NINETEEN
The rest of the car build went smooth and fast, the time flying by at a speed Jo hadn’t expected. It became easier and easier to spend each waking moment around Nic, mostly because he kept up the supportive act. They hadn’t brought up anything else about their bond or what might have been, and Jo was thankful for it. The more she thought about it, the more tempted she was to give it a go, but fear kept her from proceeding with any thoughts like that.
Funny she was terrified of a relationship with Nic, but the Race Games didn’t scare her at all. Fear was a funny thing.
Frankie had been loaded down with as many weapons as possible while attempting to keep her from getting too heavy to hold a spot in the race. In the end, the ‘Cuda was a literal tank, but it had been so stripped down to keep the weight under control, the inside might as well be considered unfinished. Down to the bare metal and only the essentials on the dash, the seats and belts, and the roll cage, there was nothing else to distract during the race.
Except for the other wolf in the car, of course.
And now, they were only a week out from the Games and there were obligations and expectations. Which meant getting all glammed up and attending the Introduction Gala. It was strange to think they had to get paraded around for the entertainment of the supernatural world, especially since the news had already essentially introduced them, but Jo knew it was necessary. Not only was the Introduction Gala a good way to feel out the competition, but it would also help with their role in joining Danica and Cricket’s mission. What better way to have your ear to the ground than to be surrounded by the corruption?
So Jo and Nic had put on their best clothing they could manage and were en route to the event in Nic’s pickup truck. Cricket had insisted on providing a limo, but Jo had declined it. There was no use pretending they were from money any more than it was useful to play house with Nic. Things didn’t need smoke and shadows to make them happen. If that meant Jo stepped from a pickup truck in an off-brand dress, then so be it.
“You’d think they’d decide an official date for this thing, but they keep changing the time and locations every race, it’s turning into a game within itself,” Jo commented, looking through the windshield at the line of limos and town cars before them. Nic’s pickup truck was certainly out of place. Even more so, the fact that Nic was driving was even more unusual. Ahead of them, a set of fae females stepped from the back of a large limo dressed to kill in gowns that sparkled. Their wings were hidden away in case a human wandered too near before they got inside, but they were certainly ethereal in their beauty. That’s what people expected from the teams. That wasn’t what they would get with Nic and Jo.
“They keep the racers on their toes for a reason,” Nic replied. “It’s part of the game for them.”
“It’s still stupid. I expected to be in New York for this, not Wyoming. They wait until the last possible moment to tell us where our cars need to be. If not for Cricket, our car might not have ever made it in time.”
“I can’t argue with you there,” Nic murmured before reaching up and tugging at his shirt collar.
He was dressed in a button-down shirt that made his shoulders look impossibly wider. While most other men were wearing suits and tuxedos, Nic had chosen a plaid shirt that screamed lumberjack. She hadn’t commented, but honestly, he looked far too good in the outfit. Of course, she would have liked to see him in a suit, too. Nic likely looked amazing in one.
“Do they have a valet?’ Jo asked, leaning forward to look around the car in front of them. “Cricket said they would, but it seems everyone else has a driver.”
Camera flashes were going off ahead of them, taking pictures of those stepping free. They were up next as soon as the fae’s limo got its ass out of the way. Leave it to them to take their time leaving and letting others get there.
When it was their turn to pull forward, too many eyes turned to the truck in confusion. Naturally, some seemed to think they were in the wrong place, but when no one immediately came to open her door, Jo scowled.
“Wait there,” Nic insisted, kicking open his door and rushing around to her side. He bared his teeth at the dragon male who was meant to open doors as he passed. Only then did the male realize he’d made a mistake and immediately moved forward.
“Do you require a valet, sir?” the young dragon asked.
“Clearly,” Nic growled as he opened Jo’s door and offered his hand. “Are you going to do that job properly or are you going to make the same mistake as you did with the door?”
“Of course, sir. I apologize, sir.”
Nic tossed him the keys. “Don’t scratch her up or hot rod her. She’s temperamental.”
The kid looked down at the keys in confusion, as if he weren’t sure what exactly the truck would do to him should he get in, but he eventually climbed into the driver’s seat as Nic helped Jo from the passenger side and eased away from the curb.
Jo couldn’t help but laugh. “Why is it so odd for us to arrive this way?”
“They’re not used to anyone who isn’t filthy rich apparently.” Nic was watching his truck go despite the cameras now flashing in their faces.
“Ms. Adalwolf! Ms. Adalwolf! Is it true MateFinder registrations are skyrocketing since you signed up for the Race Games?”
“Johanna! Look over here! Who are you wearing?”
“Nicolas Olcan, does your father know you’re racing? What does he think about you risking your beta position?”
Jo threaded her arm through Nic’s and plastered a small smile on her face. “Smile and wave. Don’t answer questions you don’t want blasted on the news.”
“Johanna! Where is your dress from?” a reporter shouted as cameras flashed in Jo’s face.
