“I said I wouldn’t lie toyou.”
“Hmmm,” is all he says.
“Where is my seat?” I ask.
“You’ll know which one is yours when you see Cas’s new pet sitting in the seat next to yours.”
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
XADEN
I lead the team out of the locker room. We can hear the chant of the crowd, which just fuels our hunger for the win. It’s fucking addicting hearing people call your name and putting pressure on you to win a game they have nothing to do with. When there are mere seconds left on the clock and you’re racing the buzzer to secure the win and make that last shot, there is no better feeling.
Knowing you single handedly won that fucking game can bolster any man’s ego and make him feel like the king of the fucking world.
Invincible.
Untouchable.
Victory is a sweet,sweetdish I love to gorge myself on.
As we hit the edge of the rink, all of our supporters are on their feet screaming and yelling for us to go kick some Somerset ass. I relish in them chanting my name, letting it soak in for a second to boost my determination for scoring us the win. The second my skates touches the ice, all of the noise becomes nothing but a distant hum. The only other time I can shield my thoughts and remain focused on one task is when I’m killing. Hockey offers me the same bliss taking a life does and this will be the last time I get this high.
Cas skates up beside me and knocks his shoulder into mine. I look over at my friend and grin.
“This is our game, Xaden. We put in the hard work and now it’s time to bring this bitch home, baby.”
I grip the front of his shirt and smack my helmet against his. “We win, we party, we end it all… tonight.” I see nothing but unrestrained trust in his eyes. Cas has proven more times than I can count that he would follow me into a burning building. He may not be Neave or Miles but he’shim,and it’s time I let him in and stopped holding him at arm’s length. “I’ll always have your back, Caspian. Never betray me and I swear to you, I’ll give you what we both crave the most.”
“What’s that, X?”
“Vengeance.” I release him and skate around our half of the rink. The other half of the crowd loses their shit when the Somerset Eagles emerge, led by their captain, Masen. The fucker hits the ice and holds his stick above his head, acting like he’s already won the fucking game. I turn away from him and look up at the stands directly behind our goal and see Toren sitting there with my number painted on her cheek and a big X on the side of her neck. I expected to find her gaze locked onto her brother but instead, she’s looking right at me.
Thank-you, she mouths. I bite the inside of my cheek and tear my gaze off her to look at the bitch seated beside her. My brows raise and a laugh bursts out at the sight of Harper sitting there, wearing Cas’s jersey. The jaded bitch looks like she ate a lemon and flips me the bird. The motherfucker is going to ruin her life for making him hunt her ass down.
The laughter dies when the ref blows his whistle. I spin around to see him in the center. I skate toward him at the same time Masen does. We both slide to a stop and glare at each other.
“I want a good, clean and fair game tonight, boys,” the ref says. “Keep a level head and play some good hockey, alright?”Both Masen and I grunt our agreement. When he blows his whistle again, Masen and I drop into our positions and wait for the puck drop. Our eyes lock as our sticks hit the ice. I exhale and force every thought out of my head as I focus on the game.
It happens in slow motion, I widen my stance and bend forward ready for the drop. When the puck hits the ice, there’s a split second of silence, no movement just the sound of my breathing, then it’s on. Masen and I both go for the puck. I manage to hit backward between my legs as he slams into me driving me back. I shove the fucker off me, then get back into the play.
I see Brady with the puck on the wing, he has two on him. He pivots toward me. When he sees me open, he passes. I rush forward and pull the puck in with my stick without slowing my pace. I dummy right and see Kellan coming at me. Just before he can slam me into the boards, I pivot and do a tight turn to rush forward. I move the puck side to side, their goalie sets up to block but he’s too far left. I hit the puck hard, aiming for the top right, then roar out a cheer when the buzzer blares.
Cas rushes me and bangs his chest into mine. “Let’s fucking go, baby!” he cheers.
We return to the center, ready for the next drop. Masen looks furious. I’m not ready to fuck with his head yet, I want to wait for the perfect time before I drop it. When the ref drops the puck, we both fight for it. Masen gets the puck. I pivot and rush after him, cutting the ice up as Cas draws in from the wing, ready to check Masen, but Kellan the motherfucker pummels into him, taking him off his feet.
Brady tries to come at him but Masen is a skilled player and circles around him, blowing through our defensemen before lining up his shot. Tyson prepares for him to take the shot, but I see the opening at the same time Masen does. Tyson is leaning too far down and leaves the top of the goal open. I open mymouth to call out to Ty but it’s too fucking late. Masen takes the shot.
The buzzer sounds and sends the fucking Somerset Eagles into a fit. I grind my teeth until they ache as I skate back to the center, ready to smash the fuckers face in. Masen stands before me with a shit eating grin on his face.
“This is my fucking town, Devlin.”
I scoff out a laugh. “Not for long, Kellar,” I snap back as the puck drops, then slam my shoulder into him and take the puck. Kellan and Darren come at me. I wait for them to get close before I pass to Cas, leaving them no time to pivot and go after him.
They're too heavy on their feet, relying too much on their skates digging into the ice. The turn needs to come from the body, graceful and fast like a figure skater. All of Stormsend has been trained to skate like a figure skater—light on their feet, quick pivots and using their whole body, not just their skates. That’s what makes us a deadly team. We’ve learned how to do a double fucking axel. I fought Coach on that until I had to use it once in a game and scored the winning goal because of it.
We keep going point for fucking point!
