“Do you still have the money Cobalt gave you a couple seasons ago?” I asked.
Poppy’s eyes widened in concern. “I do. Why? Do you need some?”
His eagerness made me snort. “For fuck’s sake, no. Keep your damned money.” I stared at the floor. “I grew up poor. What little we had was never enough.”
I wasn’t sure why I suddenly felt the urge to share. Maybe it was because I felt a kinship with Poppy as the last two unmated omegas from the original season. Or maybe it was because Poppy was my friend.
But getting out those two sentences was hard enough. My throat tightened like a vise, not wanting to dig any deeper. I couldn’t tell him the rest. Not yet, anyway.
Poppy’s gaze lowered to his hands folded in his lap. “I can understand that. I went through something similar.”
We lapsed into silence. Neither of us wanted to elaborate. But that was fine with me. Sitting quietly together and knowing we’d both shared a troubled childhood was enough.
In a lighter tone, Poppy said, “I think you’ll find your mate this season after all. Jade seems to like you, even though you wanted revenge on him.”
I resisted the urge to groan. I’d forgotten about that melodramatic incident.
But I didn’t want to get my hopes up. “I’m not holding my breath.”
On the other hand, Poppy remained eternally hopeful. He nodded to my pile of clothes. “Go on. Pick an outfit.”
I sighed. “All right.”
As I shuffled through potential outfits, my mind wandered. What if a different omega had ditched the book and gone to confront Jade instead? Would that omega have won the challenge and taken my place during tonight’s date?
A hot burst of jealousy shot up my spine. Then I imagined clawing the imaginary omega’s eyes out and instantly felt better.
Why was I so possessive over Jade? We weren’t together. We weren’t even dating. So why did I care so much if a theoretical omega won a stupid reality TV challenge?
Suddenly, I felt impatient to get to the date. I grabbed the nearest outfit and threw it on. In the end, it didn’t matter what I wore, since all my clothes were fabulous.
But I did secretly hope that Jade liked it.
A staff memberinstructed me to take the hotel elevator up to the penthouse. I’d been there once before for an omegas’ night party when that ferret omega, Mylo, was pregnant. I did a damned good job hiding my searing jealousy that night—not because I was envious of Mylo’s annoying alpha partner Aurum,but because Mylohada fated mate and babies on the way. Frankly, I should’ve earned an award for sainthood.
When I arrived at the penthouse level, the staff kobold led me to a different area. I was pleased to be greeted by a luxurious, pristine spa room. A pair of spotless leather massage tables stood at the ready, nestled behind a private bamboo wall. Glowing candles and gentle soundscape music provided an inviting atmosphere. It was nicer than any salon I’d ever been to—not that I’d been to many, with my paltry money situation. But a man could dream, right?
I wasn’t alone. Camera kobolds lurked in the corners of the spa room, ready to capture everything on film. They were subtle, and I’d been on enough seasons to tune them out, but it would’ve been nice to enjoy a spa experience without them present. I fantasized about winning the Games and having my very own spa room in the dragons’ castle.
“Alaric.”
Jade’s voice sent an electric jolt across my skin. He stood behind me with a cool smile. His long green hair was tied up neatly as usual, although he’d changed into a fresh suit.
“Jade,” I replied, trying not to betray the fact that I was glad to see him.
He sounded pleased. “I’m glad you made it, despite the mysterious circumstances.”
“I would never miss an opportunity to claim a prize.”
I spoke calmly, but my heart hammered in rapid, heavy thuds. Was it my imagination, or did my pulse thrum harder and faster every consecutive time I saw Jade?
Jade glanced around the room. “For what it’s worth, I had no idea we had a spa date until I arrived. If I’d known, I would’ve worn a robe.”
My brain instantly pictured him in a robe. Then without it. I shook my head, discarding those unwarranted thoughts before I wandered in a direction I couldn’t come back from.
“Well, let’s not waste time,” I said. “I, for one, would greatly appreciate a massage.”
Jade’s eyes flashed. “Is that right?”
