Page 46

two

KYLE

“Last season before break,” Kaden whooped, slapping me on the shoulder. A few of the other guys hollered with him, bumping elbows and slapping each other on the back.

“I need to double my weight in our month off,” Jim grumbled. “I’m a fucking stick.”

“So is Kyle.” Ed, the new guy, bumped his elbow against mine.

Because he was a new contestant, he knew I’d helped some of the other guys win. He’d pulled me aside earlier to tell me it had been a good move, and that he agreed with me.

The women had wanted them, not me.

And I wasn’t particularly confident that it was even possible for a human woman to like me at that point.

Which didn’t exactly make me excited for the final season.

Of course, Survival would go on after all of the men took a month off to recover. There were too many unmated bastards left to end the game. And enough compatible mates to go around, as we were discovering.

But for me, season six would be my last.

I only had two or three months left in me. After I helped one last bastard mate with his perfect female, I was going to spend the final days of my life with my family. I’d be home in time to help set up for the wedding, and watch my little sister get married. After they went off on their honeymoon, I’d play board games with my parents and a few close friends until my final hours passed.

It would be a good way to go out.

“He’ll still beat us in every damn physical challenge,” Jim complained. “It’s not fucking fair.”

“You just need to try harder,” Nate said, slapping him on the leg. He’d been last season’s new guy, and was too nice for Survival .

Then again, maybe I’d become too nice for Survival too, considering I’d spent the past four months starving while fighting for other bastards to be with their mates.

I’d been holding out hope that a human female who might like me would appear, but hadn’t had any luck.

“It’s time,” Ian called out, as he opened the door to the plane. A few of the guys shifted to their fae forms and jumped out immediately, wanting to be the first to get a look at the new girl.

“You okay?” Nate asked me, as a few more guys jumped.

“I’m good.” I flashed him a grin that didn’t meet my eyes.

Yeah, he was nicer than me.

Way too nice for Survival .

The two of us were the last to jump. Instead of looking down at the new woman from above, I let myself appreciate the view of our island. We’d had to move to another part of the world after the many storms of the second season, but it was stunning. Bright blue water, crisp white sand, and tall, leafy palm trees.

It didn’t get better than that.

I landed beside Nate, and finally looked at the woman standing next to Jordan.

Damn .

I didn’t particularly care what a woman looked like. I liked all of them. Skinny, curvy, round… a woman was a woman, and they were all beautiful.

But this one, even more so.

She was taller than most human females, with naturally tan skin and dark brown hair parted down the middle, then woven in two French braids. Her eyes were sharp, though I couldn’t see the color from where I stood.

She was built strong, not slim, and wore a pair of tight black shorts that came to the middle of her thighs. A well-worn, oversized pink t-shirt hung over a good portion of the shorts and said, “I like big books and I cannot lie”.

Jordan introduced her as Launa, a human female who had just graduated with a master’s degree in English.

It was kind of a useless degree, unless you knew you were going to be mated to a fae. Being mated to a fae meant there was no need to work or make money, and left the woman free to pursue her interests.

Launa wouldn’t be into me. I wouldn’t let myself consider that a possibility. Getting my hopes up was pointless.

Instead, I glanced down the row of men, trying to decide which of them I’d end up pairing with her. Somehow, I’d become Cupid.

I’d decided to hedge my bets on Kaden when Jordan announced the beginning of the challenge. It was a bag hunt, like the first challenge always was. Thanks to the luck of the genetic draw, my senses were better than any of the other guys’, so challenges like that came easy.

Letting someone else win would ruin my chance to help hook the new girl up with Kaden. So, I had to win the way I always did.

Even if I was too exhausted to truly care.

I flew into the jungle at Jordan’s signal, ready to get the challenge over with. A few of the guys followed me, hoping they’d spot the bags before I did, but they didn’t. And no one bothered starting a fight over it anymore. Living on the island was rough enough without adding bleeding wounds to it.

I scooped the bag up without a problem, and grabbed a spare no one had noticed on the way back, before I broke through the tree line alongside a few other bastards.

They whooped, and I did the same, though I didn’t feel a damn shred of enthusiasm.

One last month.

I could survive one last month on the island.

It wasn’t even a month—the game had been reduced to twenty-six days after the storms forced us to cut the second season short.

I could handle twenty-six more days.

On top of shortening the game after that season, they’d altered the rewards for all of the challenges. Every reward was at least twelve hours away from the island, and they were one-on-one, so it was just the winner and the compatible female.

I usually won five or six of the nine challenges, so I really only had to survive twenty-one days.

That was even more manageable.