Jo glanced at the sprite and smiled. “I think it’s from a nice little department store that no longer exists.”
“Vintage. Nice,” the sprite replied, her eyes bright as she prepared for another question. “Have you used your own app to—”
“Come on,” Nic insisted, tugging her away. “Duty calls,” he told the sprite, softening the blow.
Jo didn’t care so much that others would be judging her for her choice in clothing. The dress was from K-Mart, a store that didn’t even exist that she knew of anymore. It was a simple floor-length gown, black in color, a little threadbare, but there hadn’t been extra money for a new dress. It had all gone into the car. It didn’t take a fancy dress to win. Appearances didn’t matter. Winning did.
Inside the ballroom, more reporters stood off in a section they were allowed in, talking to some of the other teams and council members. Cricket and Radley stood amongst them, talking to the reporters that gestured for Nic and Jo to come over. Hesitating at the sight and only allowing herself to be pulled in that direction when they were instructed to, Jo grimaced at the impending interview. It wasn’t something she was looking forward to, but an interview was a required part of the process. They took up a spot right beside Cricket and Radley, and Jo smiled tighttly at the reporter.
“Johanna Adalwolf and Nicolas Olcan, racing for the wolf team. It’s a pleasure to meet you in person,” the lithe elf started. She was a regular on the supe news, often shown wading through the thick of things. Jo recognized her from a report on a war between the vampires. She’d stood right in the thick of war and came out without a single bite. That took guts.
“Likewise,” Jo answered, trying her best to be magnanimous. Iliad would make fun of her for the no doubt tight smile she gave, but speaking to reporters always made her anxious. Naturally, with success came this sort of thing, so Jo needed to get better about it anyway.
“How does it feel to be the underdog this year?” the elf asked before holding out the mic.
Jo’s brows furrowed. “I wouldn’t consider us the underdog just because we’re wolves.”
The reporter giggled. “No, of course not. It’s because of your car, not your species. The two of you have been pegged as the least likely to win.”
“Even below the goblins?” Nic asked with a raise of his brow.
The reporter shrugged. “I don’t make the lists. I just report them.”
“Wait,” Jo said, frowning. “What’s wrong with our car?”
The elf shrugged. “Rumor has it your car is cobbled together from junk and wreckage.”
“And what if it is?” Jo countered. “As long as it wins the race, it doesn’t matter what the car looks like.”
The elf seemed unconvinced. “Sure. Being the underdog this year, and racing with a car that could fall apart at any moment, what do you think is the most important part of this race?”
Jo stared at the elf, studied her, and realized that most of the supernatural community would think the same way. Because they were wolves, because their car wasn’t the newest Bugatti or Lambo, they couldn’t possibly win. Not in their eyes. Even if Jo and Nic cross the finish line in first, the world would think it a fluke.
The corruption, the bigotry, ran thick in the supernatural world.
“Anyone can win the Race Games,” Jo heard Cricket announce and when Jo looked over at her, Cricket was smiling brightly at her. “Regardless of species, gender, car, or status, winning the Race Games is about more than that. It’s about bravery and gumption. Assuming anyone is an underdog means you’re already assuming the winner, and like every time before this, that’ll get you in trouble.” Cricket narrowed her eyes on the elf in challenge.
The elf, catching on, nodded her head and plastered a fake smile on her face when she looked back at Jo. “Enjoy the rest of your evening, Johanna and Nicolas.”
No more questions. Despite the reporters asking plenty of the other racers, they just didn’t care about the wolves.
In their eyes, Jo and Nic had already lost.
Gritting her teeth, Jo tugged Nic away from the reporters and toward the stage where they would be called up to introduce themselves at any moment. She wanted to say more, to announce that the wolves weren’t just some dogs, but this crowd wouldn’t understand. The only ones who would were on the team they’d joined. It would be pointless otherwise.
“Don’t let it get to you,” Nic murmured softly.
“How can you not?” she asked, shaking her head. “No matter the success or if we win, in their eyes, we’re still just a couple of wolves running with the big leagues. I could have more money than them all put together and they’d still look down their noses at us.”
“Yes,” Nic agreed. “But that says more about them than it does about us. We can’t change their perception. We can only encourage others to follow in our footsteps.”
Jo blinked and looked up at Nic. “What profound words you speak.”
His lopsided smile nearly did her in. “Sometimes, inspirations strike.”
The smile that tugged at her lips had nothing to do with the crowd around them and everything to do with the wolf that was starting to weasel his way into her heart. Regardless of their past, regardless of if Jo couldn’t get past it, she knew they would at least leave this race as friends. For some reason, that meant everything to her.
A commotion from the stage had Jo looking toward it, her eyes zeroing in on the cloud of smoke rising from the center. She didn’t have long to wait to find out what was happening. The moment glitter exploded from the center of the smoke, she knew who would appear.
Theo St. Munic always knew how to make the grandest of entrances.