I saw a man stepping out onto the lawn. Nondescript cargo pants and a black T-shirt, but the patch around his bicep with a red cross on it sure as hell caught my eye.
As the sirens stopped wailing and the red flashes went dark again, the second woman introduced the man, a Master, who worked as an EMT. He would be ready to assist if anyone sustained any injuries that required attention.
Just as part of me thought this was going to drag on forever, the founders at the front indicated they had covered everything.
“Do we have anything else to say?” Reese looked to his friends, his gaze landing on Lucas.
Lucas offered a threatening little smirk and clasped his hands behind his back. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to The Games.”
I blew out a nervous breath, and a minor cacophony of chatter broke out across the yard. Colt spun me around and grabbed me by my shoulders, leveling me with a serious stare.
“You’re ready for this.” It wasn’t a question.
I nodded, though. I was ready to try. I was ready to go all in and do my best. I had Abel’s advice and tricks running on a loop in my head. I had Lucas’s gentle warnings and barely disguised worry playing in the background. He kept me stable. He was my rock.
I had Colt’s determination and aggressive faith staring back at me right now.
He kept me wild. He was my fuel.
I never wanted to be without either of them.
“This is only our first time, baby.” Colt cupped my cheek, his gaze losing just a bit of its intensity. “We’ll come back over and over, and you will see your own progress. You’ll feel yourself growing stronger and more confident every time. And…”
“I will surrender to you,” I replied softly. “Finally.”
I believed him when he said I was struggling. I couldn’t put a finger on exactly what I did, only that I hadn’t let go of that last tiny piece of control. I noticed it when I tried to interject in decisions it wasn’t necessary for me to be involved in making, and I felt it every time I worried about things I should just leave to my Daddies.
I ached to let go of it all.
“It’ll work.” Colt cupped my cheeks and kissed me fiercely. “Promise you’ll fight me with everything you have.”
“I promise, Daddy.” My heart started thundering, and I sensed the energy around us. Everyone was ready.
“Good boy.” He gave me one more kiss, a swift one, then took a step back and surveyed my outfit. “Okay. Let’s do this. Watch out for the branches and try not to trip.”
I huffed and turned away from him. Some of the other prey had already trekked halfway down the hill to where the starting line was. Reese and the two women were waiting there, and…yeah. It was time. I took deep breaths as I trailed after, and I rolled my shoulders and wriggled my toes in my shoes. They were comfortable even though they were new. No sign of discomfort around my ankles either.
We were going to have a two-minute head start. According to Colt, it was long enough for us to both hide and mindfuck ourselves. Just lovely.
“Kit!”
I knew that voice, hoarse as it was. I glanced back over my shoulder as Abel and Madigan came out from the main house. Boy, Abel looked like he’d been through hell. But he had Madigan and was leaning heavily on him.
“You got this!” Abel called.
Love fluttered its way through my chest. He was such a great friend to me. I nodded once, unable to do much else unless I wanted to let my emotions take over already, and then I turned to the woods again.
Lucas was joining Reese and the women too, and I could tell he was struggling. He’d avoided making eye contact throughout the pregame speech earlier. Now he wasn’t.
“Be safe, baby boy,” he mouthed to me, a pleading look in his eyes.
“I will, Daddy,” I mouthed back.
“All right, we’re all here.” Reese eyed us. Six guys, three girls. “You’ll have two minutes to hide, to get ready, and to let your eyes adjust to the darkness. Try not to look back at the house. The lights up here will blind you.”
I blew out a heavy breath.
“On your marks.” He waited while we got into position, and one of the women held up a starting pistol toward the sky. The next time Reese spoke, the Predator in him made itself known. It was there in his eyes. “Run.” A shot went off, and my pulse skyrocketed.
I took off as quickly as I could and darted down the hill. Adrenaline seeped into my veins, slowly waking me up. I vaguely registered being one of the first who reached the forest, and I broke through the tree line with a jump over a big rock.