?” I ask as they all start heading towards the start of the course.

“Let’s do it together,” Cyrus says. “Technically we’re supposed to be training you anyway.”

“I don’t know. The last time you all told me you were going to train me, I ended up in a pit of mud and left alone in the forest,” I remind them, making sure they never forget.

Instead of feeling any type of remorse or regret like they should, they smile like it’s a fond memory. While Knox outright laughs.

I move over to them just as a mischievous expression spreads across Knox’s face. “I find the best way to stay motivated is with rewards. So, let’s make it interesting.” His eyes flicker to the others before finding mine. “What do you say, Sena? Up for a little game?”

I narrow my eyes on him. “Depends. Are you going to trick me again?”

Cyrus smiles. “We promise you the only tricks we have up our sleeve are those you’ll enjoy.”

I was probably going to regret this. But… “Fine. What’s the rules? Also, you have to make it harder for you four. I’ve seen you work through your obstacle course. And this is like a baby in comparison.”

Knox thinks on it for a minute. “You get a head start. And we have to do it twice.”

Okay. That seems doable. I nod. “What happens if I don’t beat you all?”

He tries to hide his cocky smirk with the others. But fails miserably. “You have to spend two hours with whoever wins and do whatever they want.”

That could literally be anything.

“It won’t involve anything that would hurt you. Or anything we think you wouldn’t enjoy,” Cyrus amends, making me feel slightly better about the mistake I’m about the make.

“What do I get?” I ask.

“What do you want?” Malakai asks.

“How about two hours from each of you, to do whatever I want?” I have four mates; it would be unfair of me to only choose one.

They all give me an amused look but agree to my terms.

“Fine. Any other rules?” I ask.

“Nope,” Knox says with an excited expression on his face.

Stepping up to the start of the obstacle, I take off my baggy top to reveal the small, tight sports bra underneath.

Muttered curses and groans ring around me, making me smile. They’re already distracted, and I need an advantage.

Just as I’m about to start, I hear the rustle of clothes. Glancing over, I freeze when I spot all four guys taking off their tops, leaving their god-like bodies on display.

Wolfish grins spread across their faces when they see me watching.

“We’re all about equality. Since you were gracious enough to give us something hot to look at, we thought we’d return the favor,” Knox says.

“You think you’re all hot?” I ask, raising a brow while trying to be subtle about checking them out.

“I don’t need to. Your eyes are fucking me right now,” he smirks.

I guess I wasn’t so subtle after all.

Trying to ignore them, I turn and make a run for it and climb over the tilted wall, get past the stepping stones and balancing beam, and start my crawl under the trip wire before they start moving.

I make it under the trip wire and head under the start of the thick crawling net next when I feel something behind me.

There’s no way… A hand touches my leg, making me pause. A body slides up and over me while making me feel every hard inch of it.

I bite my lip, trying to stop the groan from slipping past my lips.

“Don’t mind me,” Malakai whispers, his voice husky. He pauses when his body is completely over me and then drops and grinds into me with a chuckle and a whispered ‘fuck’.

Leaning down, he whispers in my ear. “You’d want to get moving or those two hours are mine ,” he growls, and it sends a shiver of anticipation down my spine.

“Good to know, baby,” he whispers and places a kiss on my head before lifting his body and climbing over me.

I snap out of my heated daze and get moving before any of the others try the same thing.

Heading for the high wall, I find a grip and get moving. Just as I take my next step, a hand coils around my ankle, stopping me.

I glance down to find Cyrus wearing a heated look before he climbs up over me. Just like Malakai, he leans into me, making sure I feel every hard inch of him, including his very large, hard length as it sits against my ass.

“There’s a whole damn wall beside you,” I remind him while trying to think of anything other than him, his giant dick, and the way my body is becoming overheated.

He leans into me, his length brushing along my ass, making me gasp.

“But you’re not over there,” he breathes before placing a kiss on my neck and climbing up over me.

They’re working together. They have to be.

I eventually get up over the wall and move onto the long tunnel before coming out to the dreaded mud pit and freeze. It’s a lot muddier than it was a moment ago. As if someone filled it with water. It looks a little deeper too.

I glance around looking for the others. It had to be one of them.

Groaning to myself, I bend down and drop into it. I make it to the other side, about to climb up and over the lip when hands curl around me from behind before sliding up and down my body.

Fuck. These men are going to be the death of me.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I ask, but my voice comes out all breathy.

“Just returning the massage you gave me,” Knox says with an innocent smile.

I narrow my eyes on him, not believing a word as he chuckles. I miss the mischievous glint in his eyes a second too late as he drags me back to the start of the pit and makes a run for it.

“You cheater!” I call out as I try to rush after him.

“We already declared the rules,” he shouts from over his shoulder. “You should have been more specific.”

I quickly glance around looking for all of them. Malakai and Cyrus are sabotaging one another, trying to get ahead of the other, but wear huge grins as they do it while Knox rushes through the rest of the obstacles like it’s nothing to him before rounding back to the start.

But I don’t spot Theon anywhere.

Blocking them all out, I focus on finishing off the end of the course. I may not have made it in the ten minutes I’m supposed to when getting through this, but there’s no way I’m going to let them win this little bet.

I swipe my hands down my leggings, trying to wipe as much of the mud off as I can before climbing the wooden steps up to the jungle of ropes.

Balancing on the sliver of rope, I grab onto each knotted rope hanging above and move as quickly as I can.

I’m halfway there, already seeing myself making it when long dark shadows whip out and coil around my arms and legs stopping me, holding me in place.

I glance behind me to find Theon making his way towards me, a wicked grin on his face.

I’m overheated from all their teasing, frustrated at myself for not doing better, and annoyed that they all do this with ease while I struggle on each step.

“You’re all fucking cheaters!” I tell him, and he chuckles as he easily makes his way to me.

His shadows slowly slide up and around my legs to my thighs. The ones around my arms snake up and around my shoulders before curling down and under my breasts.

I’m so distracted by the slight brush of pain and pleasure they bring that I don’t realize how close Theon is until he’s standing right behind me.

“You like that, don’t you?” he whispers as the shadows on my thighs slowly move upward. “You like that fine line of pain and pleasure.”

“Theon…” I gasp as his shadows curl around my breasts and tighten.

“I love it when you say my name, but I can’t wait to hear you scream it,” he growls.