Page 70 of Fated

Before the robotic voice even finished, I was already flying down the stairs, speeding through the arena and crossing into red territory. But as soon as I entered, I quickly realized the layout wasn’t a mirror of the blue side.

I frantically checked the walls, scanning for any sign of the orb, and combing through nearly half of the bottom level before the alarm quieted and the red lights stopped flashing.

Shit—Keo and Fin are back in the game.

Footsteps were closing in behind me, so I took off in the opposite direction, only to spot the glow of a red vest approaching from the other side.

Trapped between two players, I froze, weighing my options and pressing myself against the wall, willing myself to disappear into the shadows. Slowly, I kept creeping forward.

Suddenly, my stomach bottomed out as a hand grabbed my arm and pulled me into a small alcove. Only one person in this arena would have noticed the hidden, dark space, and I found myself face-to-face with Ash. The space was tight, the wall at my back pushing me into his broad chest. The flashing light from my vest illuminated his face as he looked down at me.

He took his hand and covered my vest’s light, plunging us into darkness. I was enveloped in his scent, and the warmth of his breath caressed my forehead. Struggling to keep mybreathing steady, my attention kept drifting to the sensation of his body pressed up against mine.

I held my breath as we listened to footsteps running by, blissfully unaware of our hiding place. As the sound faded, Ash dropped his hands, allowing the lights on our vests to flicker back on. His gaze locked onto my eyes, and with a touch so light it sparked a flutter in my chest, he brushed a stray hair from my face, his fingers lingering against my skin.

“They are probably on our side by now, looking for our orb,” I managed to whisper.

Ash simply stared at me, those stormy gray eyes filled with an intensity that made my breath catch. “I don’t care,” he whispered.

Neither did I.

“You’re so beautiful, Areya.”

My cheeks warmed and instinctively, I tried to look away, but he hooked a finger beneath my chin, guiding my face back to his.

His eyes drifted to my lips, staying there a moment before returning to my gaze.

My pulse quickened, and I needed to remind myself to keep breathing.

I forced myself to really look at him, to take in every exquisite detail of his face.

He was like a god among mortals, and in this moment, his focus was entirely on me, staring at me in a way no one ever had before.

I was biting my lip, oblivious to it until he lightly touched it with his finger, tracing it.

“What have you done to me, Areya?” he murmured, his voice so soft and intimate, goosebumps erupted over my skin.

My gaze fell to his lips, wondering how they would feel against mine, how they would taste.

The desire was overwhelming, all-consuming, so much that nothing outside this moment mattered. Just as I felt myself leaning in, every light in the arena came on, followed by the sound of a blaring alarm.“Red team has won the game.”

A flush of warmth spread across my cheeks as I looked down.

Ash leaned in and pressed the softest kiss to my forehead, his lips barely brushing my skin, but it was enough to make my insides melt. In the distance, Keo was cheering, his words drowned out by the echoes of the arena. My eyes met Ash’s, and we laughed.

“We better let Keo relish in his victory,” Ash said, grinning.

We left our little nook and made our way to the middle of the arena where Fin and Keo stood, triumphant, wearing huge grins stretching across their faces.

“To be fair, the orb is always hidden in one of four places,” Fin said, Keo elbowing him.

“Good game,” I said, smiling at both of them as we made our way back to the main area of the Splatter Zone, to return our gear.

Back at the front entrance of The Game Zone, Fin glanced at his watch. “I really hate to cut things short, but we have to head home and watch our sister while Mom goes to work.”

“You guys have a little sister?” I asked, surprised.

“A little spoiled brat is more like it,” Keo chimed in with a dramatic eye roll.

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