Page 40 of Kiss of Embers
I shoved my feet into my boots. “You wish.” I bent and tied my laces, then straightened. “It’s two, isn’t it.”
Finn’s laugh echoed off the walls.
“Three?”
Finn smiled broadly enough to show the tips of his fangs. “I’ll see you in a bit, Struan.”
He disappeared.
Cocksucker.It wasn’t fair that he got to channelandtake shadow form. Finn never had to worry about ending up naked in the middle of a busy street—or a musty catacombs in the jungle. He took advantage of it, too, alternating between forms so I never knew what to expect. He was going to be insufferable if he won the first challenge.
So I wouldn’t let him. Grinning, I charged down the corridor. But as I sped past the skulls, worries plagued me. If Brader Ashcroft had arranged for that doppelganger, he was likely to target Zara again.
A growl rumbled in my throat. Ashcroft played with fire. I ran faster, a plan forming in my head. First, I had to finish the puzzles and exit the catacombs before anyone else did. Then, I had to make sure Zara made it out unscathed.
Well, maybe I could work on steps one and two at the same time.
Third—or second, whatever—Finn and I would figure out Ashcroft and neutralize the threat to our female. Fourth and finally:Zara.
Desire bloomed, and I pumped my arms, racing toward the goal I’d waited nigh on a century to achieve. Zara was a challenge, to be sure, but I’d always savored a challenge. Purpose joined my desire, propelling me forward.
Aye, before the Games were over, Finn and I were going to claim our stubborn little alpha.
Chapter
Eleven
ZARA
Fourth place.I stood before the mirror in the tent’s tiny bathroom running a brush through my wet hair. With every pull of the bristles, the memory of my dismal finish flashed in my head.
After I left Struan and Finn behind in the catacombs, I’d completed two more puzzles with ease. I sped through the rest of the corridors without incident and then stumbled into the Amazonian night feeling good about my chances for winning the challenge.
Only to have Bolveg promptly award me fourth place. I didn’t have to ask who beat me. Inessa’s quill had already scribbled the names in the air, where they glowed like lights on a marquee.
First place—Struan MacLure
Second place—Finn MacAlasdair
Third place—Galen of House Baudelaire
I wielded the brush more forcefully, tugging at a stubborn tangle. I hadn’t even made the podium.
“You’ll make up for it tomorrow night,” Drute had assured me. “The first two challenges only exist to determine the start times for the final challenge.”
He was right. There was no prize for winning the first challenge—or placing second or third. Nevertheless, the dragons had earned themselves an important advantage. On the other hand, the other contestants would be gunning for them. But something told me Finn and Struan wouldn’t care.
I lowered the brush, my gaze going to my throat in the mirror. When I first returned to my tent, a faint ring of bruises had darkened my skin. The marks were gone now, but the horror of seeing my moonstruck face snarling back at me was seared into my memory.
When I recounted the attack—and the odd incident with Galen of House Baudelaire—to Drute, he’d looked deeply troubled and then announced he was going to scout the camp.
I’d immediately protested. “But we have to pack up and leave for the next challenge site.” The coordinates were posted on a sign in the middle of camp, along with a note from Inessa that read:Don’t forget to sunscreen! (Even you, vampires.)
“Not for a few more hours,” Drute said. Anger flickered in his dark eyes. “If Baudelaire is playing dirty, I want to know about it.”
“Do you think the doppelganger and the weirdness with Galen are connected?” It made sense. But what did House Baudelaire have against me? The Rockford Pack was friendly with the witches. We’d never encountered any trouble with the houses. If Galen simply wanted to eliminate competition, why start with me?
“Let me ask around,” Drute said. “I’ll be discreet.”