Their Boy (The Game 2)

Then he stopped next to Lucas and addressed us all. “Mr. West is going to run through some of the things that were in the contract, so you better listen.”

My heart sped up as Lucas took a step forward and cleared his throat.

Hi, Daddy.

“We want to stress the importance of the Predators reviewing the rules and the safety measures with the prey again,” he said. “We know you all read the information given to you, but please make sure your prey understands it fully and can repeat it back to you.” He paused. “Predators, you may attach the wristbands.”

I glanced back at Colt, and he pulled the two wristbands out of the back pocket of his jeans. They looked more like smartwatches, except there wasn’t a display. Instead, there was a flashlight of sorts on the front.

“As you know,” Lucas went on, “the preys’ bands are equipped with an alarm and an emergency light. Hold in the buttons on each side of the light to activate both.” There was another pause as the Tops attached the bands. Colt gave me a small smirk and checked that the strap was attached properly. “Prey, you only use this band in the event of an emergency and immediately need to be brought out of the game. Consider it a safeword measure that goes beyond calling red to your Owner. We have monitors in the forest whose sole responsibility is to find you quickly should you need it.”

I brushed my thumb and forefinger over the buttons on the side and let out a shaky breath.

“There is an additional function on the Predators’ wristbands,” Lucas said. “The flashlight is a button on its own, and you will press it when you’ve captured your prey. Which will send a signal to our scorekeeper. If you do not press it, the clock won’t stop, and we can’t log your time.”

“If you lose your prey after initial capture,” Reese filled in, “you have to press the button again.” He smirked. “Don’t fuckin’ lose your prey.”

Colt’s hands clamped down on my shoulders, and I startled. He dipped down and murmured to me, “I ain’t in it to win it, Kit. I wanna play with my food before I eat.”

I shuddered and clenched my jaw. He was trying to get into my head.

The redheaded woman took a step forward next, and she studied us prey with her chin held high. “This is for all the little bottoms who think losing quickly will give your Tops a better score to win. It’s not going to work, because you’ll be graded differently. The Predators will aim for a low score—that would be the amount of time it takes to capture the prey. And the prey… you’ll want to hold out for as long as possible. But we’re keeping the why to ourselves for the time being.”

“We have eyes in the trees,” River murmured.

“For more than one reason,” Lucas said. “This is a rough game. Please get ready for the mindfucks our Sadists have planned—”

“Not too ready,” Reese said with a grin.

“Hear, hear!” Colt hollered.

I gnashed my teeth even harder and resisted the urge to glare back at him.

Lucas nodded with a dip of his chin. No smile, no smirk, just business. “We’re going to treat you to a small demonstration.” He gestured a go-ahead to Reese. “When the Predators have signaled their success in taking down their prey, everyone will know.”

Reese let out a sharp whistle, then cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled down the hill. “Sound the sirens!”

My eyes were glued to the dark forest that suddenly lit up with flashes of blood-red, and the light show was followed by an alarm that sent chills down my spine. It was as if the apocalypse were here and it was everyone for themselves.

The flashes thickened into a red haze with machines shooting smoke into the trees.

I swallowed dryly and glanced around me. My brain kicked into overdrive to take it all in, and time seemed to slow down. With wide eyes, I saw some people cheering, some rolling their shoulders and stretching, some tying their running shoes, some forehead-to-forehead while the Top gave a pep talk, some taking their seats along the deck for the show.

I’d been sort of expecting slave dresses for the girls and underwear for the boys, for some reason. Instead, we were dressed for a hike in rough terrain. I had a long-sleeved T-shirt, jeans, and good running shoes created for this environment. The best games are the ones we take seriously, Colt had said, and I could see everyone else was on the same page. The people here, whether they participated or observed, wanted something savage. Something real.

Madigan and Abel weren’t around yet. My guess was they were still upstairs in the main house, or they’d retreated to our cabin for aftercare.