Chapter 258. The Competition VI

Chapter 258: 258. The Competition VI

Maisie

"The Queen favours this city. Of course they get top tier security and forget all about us on the borders," one of the students from Hellsgrave said as I herded the thirteenth group–which were significantly more annoying and less impressionable than the twelveth–down the lockered hallways.

The girl on my right was staring at my collar. She had a scar that looked recent running down her left cheek and her hair was dyed blue. She was dressed like a fighter, much like the rest of the group. "You’re her, aren’t you? That chick wanted for murder."

I tried not to cringe. Guess I really was famous. Wait till they found out why Brownstone was attacked. I didn’t doubt she’d stick those pretty daggers she carried into my gut.

"You could say so," I muttered and gestured at the training hall. "This used to be–"

"Sick," a guy whistled from behind. "If I asked for a piece of your sweet ass, would you stab me in the back, too?"

The tallest one in the group–what was his name again? Bart? Barry? Bryce?--released a disgusted sound. "Only cowards stab others in the back, when they’re unsuspecting. Besides, she must really get all the benefits from being married to those privileged hotshots. A murderer even gets the role of a tour guide. Adorable."

I glanced back at him.

A pair of mismatched eyes met mine. His left eye was green and the right was brown. He had hair the colour of salt and pepper kept short and practical. He had a permanent scowl of displeasure on his face that reminded me of Mercer, and he was huge for a wolf, standing at nearly six foot four, with several pounds on him, muscles bulging from his head to toe black gear.

The corner of his mouth tilted in a lopsided grin. But it didn’t look like a grin at all. It was an ugly, cruel smile, and I thought if he didn’t have such nasty expressions, I might have found him handsome.

"What? Your feelings get hurt, princess?"

I ignored him, taking them down the right hallway. "This leads to the library–"

"I’ll be fighting one of your dogs in a few hours," he said.

I stopped mid-step.

"Which was it," he purred. "Ah, yes. The pretty red head." He moved into my space, leaning down over me. "I’ve always been curious. You think when I splatter his blood across the floors of the arena, he’ll bleed red like the rest of us, or will he bleed ichor like the gods they pretend to be?"

My Lycan didn’t like the threat at all, but I couldn’t help the snort that escaped me. "Confidence is good, but Mercer would eat you for breakfast and use your fragile bones for toothpicks, dog."

His lips peeled back in a snarl, but before he could properly respond, he stiffened.

His head whipped right, towards the direction we’d just come from and he lifted his face to the air and sniffed.

He went stiff as a marionette. And then, like he was being yanked by a lasso, he took off down the hallway, tearing down everything in his path.

"Brody, wait!" the girl yelled, going after him.

Ah. So his name was Brody. Somehow, it fit him perfectly.

I sighed heavily, thinking this might be the perfect opportunity to sneak away. Then I recalled Atlas’s threat and shuddered. She would actually skin me alive if I lost an entire group of Hellsgrave students. Especially a group walking around with daggers and guns.

I swore under my breath and took off after them.

"Hey!" I yelled. "Stop–"

They had already vanished around the corner. I growled inwardly and rounded it at a sprint.

And nearly collided with the back of a crowd. Students blocked the hallway outside the women’s bathroom, various screams echoing from within where the girls who were participating in the competition were no doubt showering and changing.

I gasped, running forward. "You can’t be in there!" I shoved through the bodies, trying to get to the door. "Move–get the hell back–and out–"

I reached the forefront and when I finally laid eyes on what the commotion was about, I stilled.

The other girls had taken refuge in the bathroom stalls, their heads peeking out through the door with terror in their gazes.

And then, there was Jenny, who stood against the far wall of the bathroom, frozen to the spot.

She was wearing nothing but a black bra and matching panties, her uniform still clutched in one hand like she’d been caught mid-change.

Her eyes were wide, chest rising and falling too fast. In front of her stood the huge prick who had been needling me thirty seconds ago.

He was breathing hard, shoulders rigid, every line of his body locked on her.

He took a step forward.

Jenny pressed herself harder against the tiles, whimpering. "S-stop–"

He took another step closer, his body posed like a serpent coiled to snap, and my instincts kicked in, extremely protective of my best friend.

I tore across the space and seized Brody’s arm. And I hurled him backward with enough force that the students yelled in alarm, dispersing quickly when he slammed into the tiled wall beside the door.

I stepped in front of Jenny, putting myself between them.

"Stay away from her."

Brody staggered, caught himself, and pitched forward again like he hadn’t even registered the hit. My fist was already coming up when a small sound left Jenny’s throat behind me.

"N-no."

It sounded very close to a whimper.

Then she stepped out from behind my back.

And... she climbed the man.

My jaw unhinged as I watched her launch herself into his arms. Watched him catch her like he had been waiting for that moment all his life. He spun them and her back hit the tiled with a smack.

I was sure I heard a crack.

My jaw was gradually approaching the floor at that point.

His body covered hers completely, so that none of the other males could see her. He gripped one of her pale thighs and hooked it around hip.

And then, their lips met in a crazed, desperate frenzy that ushered every student in the hallway into stunned silence.

They began going at it right there. Smooching messily, hungrily, humping each other, and I thought I needed to bleach my eyes out.

Brody dragged his mouth down the side of her neck and pulled her scent into his lungs like he’d been starving for it.

And exhaled a single rough word against her skin. "Mate."

My jaw hit the ground.

Well. I’ll be damned.

A happy smile curved my lips and my eyes stung. Finally.

I sucked in a deep breath and looked ahead, scanning the Hellsgrave students in front of me. Searching for someone with my exact height and a build closer to mine.

I walked towards the girl from from the hallway earlier. She blinked when I stepped into her and said, "Please come with me. I need to gather a few supplies for the competition."

Her eyes narrowed into an irritated expression, briefly flicking higher towards Brody before she turned on her heel and followed me.

I thought she seemed a bit upset by Brody and Jenny, but I didn’t think too much about it. It didn’t matter right now.

I led her up, towards the nearly emptied out third floor, straight for the janitor’s closet.

I stepped inside after her and shut the door.

She turned, frowning at the empty closet. "There’s nothing here--"

She didn’t see the blow coming before it hit her across her skull. She keeled over prettily and dropped on the floor, unconscious.

"Sorry," I winced, dropping the bat. "I just need your uniform. And your ID."

****

Greymoor’s stadium was shaped like an arena. I’d never been in here before, and so I was struck by the sheer size of it.

Rows upon rows of occupied seats extended ahead of me, stretching all the way to the other end of the arena. At the center, a vast field ran far and wider than I could see from this angle, and there were large screens at every corner, blinking at every angle of the arena, pulling up different feeds.

The one to my right blinked, bringing up the huge score board with ’GA’ and "HA’, written in red and green moving prints and the steady zeros for the game was yet to start.

The game was yet to start, but the stadium was filled to the brim, save for the empty rows of seats on the raised platform.

There was a large throne flanked by smaller thrones. And the rows behind housed smaller designated seats. For the Queen and the possible fifty others that were Elite members of Ashbourne and the world beyond.

My fingers trembled where I stood off to the side where no one else could find me, hidden in the shadows as I awaited the announcement.

The one that heralded the Queen’s arrival.

My heartbeat slammed against my ribs as I shook. I couldn’t seem to lock down my anger and control myself. How would I ever get close enough to kill her if I couldn’t even get my impulses under control?