Page 11 of Lust & Lollipops

“How long is this going to take?” I asked Rhett.

There were no chairs to sit on.

I spotted a camera drone flying off to my left, recording both of us, and resisted the urge to flip the Society off through it.

They probably wouldn’t see it if I did.

And all it could do was piss them off, which seemed pointless.

The camera drones were made with some kind of techy camouflaging that made them difficult to spot, but I’d read a few articles about how to find them.

“Depends how bloody it gets,” Rhett said.

I grimaced. “How bad do you think it’ll get?”

“Very.”

“Care to elaborate?”

“Seems pretty simple. The man who spends the first hour with you will have a big advantage.”

“He’ll also be a target, won’t he?”

“It’s likely. But at the same time, they’re all going to be doing everything they can to win you over. Even if they make it to the end, they can’t win without you choosing them over the others. A reward with you will be the most neutral way to get to know you.”

“Lovely.”

“Yep.” Rhett stared out at the trees.

I did too.

I thought we’d have to wait a while, but it was less than five minutes later that the first man emerged. He was flying, with tan wings spread behind him as he soared toward us.

“Who’s that?” I whispered to Rhett.

“I’m not allowed to give you information or opinions.”

I sighed. “You’re useless to me.”

“Want me to hand you over to them?”

I scowled at him, but he continued staring out at the trees.

The man was basically a sarcastic brick wall.

Tan-winged guy landed. He had bronze skin, a gleaming white smile, and the smallest horns on any of the men I’d seen. Up close, his wings almost looked… furry?

Odd.

Another guy emerged from the trees behind him, but the first was already offering me his hand, like he wanted a handshake.

Despite my discomfort, I shook his hand.

His grip was too firm, but I managed not to wince.

“Nice to meet you, Molly. I’m Kaden. I also hate sand.”

“It sucks,” I agreed, not sure what else to say.

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