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Chapter 16

Wyatt

Despite myself, I was impressed with the mansion. The place must have cost millions to build. It looked like every castle, manor, estate, and villa I’d ever seen on TV rolled into one. The colors were deep, dark, and rich—lots of crimson, gold, and dark green. Had they tried to make it look like some kind of glamorous haunted house on purpose? Probably. All part of the show. A modern house with a bunch of glass, stainless steel, and sleek lines wouldn’t inspire the same kind of gravitas that this one did.

We were in a large parlor that overlooked the ocean. I’d taken a seat in a plush armchair near the window so I could enjoy the amazing view. The bright moon reflected off the waves. Part of me hoped Kira would come down soon so she could see it. The island sucked, but this was beautiful. I wanted her to see it.

The other men started murmuring behind me. Turning in my chair, I saw Von leading Kira down the stairs, her arm in his. I glanced at the bracelet on my arm and saw the light was white. We weren’t being filmed.

Hundreds of pounds were lifted off my shoulders. Being on camera all the damn time was stressful. That, and trying to keep it hidden that Kira and I knew each other. Every word I uttered, every look I gave, had to be analyzed and thought through before I committed. It was exhausting.

I stood and joined the others as they welcomed Kira. Scanning the group, I was pretty sure I’d gotten all the names memorized. Not only that, but I’d started categorizing them based on what kind of threat I thought they posed to Kira. The idea of the show was that we were all trying to win her as our fated mate and have a happily ever after. Many of these guys probably only liked the idea of being with Kira forever, enjoying her body along with all the prize money and other gifts that were up for grabs. They’d be selfish in their pursuit of her and might even turn dangerous if it became obvious they’d have no chance with her.

Ryan, Abel, and the walking puppy dog J.D. were no threat whatsoever. They were too good-natured and acted like they were happy just to be here. I didn’t sense any ill will or subversive tendencies in any of them. I had a bad feeling they’d have a hard time surviving here.

Leif, Garrett, and Mika were fine, at least on the surface. Mika was dark and brooding, and I had no clue why he’d been rejected or what had made him desperate enough to come on this show. Garrett and Leif were quiet, but Leif was always staring at J.D. If I had to guess, J.D. had pissed him off in some way. Those two could duke it out somewhere and leave Kira alone, but I needed more info on both of them before I could be sure of them.

The three I was most concerned about were Omar, Tate, and Nathaniel—all varying degrees of asshole. Omar was angry that Kira hadn’t shifted to kill the tiger, like she’d somehow personally disrespected him by not shifting. That was going to be interesting when it came out that she didn’t shift. Was he bigoted toward latent shifters? Maybe.

Tate was an enigma and hard to read, which was frightening. He kept eyeing the other competitors like they were puzzles to solve. What worried me most was the calm and clever way he carried himself. I could see what was lurking behind his eyes, but could anyone else? Maybe, maybe not.

Nathaniel was a meathead. A walking hard-on who only knew how to talk about Kira’s tits, the tits on the witches, the tits on the production assistants—he seemed to have a fetish for the word “tit.” It was like the worst clichés about frat boys made up the guy’s DNA. Of course, as soon as the cameras rolled or Kira appeared, all comments about his favorite word vanished. He was smart enough to know how to win.

After making the rounds and saying hello to everyone, Von escorted Kira to another room where a table displayed a huge spread of snacks ranging from aged cheese and meat to caviar. It looked like he was doing a short interview with her, a camera hovering in front of them. Most of the guys had moved over to the fireplace, sipping cocktails around the roaring flames.

Omar glanced over his shoulder through the doorway at Von and Kira, then shook his head. “I don’t get it. Was she trying to be cute by not shifting? It was fucking stupid. I mean…what the fuck?”

“Can you stop dwelling on that?” Leif said with a weary sigh. “She won, didn’t she? She put the tiger down. What more do you want?”

“I want my future mate to act like a shifter, okay?” Omar growled.

Leif rolled his eyes and changed the subject. “Anyway. Why do you think the last contestant wasn’t at the premiere? Isn’t he supposed to meet us here? That’s weird, right? I can’t remember that ever happening before.”

In the hustle to get to Bloodstone and then watch Kira fight for her life, I’d forgotten there was one more competitor. I bit my cheek in frustration. One more person I’d need to get a read on. Another guy to categorize and assess. This was far more annoying than I’d anticipated.

Ryan shrugged. “Maybe the guy was busy with some personal pack stuff? Had to settle all that before he came out here.”

“Came out here to die,” Leif added.

I chuckled. Leif understood what was at stake here.

Nathaniel slammed a cocktail and sat the glass on an end table with a bang like a gunshot. “Nah,” he said. “Dude’s probably getting the last of the gonorrhea cured by some fae doctor before he comes out here.” He laughed at his crude joke. “Gotta get the oil change done, right?”

We all ignored him. Abel raised his wrist to show a blinking yellow light. “Countdown to cameras,” he said.

Omar stood and slicked his hair back; the rest of us rose and straightened our suits.