Page 1

one

MOLLY

I collapsed on the couch and stared up at the ceiling for a good long minute. Everything was packed, and there was no longer any reason to delay the inevitable. I’d said goodbye to everyone at work the day before, and hugged my grandma tightly after she fed me dinner that night.

It was barely six in the morning, but in a few minutes, I’d be in an armored vehicle.

And on my way to the Fae Bachelorette mansion.

Fae, as in magical beings. Some of them could change into animals, while others had dangerous mental magic.

They had come out of hiding and saved the day when us humans nearly ended the world with nuclear warfare a few years earlier. Afterward, they offered their price for letting us return to normal life:

Mates.

As in, wives.

And husbands.

But mostly wives.

Most fae were men, thanks to their screwy genetics.

Said screwy genetics required them to take mates in order to become immortal, so all of them wanted someone to hook up with.

After the war ended, every human under twenty-five had their blood tested. Most people received a clean bill of health, saying that the fae required nothing from them.

But some of us didn’t.

And I was one of those.

Their ridiculous Fae Bachelorette TV show had begun airing immediately. They gave the compatible human women a month to choose between a dozen fae guys. Most humans had become obsessed with watching it ever since.

Myself not included.

Knowing I was going to be forced to participate in the show at some point put a real damper on the drama’s excitement for me.

Bachelorette had been running constantly in the four years since, with just a few days between each new season that started.

Considering I’d turned twenty-four a few months earlier, and was on the oldest end of the compatibility spectrum, I’d known my days of freedom were numbered. For whatever reason, compatibility faded around a person’s twenty-fifth birthday.

That didn’t make it any easier to say goodbye to my human life, though.

“Ready, Lolli?” my personal fae guard asked from the kitchen. He was tall, tan, and gorgeous, with dark, wavy hair that was long on the top and short on the sides. Despite his job, he pretty much always wore jogger-style sweatpants and a graphic tee.

He was making eggs and bacon for both of us, even though he’d had to literally pull a pan out of one of my packed boxes to do so.

Cameron Cassette was a pain in my ass. He’d accompanied the bloodwork results that had declared me compatible with fae, and no amount of convincing had gotten him to leave my side. Considering that the Society was paying him to stay, I was stuck with him.

He called me Lolli , as in Lollipop , because I’d had one in my mouth the first time we met. And it rhymed with my actual name, Molly.

The bastard had invaded my life for four years. He even had his own room in my apartment, which was paid for by the fae Society. I’d tried to argue against that, but they required more security than I could afford.

And no one came out on top in an argument with fae. Some of them had mind magic. The ones who didn’t had elemental magic of some kind. Some of them could even shift into dragons and other mystical animals.

“Ready to get away from you,” I drawled, adjusting the hem of my oversized sweater. It was the middle of winter and I lived in the mountains, so it was cold and snowy. But honestly, I lived in sweaters even when it was hot, just cranking the AC up during the summer since the bill was on the Society’s dime.

My four-sizes-too-big sweater was bright yellow. It had a sarcastic “ good morning, sunshine” written in scripted letters across the front, with a sun that resembled a skull beneath it. The color wasn’t great with my natural blonde hair, but the sweater was my favorite, so I didn’t give a damn.

I’d paired it with my comfiest black leggings, and hadn’t bothered with makeup. The people in charge of the reality show would cake me in makeup when I got there, whether I liked it or not.

Cam chuckled, but didn’t say anything else.

I was sure he was just as ready to escape me. Though we had come to a grudging agreement to be civil, he was the one who spoke for the Society when it came to me.

Which meant he was the one who got to tell me what I was and wasn’t allowed to do. And scare away anyone I got too close to.

He hadn’t told me much about his life or his past, but he didn’t know much of mine either.

At least I was getting away from him.

That reminded me…

I sat up.

“Now that we’re going our separate ways, will you tell me what your magic is? You know I’m going into this whole thing blind. No one has given me any details about fae.” Everything I knew, I’d learned on the internet. And the internet was about as trustworthy as a compulsive liar who got paid for telling anything but the truth.

