As quickly as he pulled me to him, he let go, backing up a step and putting his arms behind his back straightening his spine. The shadows disappeared instantly from my hands at the lack of contact.
What the hell was I doing? I must have been more sleep deprived than I realized.
“Seems you got the hang of it, now. You’re welcome.”
I raised my chin defiantly, annoyed that he was able to manipulate me so easily. “Why don’t you just leave me the hell alone for once?”
Stumbling over my own feet, I fled in the opposite direction wishing those shadows were back so I could hide inside of them from how embarrassed I felt. Making a fool of myself was not a part of the plan. I needed to focus on winning, or at least staying alive. Being down here, away from the life I always knew, was messing with my head.
Once I felt I was far enough away, I chanced seeing if I could access my power on my own. Sure enough, the shadows appeared easily, as if they’d always been a part of me.
I didn’t know what vexed me more. Knowing that I was able to access them because of how Dex showed me. Or that I enjoyed every second of his instruction.
Chapter 7
Dex
Iwas her enemy in every sense of the word. Not only was I here to make sure I walked out with all the powers the masks had to offer, but I knew that doing so meant I would be killing each and every contestant. No one had achieved such a feat before. The most a contestant had acquired in past games was a grand total of seven. To behold all sixteen, you had to be downright insane to even attempt it. Good thing I’d never been accused of having my shit together. It was going to be an absolute bloodbath.
But holding onto Odessa and feeling how affected she was by me, had me questioning my grand plan. I supposed, there was no reason I couldn’t enjoy her while I eliminated the rest of the competition. Once the games started, all rules were thrown out. Anything you could imagine was allowed. Even fucking her against the catacomb walls. I bet she could make the most delicious noises from that slim breakable neck of hers. Her sweet jasmine scent still lingered even long after I’d let go of her.
Watching her from where I was after she stomped off clearly as affected by me as I was her, I could admire her uninhibited. Her tenacity was adorable. I admired how hard she was trying to get that magick of hers to work. From the Mask Ceremony,I knew she was more than capable of accessing that dark and twisted part that resided within us all. She just had to not be so afraid to embrace it.
Not everyone can accept it as easily— the darkness. It’s like a second skin for me. Melding perfectly with my already questionable soul. The power sat right at home within my chest, running up and down the length of my nerve endings and surged to life at my command. Odessa would pick it up soon enough. It was addictive—these feelings of control and power. My soul longed for more, and I knew just where to start.
That Magnus made himself my first target with that arrogant mouth of his. Men like that think that having strength makes them invincible. It’ll be his fatal flaw and it works well in my favor. He thought no one would dare to cross him because of his chosen power. Well, he thought wrong. I’d have him buried so far beneath the bones that make up this place that they’ll never find even a trace of his body.
He looked at me then, as if he could see inside of my thoughts. My mouth tugged up into a smirk knowing his days were numbered. His gold gleaming mask was a farce upon his face. For his strength training he’d chosen to lift boulders above his head and have them come crashing down with a loud yell, making everyone around him uncomfortable and jumpy. Even his own teammates had decided to leave him alone, working amongst themselves on the opposite end of the room. Him being by himself would make it easier to catch him by surprise.
Shadows began to curl around Odessa, snagging my attention and my mouth turned into a full-blown smile. They built slowly, gathering around her feet like snakes, then crawled up her luscious curves, enveloping her body in a fine mist of onyx. I knew she would get there. Giving her that little push was more for my own enjoyment than anything. She felt so damn pliable beneath my hands and a part of me ached to feel it again.Her pleasure at succeeding was palpable from here. I bet I could wring that out of her with just a few well-placed strokes of my fingers. Her shadows enveloped her completely, obscuring her from view, looking as if she had never been there in the first place. Then she reappeared with a smug as fuck smile on those plush lips. Her brown eyes danced with glee, realizing that she had finally done it on her own. She spun around and found me lurking, that smile faltering for a moment before it dropped from her face completely.
Internally, I grumbled, knowing she had every reason not to trust me, but wanting that shred of happiness to be shared with me all the same.
We still had a few days of training before the masquerade ball that the gods and goddesses would be attending as well. They liked mixing amongst the lowly peasants, picking their favorites to bestow their favor upon, if they so chose. Not many were ever found worthy of such an honor. Not that it did much good. If someone was destined to join the dead, there was no escaping such a fate.
“You want to go over strategy?” Regis asked. He was on my team of spades and had chosen The Manipulator, giving him the power to influence the emotions of others around him with just one thought. I could feel the cool film of it falling over me now, making a part of me believe that it would be in my best interest to talk with them. I bit down on my tongue to keep it from revealing my secrets as I strode over to where they three of them had gathered. They were seated around a small round table clearly discussing their plans for succeeding together. I knew better than to trust anyone in here, but I could humor them.
Regis was seated with his leather gloved hands pushed together under his weak chin. He was a small man, no more than twenty given his lack of facial hair and somewhat acned complexion that dotted along his alabaster complexion.
Also on my team were two girls named, Céline, and Genevieve. Céline had chosen The Siren as her mask and was swirling a droplet of water around in the palm of her hand as Regis droned on with possible scenarios.
One thing I knew for sure was that no matter how much someone planned, the unpredictability of the game always won out. You could train as hard as you wanted— fate would always have the final say.
Genevieve, bless her, interrupted Regis’s droll musings by turning to me, and asking what I thought about all of this. Her flame like crown intertwined with her mask almost matching the hue of her long hair. She’d be one to keep around. Light was always a useful tool. Especially in the dark catacombs.
“I think we’re doing far too much talking, and not enough practicing,” I answered, wanting to see these teammates of mine in action. The more I could study their strengths and weaknesses, the easier it would be to take them out.
“Agreed,” Céline says, not waiting for a response. Instead, she pushed away from the table and sauntered off to where an obstacle course sat unused.
It was made with an uneven terrain that led to a cracked and jagged wall that only went up about halfway to the large ceiling. The entire thing had random bits of bone sticking through it. Some skulls, some that looked like ribs. One thin rope dangled from the top, but it looked as if it would snap with the smallest amount of weight. No, the only safe way up would be to climb using the crevices in the natural stone. From there, water sat on the other side, waiting to catch anyone that fell. The water continued down a narrow passage with a cage like structure sitting on top and was lined with barbed wire, sure to cut anyone that grasped it. A narrow exit was placed at the end of the water that was thick with mud and small rocks. Anyone that wanted to fit through there would have to crawl on their belly.
“We were here first,” I heard Regis’s nasally sounding voice complain.
He had his arms crossed over his chest, looking up at one of Odessa’s teammates. Clearly, they’d had the same idea to train here as well.
“You’re not using it,” Nat, I think her name was spat back. She was a fiery little thing. Too bad it wouldn’t save her from me.
Odessa hung off to the side, watching the interaction with her shoulders bound tight like a rattle snake about to lunge for an attack.