After the challenge was over, Jordan gave his shpeal about the island.

Then, I handed my bags to one of the other guys before following Jordan and Launa to the boat that would be taking us out for snorkeling and food.

I didn’t let myself check the lady out again as we went.

There was still no point in getting attached. Or interested.

Even if she was hot as fuck.

I’d stuffed myself with food before we got on the plane two hours earlier, but my body was still trying to recover from five months of hell. So, I was still hungry.

After the speedboat reached the larger sailboat we’d be taking, I loaded my plate with burgers haphazardly. Launa followed behind me, eyeing everything but not taking a plate of her own.

“You need to eat while you can,” I told her, grabbing a second plate and loading it up slightly more carefully than I did mine. “Even if you’re not hungry, or you’re seasick. You’ll need the calories later.”

“I’m allergic to dairy,” she admitted. “And gluten. And peanuts, though that doesn’t seem relevant right now.”

I paused. “Why the fuck did they choose burgers, then?”

“I don’t know.”

“Here.” I handed her both of the plates I’d made. “Sit down. These are for me. I’ll fix it.”

She bit her lip and nodded, her eyes bright with… something.

Something I wasn’t going to let myself look into.

She was probably trying to decide how to tell me she was in love with Kaden and needed my help to woo him.

I scraped a thick layer of cheese off a hamburger patty. “How allergic are you to dairy?”

“Not deathly.”

“Alright, what about ketchup?” I glanced at the bottle.

“Toss it to me, and I’ll check.”

I grabbed it. “What am I looking for?”

“It should list the allergens at the bottom of the label, usually. I’m actually allergic to gluten, not just intolerant, so I can’t touch it.”

I scanned the list. “Yeah, it’s got wheat. No ketchup for you. This is going to be a sad meal,” I warned, loading two newly cheese- free patties on top of some lettuce before throwing potato chips on the plate with it.

Afterward, I paused. “What about the patties?”

A glance back at her showed more hesitance.

Too much more hesitance.

“I probably shouldn’t risk it. I’m sorry,” she said quickly.

“Don’t apologize.” I scanned the food items. There was a fruit salad. A pasta salad. And a shit ton of potato chips. Looking at Jordan, I said, “Go ask the chef if they put anything on the fruit.”

If anyone else had ordered him to leave, he would’ve been suspicious, but Jordan and I were cool. He usually helped me out when he could, given my history of working with the human women.

He dipped his head. “I’ll make sure the Society handles the rest of the rewards better. I don’t think her allergies made it into the paperwork.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“I know. I’ll talk to the showrunners.”

He slipped away, leaving me with Launa and a few of the boat’s crew members.

I checked the labels on all of the bags of potato chips, then took the two that qualified over to the table with me. “This probably isn’t that appetizing, but calories are calories,” I said, plopping down in the chair across from hers as I handed the bags over.

“Thanks for doing that,” she said, her cheeks red with embarrassment.

The woman was probably worried about the coming conversation, which would undoubtedly be about the guy she wanted.

If she always blushed like that, she was going to have a hard time influencing the game, which would make my job harder.

It was what it was, though.

“We can talk about who you want me to pair you off with after we eat. I’m sure that’s what you’re blushing about, but there’s no rush.” I grabbed a burger and took a bite.

Her cheeks reddened more.

She looked down at her bag of chips, though she didn’t make a move to eat any of them. Some part of me was worried about how well she’d fare in the game if she didn’t get enough to eat, but logically, she should’ve arrived to the island with a full stomach. The Society had been treating the compatible females much better in the last few seasons.

I ate slowly, trying to relish the meal. I’d be back to starving soon enough, and there were only so many meals left in my life. It’d be nice to get back to my house, to have the chance to cook for myself in my own kitchen again. Living on an island had gotten really damn old.

After confirming that the fruit was safe, Jordan brought the whole bowl to our table and apologized for the chef, who was apparently already at work cooking something different. Launa thanked him, but didn’t touch the fruit.

“Are you worried about it?” I asked her, my forehead creasing.

“Hmm? About what?” she looked at me, her expression sheepish after missing what my question was about.

“The food.” I gestured to the fruit.

“Oh, no. I just get nauseous when I’m nervous,” she admitted.

“What are you nervous about?”

Her blush came back full-swing.

She was stupidly attractive. I tried not to notice.

“This conversation,” she said.

I wasn’t done eating, but if she was that nervous, the rest of the burgers could wait.

I wiped my hands on the napkins provided and leaned back in my chair. “Let’s get it over with, then. Who do you want me to pair you off with? I get the vibes that you’ll get along well with Kaden, or?—”

“You,” she blurted.

