Page 23 of Beautiful Dark Temptation

Fox started to take a step forward whenKieran held him back and whispered something to him. Then Foxdragged his hard, cold, deadly eyes to me, and Ifeltaghost of pain as if he’d slit open my throat.

I turned to Dasher at the same exact time heturned to me. I was so screwed and he knew it. I shook my headmaking sure he didn’t get any ideas to bail on me. I needed this towork now more than ever, and Dasher was the key to it all. At ourother side, Charity blew Wren a kiss. Although she, too, woretactical gear, she still found a way to show her voluminouspackage.

Wren smirked her way. River practicallygrowled.

Micah simply nodded at Henry who’d gone evenmore pale. I felt sorry for the guy.

“Kieran,” Ashton said with a leer.

“Ashton,” Kieran returned.

The temperature dropped a few degrees. And Ithought Kieran hatedme. The level of hate in Kieran’s voicesurpassed whenever he saidmyname. I wasn’t sure what tothink about that bit of truth.

Coach called us in a sort of huddle. Therules of engagement were simple. We were given a paintball gun withtwo tubes of paint pellets each and a retractable knife. Theobjective—grab their flag and defend it in our area of the playingfield, a hundred-yard wooded area roped out by the officials. Weeach wore an armband with our name and sigil on it. The Ark sigilconsisted of three interlocking rings. Dasher took liberties withours. In a fuck you to The Ark Boys, he used the three rings with agiant lightning bolt through it and it was very colorful. Coachwent on to explain once we were shot or stabbed dead, the opponentwould rip that band off as a prize. A pennant would be plantedwhere the death took place, and the body could be stripped.Anything goes. We also had the right to yield if offered by theopponent. We had to respond right away though or be shot.

Charity clapped at that little tidbit. Iwasn’t even sure if she was acting anymore. Coach would blast ahorn twice to announce the ten-minute mark, and then one long blastof the horn to announce game over. There were field referees thatwould be watching. “You sure you guys don’t want to bail?” Coachasked.

“Hell, no,” Dasher said vehemently.

We all echoed that sentiment.

We were given rights to the field first aswe were the Underdog and we separated as planned.

By that point, my palms were sweaty. Mysenses jacked. I was as vulnerable as a deer on an open road of theI-290. Sweat dripped down my back and I suddenly had the urge topee. I’d played paintball before with my brothers, and I’d alwaysbeen the first to die because I couldn’t stay still. I’d taken mymeds, but still felt that jittery feeling underneath my skin.

We knew they’d come for our flag first.They’d leave the weakest link to protect theirs—Henry. We had tointercept them in the field. We weren’t camping out likechicken-shits.

I’d never get used to the woods. Theycreeped me out. I preferred the city streets. The dark nothingnessfelt as if something dangerous just waited around a tree, up atree, under the ground. I’d watched way too many horror movies inmy short lifetime. It was cold in the mountains.

I followed a safe distance behind Dasher ashe struggled to move over the gnarled roots and foliage litteringthe ground. Hell, I’d stumbled a few times and I didn’t havecrutches. Once he was in position, I hung back and hid myselfbehind a tree, under some of the natural foliage. We had a fewminutes before The Ark Boys would be sent in. I settled and prayedthat we wouldn’t get caught.

It’d been my plan, but seeing Dasherexposed, struggling, drew out all my protective instincts. Dasherwas a second year, older than me, but smaller. He should’ve beenprotected. At least that’s the initial perception you got from theguy when you saw him. I knew he was stronger than what Fox gave himcredit for. His disability didn’t slow him down. Hell, he’d made aclubhouse over some trees and he climbed it easier than me. Andyet, seeing him out in the open in the middle of a war game—fake ornot—felt wrong.

I knew if I broke cover to help him he’d bepissed, so I stayed in my spot and kept line of sight on the mark.We were betting on two things. That Fox’s strangeoverprotectiveness of Dasher would have him watching Dasher everyminute, and that Fox wouldn’t let any of his buddies shoot Dasher.Dasher would have to be given the option to surrender, which Ididn’t think he’d choose. Either way, I trained my eyes on Dasher’ssurroundings, sure that Fox was watching him.

Dasher stumbled, caught himself on a tree.Hell, I almost went for him. The area around him was littered withovergrowth and rocks. He could really hurt himself. He tried toclimb over a root, his face red from exertion. His foot caught onsomething. He tried to balance on the crutch but overcorrected andhe fell with a snap.

That couldn’t have been his plan. He let outa sharp cry but cut it short before he could give away hisposition. I heard whimpers from where he was, and I was two secondsaway from ruining the whole plan. Let him get mad at me, but Icouldn’t risk him being really hurt. Then movement caught my eye,and my body grew taut. My pulse quickened and I tried to moderatemy breathing. Fox appeared. I couldn’t see his face, but I couldimagine him pissed off. He moved like death. His body fluid. Icould see the hunter in him and that was a scary thing. At leastuntil he got to Dasher. The tension in his body relaxed, he evensounded kinder.

“I told you, but you’re so stubborn,” hesaid.

“Fuck you,” Dasher said back, voice tight.“Leave me alone.”

But of course, Fox didn’t listen. Hecrouched next to Dasher, his eyes on Dasher’s legs and not hishands. Dumb move. I saw the next moment in slo-mo and it waspriceless. Fox knelt beside Dasher. Dasher’s shoulder tensed, hishand inched to his waistband. In a blur of movement, Dasher pulledout the knife and stabbed Fox in the neck just under the shield.Red started leaking down Fox’s neck, down his shirt up until Dasherpulled out the retractable blade, stopping the red ink. It took Foxa silent moment to realize what had happened. Angry, he tore offhis headgear. He didn’t even try to defend himself, didn’t shootDasher. Shock and something like hurt filled his eyes as if he’dbeen betrayed.

Duh. That was the point. The look on Fox’sface made me question his relationship with Dasher. It made mequestion everything about Fox. It made me afraid. As if Dasher hadbeen the only thing standing between Fox and chaos.

“You’re dead, asshole,” Dasher said. And heripped Fox’s arm band. I scanned the area making sure Fox had beenalone before peeling out of my hiding spot. Fox stretched to hisfeet, noticed me, and snarled. His lip lifting up and all. I smiledand fist bumped Dasher. I didn’t help Dasher get up. I knew to lethim have his moment. But Fox tried only to be cussed out.

“I’m fine,” Dasher snapped.

“And you’re dead,” I said to Fox. “And weget to loot the body.” That felt so damn good to say. Though Foxwas the wrong body I wanted to loot. I let Dasher do thehonors.

Fox kept his eyes trained on Dasher as ifexpecting Dasher to pull out a real knife and stab him in the heartwith it. Dasher handed me Fox’s comm link. “Go, finish this.”

I nodded. “You know what to do.”

He smiled, looking cheesy and accomplished.Hell, even if we did lose now, the satisfaction of taking down Foxfor Dasher was worth it.

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