“What’s wrong with that? Did your rune not translate it properly?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just an odd word for a man like you to use.”
“Like me?”
“Gruff and imposing.”
“Despite appearances, I can be refined when I wish.”
“Well, aren’t you full of surprises?”
He merely shrugged. “Come on, let’s eat.”
They made their way to the dining area and did just that, enjoying a delightful spread and eating their fill without worry about cramping up in the afternoon’s events. These were mental more than physical challenges, and their bodies were glad for the day’s respite.
While the morning had gone well, after lunch it was another story altogether. Dorrin had taken the majority of the early challenges, but the later ones were mostly just as difficult. Some even more so. As a result, Ziana was forced to participate in many that she was simply not cut out for. Whatever lead her partner might have secured before lunch was gone by the end of the day and they only barely made the cutoff to avoid disqualification.
“It wasn’t my fault,” she grumbled over dinner.
It was a group dining experience this evening, though the teams all chose to eat apart, save the elites, who seemed perfectly at ease with one another. They also cast more than a few distasteful looks at the human woman. But she was more concerned with the guy she was quite literally bound to.
“I realize your failures were not intentional,” he replied, keeping his irritation in check as best he could. Given the lead he’d secured and how spectacularly it had been blown, however, his feelings were quite clear.
“This whole thing isn’t my idea, you know. I was forced to do it.”
“As you keep saying.”
“Because it’s not fair.”
“Life is not fair, but we make the best we can,” he grumbled between bites. “On the bright side, at least you managed to nottotallyfail today, so I suppose congratulations are in order for doing the absolute minimum.”
“Hey, fuck you. Icrushedthe Tetris one.”
“And despite our preparations, you performed like an utter amateur on the rest. Worse, even. It’s a miracle we were not eliminated.”
“But we weren’t, so stop being such a dick. Jeez.”
“Then stop treating this like it means nothing. It may to you, but it does not to me.”
The two ceased talking after that and ate the rest of their meal in angry silence, a silence that maintained as they bathed. This time, however, the sight of his naked body did nothing for her nether regions.
How did I ever find him even remotely attractive, even for a minute?she asked herself as they dried off.Such a jerk.
There was no chit-chat tonight. Instead, they turned in early as if by silent agreement. Tangibly annoyed with one another, they climbed into their respective beds, ignoring the adage to not go to sleep angry. They each rolled to their side, their backs to one another, and drifted off to an irritated slumber.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Sleep had done them both a world of good, but while Ziana and Dorrin may have woken less irritated than the night before, they had, nevertheless, broken that cardinal rule and gone to bed mad, and their sleep had suffered as a result.
Grumpy and a bit groggy to boot, the pair decided to skip making breakfast in their bungalow, opting instead for the fresh air and catered cooking of the dining area. Not only would they not have to work in close quarters preparing their morning respite, but the distraction of other competitors also served to keep their minds off the unpleasantness of the prior night.
Both ate quietly, seated close by the necessity of their linking cuffs on their wrists rather than choice. Ziana watched the others, especially the elites. While the commoner teams were rather hushed in their conversations, the members of the five families were almost giddy with excitement, erupting in laughter every time they looked over at the lesser competitors.
“They know what today’s challenge is,” Dorrin commented, his first words of the day, beyond suggesting they dine out.
“And? Why are they laughing? They’ll have to do it too.”
“We will find out soon enough.”
