There’s no way this is part of the games,right?I don’t think our parents would approve of this, but then again, they did say it was supposed to be a real-world experience. We get the trap open enough so that he can escape, while Tate and one of the other men assist him.
“On three,” Knox says, looking at me.
I nod as he counts, both of us letting go at the same time, and the branch that Annika was holding smashes into the trap. That could have been any of us. Why is there a trap like this hidden for a bunch of students?
“Don’t move,” I shout, looking around at the sixteen of us who are scattered about. “There could be more.”
Carefully, I stand, wiping my hands on my pants and ignoring the blood staining them and now the tips of my hair where it sopped it up from the ground. First red paint, now blood. Maybe I should just dye my hair.
Trysten groans as he bites down on a strip of leather given to him by Knox. We all have medical training, but not enough to handle this. My thoughts spin quickly, but I inhale, finding my center, reminding myself not to let my emotions and thoughts control me. “Okay, I’m going to run back to command. Knox, Tate, you both start carrying him in that direction. Annika, you’re with me.” I look around, finding pale faces, and one girl is puking in the bushes. “Ciara, you got her?” My other best friend nods. “The rest of you, get back on the trail we got here on and tread carefully, but hurry.”
I drop my pack, grabbing my water from it. Annika does the same as we both turn, sprinting for control, Ezra staying silent behind us. He’s not allowed to intervene unless it’s me in danger. We run, knowing the healers won’t find them unless we bring them back. I set an urgent pace but keep my reserves, knowing it’s a long run. We’ve been hiking for two hours or so, and we are definitely off campus.
Annika stays two steps behind me, both of us pausing once to breathe and take a sip of water before we run again. My lungs burn, and my legs protest, but when the academy comes into view, I sigh in relief. We both find the energy to sprint the rest of the way to the academy grounds, the wards making my skin tingle as we cross them. She falls behind, but I don’t slow. Once on campus, we sprint past three other dorms and arrive at the Center. Once the control tower is in view, I push myself, throwing open the doors and praying to Astor that I make it up the stairs without puking.
I make it to the last landing when I hear Chancellor Xara talking. I push open the doors and fall to my hands and knees, gasping for air. Ezra steps in behind me.
“Raea,” Ryker is at my side first, the Chancellor gasping somewhere above me. Every breath burns, and my throat is raw, but Trysten needs help—immediately.
“Trysten,” I rasp. “He’s hurt.” Ryker helps me stand, keeping an arm wrapped around my waist, the only thing keeping me up. “Traps.” My vision blurs, and I bend over, finding a waste bucket.
“Traps?” Chancellor Xara gasps.
Professor Ainslyn speaks next, or at least I think it’s him explaining that it could be traps from the village. It’s all I hear before Ryker is rubbing my back and instructing me to slow my breathing.
Annika finally makes it to the room and drops into a chair. “Sorry,” she wheezes. “I couldn’t keep up.”
I shake my head, allowing Ryker to help me stand. He helps me to a chair, turning a fan on me. “Did you just run the whole way?” he asks. I nod, and then he tells me our flag was dropped five miles off campus. That makes sense since we started the hike from the stadium.
“Healers. He needs healers now, Ry. His leg.” My vision swims again. It’s so damn hot. Ryker nods but keeps his gaze on me before pulling me from my chair and into the bathroom, closing the door behind us.
“What are you—” My shirt is ripped off, so I’m only standing in my corset, but he makes quick work of the laces, loosening it until we can pull it free. I instantly cool ten degrees, and I can breathe again.
“You just ran five miles in a corset,” he growls.
He flips on the water, running it cold while I rest against the cool tiled wall. I can’t find it in me to care that I’m standing here in my bra or that my professors are on the other side of the door while Ryker is in here with me. Cold towels are draped around my shoulders, the water soaking my bra, but it’s enough to bring my temperature down and my heart rate back to normal. He’s gentle when he cleans off the blood from my hands. “Let’s get your hair clean.”
I lean over the sink, dipping my hair into the basin and watching the red float on streams that disappear down the drain.
I sigh as my adrenaline fades. “I have to go with the healers.”
“I’ll come with you, and we can take the pod.”
An hour later, Ryker sits beside me in Trysten’s spot. Trysten is sedated after the healers cleaned his wounds and stitched him up. Thankfully, the spikes missed his artery and didn’t fracture any bones.
“I don’t freaking get this. These coordinates lead to nowhere,” Tate growls in frustration. We’re all holed up in the transport, while our team tries to decode the coordinates they received from Cas and the other Intel team.
I keep banging my head on the console in frustration while Ryker tries to hide his amusement.
“Ashton, call Intel back and ask them if this is right. Tate’s right, there is nothing here,” Freya says. Ashton and Ciara exchange a quick glance and then call Cas, who reads off the same exact coordinates as last time.
“Ryker, seriously?” Tate huffs. “What is this shit?”
When I look over at him, he shrugs and ignores Tate, kicking his feet up on the console. I can’t help but raise a brow in question. He only shakes his head, crossing his arms over his chest. My gaze falls to his right arm, thinking about the tattoo that was inked there in the vision. Was it a mating mark? The thought makes me blush. The idea that his will be visible for all to see makes me feel possessive. Typically, with the Lumos Bond, only the women’s marks are visible. His hand interlaces with mine a moment later.
“Damn, this is annoying,” Ciara groans.
“Guys, why don’t we just fly there, and we can look around,” I finally suggest. It won’t hurt to just look. The information is either incorrect, or the computer is malfunctioning. Most likely the first, but it’s better than sitting here.
