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Chapter 13

Kira

Thank the gods Zoe was smart enough to keep her mouth shut about Wyatt. When she climbed into the car with me, her saucer-like eyes said everything that needed to be said. A grim nod from me was all the answer she received. She understood.

Zoe’s frenetic energy was even more elevated than usual. Probably exacerbated by the revelation that Wyatt was on the show with me and the general anxiety she and I shared. Whatever it was, she was a bouncing ball of chaotic spirit. She was talking a mile a minute, introducing herself and asking everyone questions. The other men were nervous, and so was I. All we wanted to do was sit and contemplate what was ahead, but Zoe’s voice was like a dull hum over everything that made introspection nearly impossible.

It took all I had to keep my pleasant smile and bright-eyed happiness in place. Gods, Wyatt. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how he’d done it. The male contestants had been picked more than a month ago, well before I made my desperate attempt to get on the show. Had he gotten someone in the council to pull rank with the network? That didn’t make sense. The council had washed their hands of me. No one would go to bat like that for something so inherently dangerous and stupid.

To get my mind off Wyatt, I swept my gaze across the four guys in the car with me. I needed to get an idea of the type of men I was dealing with. They were all handsome and well-groomed. Makeup artists and hair stylists had probably gone over each of them with a fine-toothed comb before they arrived at the premiere.

They were all glancing furtively at me, eyeing me like they were starving, and I was the last piece of bacon. They all exuded confidence and charisma. I found it strange that any of them had been rejected by their mates, but they were here, weren’t they? All except Wyatt, I assumed.

With an embarrassed smile, I leaned forward to address them. “Guys, that was wild, right? I’m so sorry, but in all the chaos, I didn’t really manage to memorize your names. It was too much to keep straight. Do you mind?”

“Oh, thank the gods,” one of them said with a heavy sigh. “I’m glad to hear that since I can’t remember your name, either.”

The two of us chuckled while the others shot him annoyed looks.

He slapped his chest. “J.D. Short for Jordan Darkham, but I go by the initials. Third Pack.”

The man had a big, easy smile and was clearly used to using it. Something about him reminded me of a golden retriever—lovably goofy and eager to please. I was worried for his safety already. This show did not reward people like him. You had to have a bit of a ruthless streak to survive, and from what I could see, this guy had none of that.

J.D. threw his arms around the two guys sitting on either side of him and grinned like an idiot. Both men flinched in surprise. The one on the left glanced at J.D. with surprise, color rising in his cheeks, while the other snarled and shrugged the arm off his shoulders.

The pissed-off guy glared at J.D. “My name is Omar, and if you touch me again, you stupid little pup, I’ll rip off your fucking arm.”

I wrinkled my nose in distaste. What a purebred dickhead. If my eyes and ears didn’t deceive me, there was a narcissist if I ever saw one. I filed that info away for later.

The other guy sat, J.D.’s arm still around his shoulders. Red-faced, he smiled at me politely. “I’m Leif.” He glanced at my outfit and smiled. “That dress really is amazing. I love it.”

“That settles it,” Zoe said. “He’s my favorite. He has good taste.”

The final contestant in the car was sitting in the corner away from most of us, quiet but with a faint smile on his lips as he gazed out the window at the scenery whizzing past.

“What about you, mister?” I asked, hoping my voice sounded sufficiently flirtatious.

Pulling his eyes away from the window, he smiled at me. “Sorry. I’m being rude. Abel from Fourth Pack. Can I ask, have any of you been to Bloodstone Island before?”

“Holy shit, what a stupid question, bro. Are you serious?” Omar glared at Abel. “No one sets foot on Bloodstone except feral shifters, vampires driven mad by eternity, and every other vile creature you can think of. Everyone knows that.” He rolled his eyes at Abel. “At least anyone with half a brain. It’s where people go to die. I hope you boys are ready for that, because I’m taking this sexy lady home with me. You all can have fun rotting on that island with whatever monsters the Tranquility Council left for you.”

Zoe’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline, and she curled her lip in disgust. She had the same opinion of Omar that I’d already developed. “Unpleasant” was an understatement. He also seemed to be completely oblivious to the fact that his demeanor was a major turnoff. I could see why his mate rejected him.

Staying in character, I ignored the little back-and-forth and smiled brightly. “Really good to meet you guys. Though, I agree with Omar that the island is not an ideal place to spend time.” I chuckled. “Hopefully, we all have our wills up to date and tombstones picked out.”

Leif shrugged. “Well, I prefer to be cremated. If there’s a volcano on Bloodstone, just toss my corpse in there.”

J.D. laughed like it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. At least some of the guys weren’t as pessimistic as I was after the big send-off. That giant spectacle had had the air of some kind of goodbye. The odds weren’t in our favor. Some of these men wouldn’t make it off the island alive.

The thought had me peeking out the back window of the limo at the other car following us. An anxious buzzing danced across my skin. Wyatt was back there. Right behind me, like always. I was going to rip him a new one once I got a moment alone with him. When I was done with him, the monsters on Bloodstone Island would seem like puppies.