“Nope.” He didn’t so much as consider it.

And he knew what I meant without me elaborating. Every fae did. Their true nature was always hidden from us, because they could all look human.

They didn’t look exactly human, of course. They were all a little taller than their average human counterparts, coming in around 6’2” or 6’3”. And they were unnaturally beautiful, too.

But there were some human guys who fit that profile, so you couldn’t assume anything.

I hadn’t assumed with Cam. I’d asked.

And he’d told me I’d have to figure it out myself.

I’d tried that, but he refused to tell me if any of my guesses were correct.

I did have one clue after all the years I’d been forced to spend with him.

He’d grabbed a hot pan without burning himself once. I didn’t know if all fae could do that. If not, he probably had fire magic.

I’d never seen his wings—which all fae had—and if he could shift into an animal form, I’d never seen it.

“Eat up. I don’t know when they’ll feed you next,” he said, setting a plate down on the countertop.

I reluctantly walked over. Though I wasn’t hungry, he did have a point. And as much as we weren’t friends, I did trust him when it came to having my best interests in mind. He’d never done anything to overstep my boundaries, or to disrespect me, and it had been years .

“So are you moving on to guard another compatible mate after this?” I asked him, as I cut into my eggs.

“Something like that.” He dished his onto his plate.

“You’re being vague again, as usual.”

He flashed me a grin. “Am I?”

“Don’t put your mind magic anywhere near me,” I warned, holding my fork up as if it were a weapon. It wasn’t, but he’d play along.

He lifted his hands in surrender. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Good.” I took another bite of my eggs. “You’re going to miss me.”

“Am I?” The question was repeated.

So was the grin.

I held my fork up in warning again, and he took a large step back. His hands were still raised.

There was a knock at the door, and I sighed.

“Just take the plate with you. I’ll handle cleaning this up and making sure your things get to the right place,” Cameron said, striding toward the door.

“The right place, meaning, my future mate’s house?” I drawled.

I hadn’t been told much, but I had been told that . No fae in his right mind would move into a small apartment with me.

Except Cam.

But he was the exception. And he was getting paid by the Society to live there, I was sure.

“Yup.” He opened the front door and greeted the man on the doorstep. The newcomer was tall, with light brown skin and loose, curly black hair. “Hey, Rhett.”

The man grunted in response.

“Good luck, Lollipop,” Cam said, stepping back and opening the door wider.

I didn’t consider hugging him.

We weren’t close like that.

And even if we had been, it was illegal for an unmated fae to touch a compatible human until he was trying to woo her during the game show. I’d never been told why, but it was considered a big deal.

If I’d ever been in real physical danger and he had to touch me in some way to protect me, that would be allowed. Everything else was off limits.

“Thanks. Nice knowing you.” I saluted him as I walked out the door, leaving all of my stuff with Cameron. The paperwork I’d received a week earlier made it clear that I wasn’t bringing any of my own stuff to the game show.

I followed Rhett down the hall. After we stepped into the elevator, I turned for one last look at the door to my old apartment.

My eyebrows lifted when I saw Cam standing in the doorway, watching me go.

He lifted his hand in a small wave, but the door closed before I could wave back.

“How far is it to the Bachelorette mansion?” I asked.

“You’re not going to the mansion,” Rhett said, his voice gravelly.

My eyebrows shot upward. “What? Where am I going, then?”

“I’m not authorized to say.”

My stomach clenched. I grabbed my phone from my pocket and dialed Cameron’s number, because I couldn’t see any other option.

“Miss me already?”

“Rhett’s not taking me to the mansion,” I said quickly. “He won’t tell me where I’m going. Is this safe? Are you sure he’s from the Society?”

“Rhett is like a brother to me. I’ve known him a lot longer than you’ve been alive. I trust him. The Society trusts him. Whatever the plans have changed to, he’s telling the truth.”

