“If you want to back out, that’s fine. But, from the looks of things, your chew toy isn’t ready to stop playing.”
I glanced at Fenris then did a double-take. His easy-going smile was firmly in place, but there was something in his eyes I’d never seen before. An anger that had me backing away a step. Or at least, I tried to. His arm snaked around my waist and pulled me closer, and the glint I’d witnessed quickly disappeared.
“It’s up to Eliana,” Fenris said smoothly.
Eras’s gaze locked with mine. “Are you a runner or a fighter?”
I snorted. “A runner. I’ve been telling you that all along.”
“There you have it,” Fenris said. “Have fun playing Twister with the fish. Clean any water off the mat when you’re done.”
He turned me and walked us away. I could feel the other girls at our backs as we wandered the room and paused to watch the precarious end to the tower game. The blocks toppled to the ground with a resounding crash.
“Mind if we go next?” Willow asked.
We’d only managed a few rounds before someone walked past me, and something sharp scored the back of my arm. I hissed in pain and grabbed the spot that stung.
“What’s wrong?” Fenris sniffed then added, “Do I smell blood?”
I lifted my hand to look at my palm. Sure enough, I was bleeding.
“Something wrong, Eliana?” Eras asked from behind me.
My eyes went black, and I slowly turned toward Eras. Around us, the games continued.
“Oh, there will be. Who cut me? You or one of the fin-folk?” My gaze shifted briefly to the girls behind him.
“You’re cut? Oh no. Why would someone do something like that? Fenris, you have a good nose; why don’t you see who did it?”
I could feel his heat at my back as he set his hands on my shoulders.
“What game are you playing, Eras?” he asked.
Era’s smile widened.
“All of them. It’s Game Night, isn’t it?”
“Why would you want Janette to cut Eliana?”
My gaze shifted to the mermaid. She hissed at me while Miranda and River grinned.
“Tell Megan we say, ‘Hi.’ She knows where to find us,” Miranda said.
“You won’t stand a chance against her.”
“Funny thing about mindwiping,” Eras said. “It doesn’t always clean the slate. People talk. Pieces are put together. Some of us are even smart enough to keep diaries now with all the people forgetting things.” He stepped closer. “The druids won’t save you. Megan’s coming back, and when she does, I don’t think it’ll be the mermaids she goes for first. Do you?”
Fear and anger made a dangerous mix in a succubus.
“And do you really think that I’m going to go whining to Megan after you monologued your whole pathetic plan for revenge?”
“She’ll come back on her own when you stop answering her.”
“Have fun with that cut,” Janette said. “They’re always prettiest when they turn green.”
The group left as a wave of dizziness washed over me. The back of my arm throbbed like I’d been hit with an ax.
“How bad did she cut me?”
