"Not if we want to win. On your left."
I spin around, spotting someone through the trees. I get my shooter into position.
"Not yet," Archie whispers. "I don't think they've seen us, and we're not going to be able to get them until they come out from between the trees. We shouldn't give our position away."
"Does being a demon prince come with strategy lessons?"
He flashes me a grin. "You know that it does. But no, I just know this because I've made the same mistake before and lost. Now."
The other team steps into view and I fire off a couple of rounds of my shooter. Magic balls fly out of it and towards the strangers, though my first shot goes wide, alerting them to the fact we're here. My second shot hits one of the players, but not before they start firing them back at us.
Archie gets a few off, and then grabs my arm, pulling me behind a tree just as a couple more magic balls fly our way.
My heart is racing and I let out a laugh. "That was close. Do you think we got them?"
"No idea but we should move before their shooters can be used again."
"Oh, good point."
He reaches out and takes my hand in his before we continue moving through the woods. His tail darts out and pushes some branches out of the way for me, which is both sweet, and a good use of it.
"So, demon prince of strategy. What do we do now?"
He chuckles. "I never said I was good at strategy, just that I had to learn it."
"Should we be setting up a base somewhere?" I ask. "We could defend it then."
"Maybe. But if no one comes by, we can't get any points."
"Hmm, so we've got to balance not losing lives ourselves with managing to tag the other?" The aversion to getting hit myself is high, but I also want to win.
"True. Duck."
I respond immediately, and a magic ball races over my head. I try to turn around, but being crouched means that I lose my balance, falling to the ground. Archie does manage to get a couple of magic balls out in their direction, but the next time he fires his shooter, it doesn't do anything.
He groans. "Well, that's me out."
The other team seem to think that they're done, not realising that I haven't lost any of my lives, just my balance. I aim my shooter and fire off a couple of magic balls at their retreating backs, both of them hitting their targets.
"Why Lottie, you play dirty," Archie jokes as he offers me his hand.
"Just taking the opportunity presented to me." I take it and let him pull me to my feet. I lose my balance again, falling into him this time.
He steadies me with a hand on either arm. "Is this your way of getting close to me, Lottie?" he murmurs, his mouth mesmerisingly close to me.
"Just taking the opportunity presented to me," I repeat, my voice coming out lower and more inviting than I intend it to.
"And what other opportunities are you going to take?"
The way he's looking at me turns my insides to fire, and makes me want to do something reckless. Though I'm not sure how reckless it is that I want to kiss the demon prince I'm on a date with.
The urge is impossible to exist, especially when he's looking at me the way he is, and smoothing his hand down my back, making my wings flutter.
"Are you trying to make me think about kissing you?" I murmur.
He swallows hard. "Are you?"
I bite my bottom lip, knowing it'll catch his attention, and welcoming it. "Maybe."