I let out a long breath. “You’re positive?”

“I wouldn’t have let you walk away with him if I wasn’t.”

As much as I didn’t want to, I believed him.

“Alright. Sorry to bother you, I guess.”

“You’re not a bother.”

“Bye.” I hung up quickly, biting my lip.

“I’m going to need your phone,” Rhett said, as the elevator stopped on the bottom floor.

I started to protest, but the look he leveled at me said it wasn’t a request.

So, I handed it over.

He shut it off and tucked it in his pocket before leading me to the armored vehicle I’d expected. That, at least, was normal.

We didn’t drive to the mansion.

We drove to a private airport, instead.

The beauty team I’d been expecting was there.

They’d set up a makeshift studio in a corner of the airport. Rhett gestured me toward the makeup chair before stepping to the side of the room, and a whirlwind began immediately.

Someone started throwing what I thought were highlights in my hair. There was no mirror, but I recognized the bleach and foils from videos I’d seen of people having their hair done.

Someone else did my nails, while another person ran something warm over my face.

Someone forced me to my back and gave me eyelash extensions while someone else washed the bleach from my hair.

Yet another person scrubbed my feet and legs with some kind of exfoliant.

I tried to ask questions whenever I could.

Why weren’t we at the mansion, which I knew was only a few hours by car from the city I lived in?

Where was I going?

What was happening?

None of them had a clue. Or if they did, they also weren’t authorized to tell me.

At least no one brought out any hot wax. Getting a Brazilian in a room full of people would’ve been nightmare-worthy.

Eventually, all the beauty shit was over, and one of the people led me behind a changing screen. She handed me an olive-green bikini and a pair of ripped cutoff shorts in the same color.

I blinked down at them.

“We’re running out of time. Hurry,” the woman urged.

“I’m supposed to be going to the Bachelorette mansion,” I said, my voice uncertain. “I shouldn’t need a bikini right now.”

“We don’t have time for this. If we’re not on time, the Society doesn’t tip us,” the woman said, her voice impatient.

As bad as I felt for that, we were talking about my life . My future. I’d just spent two hours getting beautified—I wasn’t going to put on a bikini and strut out without at least one answer.

“Tell me why I need to wear this, and I’ll put it on,” I finally said.

The woman scowled.

I gave her a hard look.

I wasn’t budging on that, whatever the consequences were for her. I didn’t want her or the rest of the team to lose money, but I needed an answer.

She finally looked around, then took one step closer to me.

Her voice dropped, so I leaned in closer. “You didn’t hear this from me, but the Society is starting another game show. Some of the fae aren’t interested in Bachelorette .”

My eyes widened. “And they’re starting this with me ?”

She jerked her head in a nod. “I don’t know what it’s called or what the premise is. I assume it’s another mating thing. All they told us is that you need to be ready for the beach, and we won’t be there to fix you up.”

“The beach ?” My voice was tight.

A little frantic.

I hadn’t been to a beach since I was ten or eleven. Before the war. Before I lost my parents. Before the fae.

What was I going to do on a beach? And what were we doing that would require being away from humans who could be the beauty crew? The Bachelorette girls were always caked in makeup.

Since the fae had already brought back one reality game show revolving around romance, I tried to rake my mind for the names and concepts of others.

But I couldn’t come up with one.

And the woman had told me what I needed to know, so I couldn’t delay any longer.

I stripped my shoes, favorite sweater, and leggings off and pulled the bikini on. I double-knotted the stupid little string between my tits for security’s sake. I didn’t have huge boobs, but those suckers weren’t small either. And I definitely didn’t want the top coming undone.

The strings on both sides of the bottoms got the same treatment. I was still trying to button the tight shorts when the woman tugged me out from behind the screen and dragged my stumbling ass toward a door that led outside.

“I don’t have shoes,” I protested, giving up on the button and holding the shorts up myself as I struggled to keep up with her.

