Page 5

five

CAMERON

I waited until a few other guys went off to strategize with their buddies before slipping away. I’d seen the direction Molly was headed, and knew she’d be on her way to our chunk of the beach.

It was a small section, and surrounded by trees that made it difficult for anyone to sneak up on us. I’d hear them coming, the same way I had the night before.

Sure enough, I found her on the sand. Her knees were to her chest, and her eyes were on the ocean.

I sat down beside her, and she didn’t waste a moment.

“Julian spoke into my mind after he got voted out,” she said, turning to look at me. Those warm, gorgeous brown eyes of hers were slightly concerned. “He said ‘well-played’. Do you think he realized what we’re doing? What if he told someone else?”

“Julian keeps to himself,” I said. “He figured out our plan when I voted for him, and asked me about it during the council. I told him the truth, and he was amused. He wouldn’t risk interfering with our game. That would prevent him from playing next time. Our secret is safe.”

Molly let out a long breath and nodded. Her shoulders sagged, and I itched to put an arm around her.

I couldn’t make a move until she gave me permission, though. She had seemed uncertain about working with me the night before, and I wasn’t risking pissing her off again before I knew she was on my side.

I’d win even if she wasn’t, of course.

I wasn’t walking off the island until she was permanently mine.

But I did want her to make that decision herself, too.

“Who are we going after next?” she asked.

“Reid, Colt, and Kaden. Everyone has started forming alliances, and those three mentioned having suspicions about me. We need them out.”

“Before Ev? I thought he was the biggest risk because of the telepathy.”

“He could become a risk,” I admitted. “But Kaden is well-connected. If he starts spreading suspicions about me and you, the game could be over before it begins.”

She took in a long breath and nodded. “I’ll start acting like I’m gravitating toward him. I have to be pissed about the Julian thing for a little longer, though.”

“I agree. You played that well, by the way.”

“Thanks.” She gave me a small smile. “I’m tired of all this shit already. I just want to be done with it.”

“We’re nowhere near done, Loll.”

“I know.” She looked back out at the ocean and whispered, “What if our plan fails and I end up having to choose between three pieces of shit? What if I get stuck with Kyle ? What if?—”

“You’re not getting stuck with anyone but me.” My voice was low, but firm. “If there’s ever a sign that I’m going to get voted out, I’ll tell you which of the men I trust. You’ll pick one of them.”

Considering pairing her off with one of the other bastards made me want to burn our island to the fucking ground, but she needed that promise.

And if I couldn’t have her, there wasn’t a chance in hell I’d put her in the arms of anyone like Kyle.

“How do I even know I can trust you?”

“Look at me, Lolli.”

She turned her head, hitting me with those gorgeous eyes again. There was something in them I’d never seen before.

Something vulnerable.

“I’ve never lied to you. I’ve never manipulated you. The secrets I kept from you were the ones I had to keep to get me here with you, right now.”

She swallowed roughly, but nodded. “I’m just… scared, I guess.” When she looked back out at the water, the urge to have her on my lap and in my arms again hit me hard.

“Ask me something so I have an excuse to bargain for another hug,” I said.

A soft laugh escaped her.

It eased the tension in my chest and the need to have her close.

“What’s a peryton? One of the guys said earth elementals can transform into them.”

I lifted her off the sand and set her on my lap, turning her so her chest pressed against mine. Her arms went around me, and she held me almost as tightly as I held her.

“They’re a mixture between a stag and a large bird. The fae with the brown, furry wings are perytons. Kaden is the only one here.”

“Ohh. It’s deer fur?”

“Yup.”

“Wow. What about griffins? I think they’re some kind of bird, but I don’t know the details about them either.”

“A griffin is a combination of a lion and an eagle. Chris is the only one here. Many of them have white, feathered wings, but some are beige or brown.”

“And phoenixes?”

“Flaming golden birds. We’re quite beautiful,” I said, just to make her smile.

She snorted, and my lips curved upward.

Goal achieved.

“I do like the golden wings. Are your feathers soft?”

“You tell me.”

She reached a hand toward my wing, and my abdomen tensed.

“I should warn you, touching a fae’s wings is considered intimate,” I said, before her fingers brushed me. She deserved the warning, as much as I wanted her to do it.

Her hand paused where it was. “How intimate?”

“What do you want me to compare it to?”

