Page 74 of Kiss of Embers
My pulse quickened.Speed.I’d always been fast. I eyed the top of the volcano, which was wreathed in smoke.
Inessa extended her arms toward the crowd. Her eyes went misty. “I never thought I’d say this, but I’m really going to miss you guys. Everyone be careful, okay? I’ll see you at the top of the mountain.” She grimaced. “Well, maybe not all of you. Most of you!” With a wink, she disappeared.
The ground rumbled. Bolveg cast the volcano a wary look. “Uh, everyone line up.” He waved his arms, shooing a pair of vampires. “Quickly, please. It’s time to begin.”
Drute palmed my shoulder. “Zara, I need to speak to you.”
“Not now,” I said, nerves twisting in my stomach. “I need to focus. This is what I came here for.”
“Later, gargoyle,” Struan rumbled, stepping beside me. “We’re a little busy here.”
Drute’s expression gave me pause. I lowered my voice. “Is it about Brader?” I looked around. “Where is he?”
“He’s here,” Drute said quickly. He looked from Struan to Finn, his expression uncharacteristically wary. “I think he knows better than to show his face around your…mates.”
Finn grunted. “Then he’s not quite as big of an idiot as I thought.”
I gave Drute what I hoped was a reassuring smile. “Leave Brader to me. I’ve got everything under control.”
He looked like he wanted to say more. Then he nodded. “All right. Alpha.”
I left him, and I headed to the end of the line with Struan and Finn.
Dead last, dead last, dead last. It drummed through my mind as I stared up at the volcano. The guys stayed quiet, and tension stretched between us. Our chances of winning were slim.
Worse, we were vying for the same prize. Even if one of us pulled off a miracle, there would be no winners on the top of the mountain.
The line moved quickly, and soon we stood next to Bolveg. He nodded to Finn.
“You’re next.”
Finn turned to me. He grabbed my hand and pressed a kiss to my knuckles. “I’ll see you at the top, lass.”
My throat thickened. “All right.”
Then he was gone, racing toward the sizzling rivers of lava.
Struan brushed his fingers over my cheek, tenderness gleaming in his blue eyes. “Be careful.” He lowered his voice. “Or I’ll have to give you that spanking.”
Somehow, I managed a tremulous smile. “Okay.”
“Go!” Bolveg shouted.
Struan turned and raced after Finn, his long legs eating up the black soil that spilled down the mountainside.
Alone next to Bolveg, I drew deep breaths as I steeled myself for the sprint.Speed.I’d always been faster than other wolves. Faster than anyone in the pack.
The ground trembled beneath my feet. Lava snaked down the slope ahead of me, the orange rivers hissing steam. Competitorslabored up the mountain, looking like ants in the distance. My heart pounded. All I had to do was run faster than anyone else.
“Now!” Bolveg shouted.
I sprang forward, pumping my arms as I sprinted after Struan. Heat radiated up my legs. Within seconds, my feet were burning. But magic must have contained some of the volcano’s wrath because my shoes didn’t melt. Nevertheless, the air thinned as I ascended, and my breath came in quick gasps as I dodged rocks and leapt steaming crevasses.
My muscles burned. Sweat beaded my forehead. But I passed other competitors, buzzing past witches and fae. Vampires and other werewolves. The faces of pack members flashed in my mind, the memories of all the friends and loved ones I’d buried spurring me to run faster, harder, faster.
Struan and Finn sprinted just ahead of me, weaving around boulders and clearing obstacles with seeming ease. But it wasn’t easy. And they were big men. Heavy. Their power was an advantage, but not for this.
In this,Ihad the advantage. Hope blossomed as I passed more competitors, making up time. I pushed harder, my quads screaming. A geyser erupted several feet ahead, the plume spewing smoke and lava.