“You won’t need them.” She stopped me right beside Rhett, who was waiting in front of a small, private plane. “She’s ready,” the woman declared.

Ready?

That was definitely not the word I’d use.

“Let go of her now .” Rhett’s voice was calm, but anyone could hear the undercurrent of threat.

“Of course.” She dropped my arm, dipped her head in a nod that sort of resembled a bow, then hurried back into the tiny airport.

I hastily fastened the button on my shorts. Not that it helped cover me. My entire damn body was on display. And while I was mostly confident, I did have a few insecurities. Who didn’t?

I didn’t particularly want any of them blasted on TV, either.

“Can you tell me what’s going on now?” I asked Rhett, as he gestured for me to enter the plane. “Also, can you make sure the stylists get their bonus?”

“They’d get it even if you were late,” Rhett rumbled. “The Society doesn’t piss humans off when there’s another option.”

I actually believed him about that. Most humans loved the fae, especially because they got to watch them fall in love with humans on global television.

Which was probably the reason for the game show thing.

Inside the plane, I looked around. It was sleek and modern, not entirely comfortable-looking.

Then again, flying on any normal airline wouldn’t have been any more comfortable.

“You didn’t answer my first question,” I reminded him as I took a seat in a fancy leather chair.

He gestured to my seat belt, and I buckled it.

“I’m not allowed to explain until we’re nearly to the island. It’s about nine hours away.”

Nine hours?

Holy shit.

“Where’s the island?” I asked, since that didn’t seem to be an illegal topic.

“I don’t know.” He took his own seat, but didn’t buckle up.

I didn’t bother telling him to prioritize his safety. He was fae. If the plane started to go down or something, he could just fly off.

“Can I have my phone back?” I asked, hoping I could text Cam just to see if he knew anything about this new game show. As annoying as he was, he was my only actual contact in the fae Society.

“After you’re mated.”

He handed me the remote to a TV before I had the chance to sigh, so I turned on an action movie to distract myself.

Three and a half movies later, Rhett turned the TV off.

I didn’t protest at the sudden interruption.

Finally, he was going to tell me something.

“You’re being placed in a new kind of mating game,” Rhett said, his gaze on me.

I bit my lip.

Couldn’t tell him I’d already learned that.

“It’s called Survival of the Mated . Many of the rougher, older fae are unwilling to play Bachelorette . Or to pursue a woman who is dating another man. Let alone a dozen of them.”

I blinked.

Older, rougher fae?

That didn’t sound good for me.

“This one is entirely male driven. It’s a spin on a game show called Survivor , but you aren’t truly an active participant in the events. You won’t choose your mate until the end, when you select one of the three final contestants.”

My eyes widened.

“The men will vote one of your potential mates out on their own every two to three days. You’ll have no say in the voting. If you show any particular affinity to one of the guys, he will likely be off the island immediately.”

Shit.

Holy shit.

I scrambled mentally to remember the bits and pieces of Survivor I’d seen as a kid. I’d watched it with my family, and I could remember the alliances. The scheming. The betrayal.

I wasn’t playing Bachelorette… I was playing whatever the hell the opposite of it was.

There would be no developing feelings between me and the guys. No friendship.

Because anyone I showed interest in would get voted off immediately.

I had so little control over who I’d spend my life with, it was horrifying.

“Can’t they find someone else to test this out on?” I finally whispered.

“All of the candidates aging out this year were considered, and you were chosen as the best.”

“Great.” I squeezed my eyes shut.

“It’s time to unbuckle and stand up, Molly. We’re about to arrive.”

“Shouldn’t I stay buckled before the plane lands?” I asked.

“Not this time.” He unbuckled the belt, and I stood reluctantly. “Close your eyes and hold your arms out.”

I did as commanded.

A heavy bag was set on my shoulders, and I stumbled a little.

“Now, brace yourself,” he said.

My forehead creased with my frown, and my eyes opened.

Before I could ask why, he grabbed the back of the bag he’d buckled me into, opened the plane’s door, and tossed me through it.