“Is it like a kiss? Or a blow job? Or just touching your cock? Or?—”

“The last one.” My voice was strained.

I didn’t need her help imagining us doing any of those things, but she’d officially given it. I wouldn’t be able to get the mental image of her on her knees in front of me out of my head for weeks.

“Could be worse.” Her fingers finally brushed my feathers, and my cock throbbed beneath her. There was no doubt she’d felt the hardness already, but I couldn’t imagine her ignoring it after that. “Wow, they’re really soft. Do the other guys’ wings feel like this?”

“I’ve never asked to touch. You won’t either, unless you want to watch me kill someone.”

She rolled her eyes, pulling her hand away. “Since when do you get jealous?”

“Since I spent four years making you breakfast and doing absolutely everything with you, Loll. You’re mine, remember?”

“I remember you telling me that.”

“Because it’s true.” My arms tightened slightly around her back. I needed to let her go and make my way to the shelter again, but I didn’t want to.

“How will I know if any of the other guys with mental magic use it against me? No one told me what to look out for.”

That was my error.

I needed to stop getting distracted by her body. Winning the game was what mattered. I’d have an eternity with her afterward.

“Telepaths can read minds and speak into them as well. Most humans can’t sense when one is in their head, but because you’re compatible with us, you have enough magic in your veins to feel the discomfort of their intrusion. You’d notice immediately. Ev is the only telepath left.”

She nodded.

I smoothed a hand over her mostly-bare back, needing to touch more of her skin. Knowing that she’d be going to the shelter and lying beside some other fae bastard was enough to make my temper rise.

“Those with dream magic can sway your dreams. You’ll wake up feeling like the dreams you experienced were not yours if their magic has touched you. Oren is the only one here with dream magic.”

“There’s something creepy about that guy,” she admitted.

“He’s not known for stability. If he ever makes you feel uncomfortable, go to Rhett’s side and stay there. I’ll deal with him however I have to, should the need arise.”

She nodded against me.

“Illusionists can alter how things smell, look, or feel. You’d be able to see through their magic if it was used against you. Knowing it’s a possibility prevents you from truly being affected by it.”

“Are there any illusionists here?”

“Reid and Colt,” I confirmed.

“Alright. Is that the last kind?”

“There’s one more. Compulsives. Their magic is the hardest to fight,” I admitted. “Even for a compatible mate. Travis is the only compulsive here, other than Rhett. If you find yourself drawn to him in any way, let me and Rhett know immediately.”

“If he’s that much of a threat, why aren’t we going after him?”

“Because I trust him for the most part. He’s also not the brightest crayon in the box. And he’s close allies with Kyle, who I’m currently working with.”

She jerked her body away from mine, though she remained on my lap. “You’re allied with Kyle ? What the hell, Cam?”

“He suggested an alliance between men you clearly don’t like. I was at the top of his list, and turning him down would be a terrible idea. He’ll take the heat for decisions about who to vote out, while I’m making the calls. Travis is a number for us.”

“So you’re working with the biggest assholes in the game,” she said flatly.

“The biggest assholes in the game consider me one of them,” I tossed back. “You made me out to be the bad guy on day one, remember?”

She huffed. “I was pissed at you, for good reason.”

“I didn’t say you weren’t. And that was the plan. Right now, no one sees me or Kyle as threats. That makes them want to work with us. I have to take advantage of that, and of him, for as long as possible.”

She didn’t look happy about it, but she finally nodded. “Fine, I get it. I really don’t like him, though. He makes me uncomfortable.”

“If he ever does something inappropriate, he’ll be gone in a heartbeat,” I said, my voice even.

It was the truth.

If the bastard did something to my girl, he’d be lucky if I let him live at all. Until then, he was my best shot at winning the game.

“Okay,” she agreed. “We should probably go back before anyone gets suspicious.”

“I’ll head out first and do my best to make it seem like I’ve been there all along. Stay here another fifteen minutes, and I’ll make sure someone gets the idea that we need to send someone to invite you back to camp.”

“How are you going to do that without mind magic?” she asked, skeptical.

I winked. “I’ve got my ways.”

She rolled her eyes, but looked much more confident in our plan when I burned my scent off her skin and set her back down on the sand.

I erased my scent from the sand too, just to be safe.

Then, though it was last thing I wanted to do, I slipped back into the jungle and headed toward the lions’ den.