“To give you a fighting chance, I won’t shift for the first five minutes.”Truth. “That is, if you even last that long.” His cruel smile doesn’t hide his meaning at all. He doesn’t expect me to last his human form for even five minutes.
Cheers ring out across the area with hoots and hollers, and I get a flash of deja vu, at least from the noises from my vision. I’mnot about to take my eyes off Captain Brooks, but I’m sure this is what I was getting flashes of—the Blood Matches.
“And if I last that long?” I ask, making him say what he is secretly implying with his silence. He obviously doesn’t think he needs to spell out what he will do, but I’m not backing down from the challenge.
He steps closer to me until he’s nose-to-nose with me. He’s so close that I see the faint golden flecks in his iris, but what really catches my attention is the slight movement under the skin of his cheek. I can’t see the color, but I know it’s there.
Show me what is hidden.
There, right where I couldn’t see before, is the Rebel’s tattoo slithering under the skin.
“Then, Miss Taylor, I won’t make it a fast kill. I like playing with my toys, but make no mistake.” His eyes travel up and down my body. “My orders are to kill you, and I don’t disobey,” he whispers.
I smile up at him coyly. “Careful, Captain. Your tattoo’s showing.”
Without hesitation, his hand goes to his cheek to cover what isn’t showing for everyone else, but verifies that he’s definitely guilty beyond a doubt for me. “Thirty minutes and we meet back here?”
He snatches his hand away and growls, “Fifteen,” before turning around and stomping away.
“Kitten.” Knox takes my hand and pulls me into him, giving me a bear hug. His arms squeeze me, almost suffocating me, but I know he’s doing it out of fear, so I open our link and flood it with reassurance and love.
He pulls back, and I see trapped tears in his eyes.
“Can you take us someplace? We only have fifteen minutes.” He nods and begins leading me down a path to a small, lone cabin. The rest quickly follow, not saying a word until we’re in acottage that’s big enough that we can comfortably sit in the living room. There’s a kitchen and a small bathroom off on the side, but that’s about it.
“This is just a waiting cabin specifically for The Blood Matches,” Knox tells me as he sits down and pats the area next to him.
As I get comfortable, a blood-red paper falls from the air and into my lap.
I didn’t bleed for nothing.
-B
Oh yeah, Bez! I hold in a snort as I reread Bez’s note. Yep, that would be the type of note he would leave me. Short, sweet, and to the point.
Wait! How the hell does he know what’s going on?I quickly search around the room for any cameras or mechanical birds, but there’s nothing. Knox peers over to see what’s in my hand. “What’s that?”
“It’s a love note,” I tell him as I hand it over before reaching into my now accessible S.I.N. box and taking out the item Bez reminded me of. It’s something I might need for Captain Brooks. “I just don’t understand how he knows that I’m here, if there are no cameras,” I murmur to myself.
Everyone watches as I silently prep, and the tension is killing me.
“Want me to piss on his leg?” Lynx asks.
I straight up laugh.‘I love you. Thank you for breaking the tension.’
‘That’s what I’m here for, Rezzi-bear.’Lynx winks at me.
“What did Brooks say to you?” Moni asks. “We couldn’t hear him,” she admits.
“Oh, he said his orders are to kill me.”
“WHAT?” the room yells collectively. I’m sure Nova heard everyone.
“Yeah. At least I know he’s not working for Aaron. Because he wants me alive, so that excludes him,” I say, nodding.
I hold up a bottle of something that I didn’t have the chance to take before the Gauntlet, and to be honest, I had forgotten before Bez’s note. Popping the top, a hint of vanilla greets me, along with dark, earthy patchouli, smoky, leathery spice, and musk, creating a powerful aroma that’s both beautiful and biting—just like Bez—his essence. I can’t believe I’ve been holding onto this since the meet-and-greet.Without thinking twice, I shoot it back, letting the warm liquid absorb through me.
“What did you just take?” Zeke asks, shooting up from his spot on the floor.