I blinked.

“I saw the other seasons,” she added hastily. “The way you helped the other women. The life you offered them. Your personality. If I get to choose a mate, I want to choose you.”

A moment of silence passed.

“If that’s okay,” she added, her face even redder. “I didn’t really phrase that right. I?—”

My eyes narrowed. “Don’t bullshit me, Beautiful.”

“You don’t believe me?” She frowned, her face still bright red. “Why not?”

“I’m well aware that I annoy human women.”

“Maybe some of them. But you’re outgoing, and playful, and thoughtful. And gorgeous—really gorgeous. I want a guy like that. You—I want you.” She let out a breath. “I’m not selling this very well. I’m shitty at social interaction. This is why they wanted me to play Bachelorette .”

“What?”

She rubbed the back of her neck. “I kind of wrote a passionate letter—or ten—to convince the Society to let me play Survival. I’ve seen all of the episodes of all of the available seasons dozens of times. I’ve been studying it since the beginning.”

“And you want me to believe that you want me ?” My voice was skeptical.

Something in her expression grew steely. “Yes.”

I didn’t believe her.

It must’ve been apparent in my gaze, because she changed gears and asked, “How can I prove it?”

“Kiss me,” I said.

If she had really seen all of the episodes of every season, she knew none of the other human women had even liked having any kind of physical contact with me. It was a bit of a confidence killer.

I’d be damn glad when the game was over.

“Kiss you?” The shock in her voice told me she wouldn’t do it.

“Mmhm.”

The redness on her face spread down her neck and over her collarbone. I’d never seen a woman blush like that, and somehow, it just made her more appealing.

I needed to stop thinking that way. She would belong to someone else.

She stood slowly.

Then walked around the table.

When I made no move to get up, she stiffly sat down on my lap. My cock hardened immediately—hell, it was already hard at the possibility that a compatible mate might be somewhat interested in me—but I didn’t acknowledge it.

“I’ve never kissed anyone before,” she said, then pressed her lips to mine.

The words registered with the hard, tense contact of our mouths.

She what ?

If the woman had never kissed anyone, it was my responsibility to make it good for her.

Lifting a hand to her chin, I tilted her head slightly and parted her lips with my tongue. She opened for me without hesitation, and made a noise of pleasure as the kiss deepened.

My free hand caught her waist, adjusting her position to make her more comfortable. She moved her hips slightly, until my erection was pressed against her center.

She was uncertain at first, but her hands found my hair as she started kissing me back. And fuck , there were fireworks.

Launa kissed me like I was the air she needed to breathe.

Like she was starving, and I was food.

Like—

Like she legitimately wanted me to be her mate.

Holy fuck.

She wasn’t bullshitting me.

I ripped my mouth away from hers. Our chests rose and fell heavily together, and the red of her blush had spread down into her pink shirt.

I wanted to strip it off her body and drag my tongue over every inch of her.

“You want me?” I demanded.

She nodded. “Get us to the end, and I’m yours.”

I grabbed her face, capturing her mouth again.

Her fingers tightened in my hair, pulling the strands and driving me mad. I pulled her against me harder as I made love to her mouth, and she rocked her hips.

When I couldn’t take it anymore, my fingers hooked in the bottom hem of her shirt.

“What do you say we make this a first kiss for the books?” I asked, my chest rumbling.

Her eyes were dilated when they met mine. “ Please .”

My cock throbbed against her, and she rocked again. “You want me to stop, you say the word.”

“I know. I won’t.”

I tugged her shirt over her head and dropped it on the floor beside us.

Beneath it, she had on a light pink bikini top with flowers embroidered on it. It showed her tits off perfectly.

I dragged my hands up the slight curve of her waist, giving her time to tell me not to touch her. But when my hands reached the sexy swell of her breasts, she just watched me squeeze them.

“You’re growling,” she whispered.

“Am I?” The word came out gravelly.

She laughed softly.

I rumbled as her tits bounced lightly in my hands. “I need these bare.”

“Do you think there’s a closet or something on this boat?” Her cheeks were flushed. “I don’t love the cameras.”

My cock throbbed again. “Don’t tempt me, Beautiful.”

“You promised me a first kiss to remember.”

“I did, didn’t I?”

She nodded.

I wasn’t about to turn the woman down. Not when I was living a fucking wet dream that might actually be the key to surviving.

So I let go of her breasts and stood, lifting her with me. Launa laughed breathlessly as I carried her into the main part of the boat backward.

Jordan pointed to a door, and I nodded in thanks before carrying her inside.