61

I turned toward the men. Nathaniel pulled his wallet out and slid a crisp hundred-dollar bill into Omar’s hand. They’d placed bets on who would die first? I clenched my jaw.

Tate watched the exchange and laughed, then shook his head. “Woulda been nice to win some money, but I’m just happy I got back looking less messed up than most of you. Speaking of, does anyone know how the hell Kira got back that fast? A little surprising since she obviously can’t keep her mind on task. Like, how dumb was it to go back for Leif? She could have gotten herself killed.”

I clamped my mouth shut and curled my hands into fists instead of telling Tate exactly what I thought of his assessment of Kira.

Surprisingly, Abel, who usually seemed so quiet and reserved, spoke up. “Yeah, Tate. It would be surprising to you. If Kira ran by and saw a piece of shit like you lying there, she’d leave your ass.”

Omar snickered. “Please, what are you doing, Abel? Trying to look like Prince Charming?”

“Yeah, get over yourself,” Nathaniel said. “Who gives a shit if one of us gets knocked off? It makes it better for the rest of us. I’ll tell you, I’ve got my sights on nestling my face between Kira’s sexy legs and giving her the tongue ride of her life.”

Omar and Nathaniel high-fived. Abel pushed out his chair and walked over to them, pressing his chest against Tate’s. The argument grew heated, and Mika slapped my leg to get my attention. Looking over, he raised the arm with the bracelet. It was green. The cameras had started rolling without us knowing. Instinctively, I glanced around the room and saw the hovering cameras had moved into place to capture the fight.

I had been looking for a chance to make an impression on the viewers, and while helping Kira and Leif had been good, this might be a better chance.

Abel’s nose was right up in Tate’s face as they shouted insults at each other. Omar and Nathaniel looked like they were ready to join Tate in kicking Abel’s ass. I leaped from my chair and pushed myself between the two men.

“Enough!” I pressed them back, holding a hand on both men’s chests. “Cool down before you dumbasses get all caught up and shift and start killing each other.”

The showrunners would probably salivate over the thought of a knock-down-drag-out fight between the alphas. It would attract more viewers. I might be making a mistake by stopping the fight, but I hoped it would show the audience I was level-headed and could make calm decisions in stressful situations.

“So close,” Von said behind us.

I spun and saw the vampire strolling into the room, a huge smile on his face.

“I was hoping for a little blood,” Von continued. “Of course, I always am. But the Arena Match later this week will give them all gore they can handle. And technically”—he made air quotes around the word—“you aren’t supposed to be fighting in the mansion. It’s against the rules. We wouldn’t want any of you getting hurt before the next challenge.”

“How’s Leif?” I asked.

Von turned to one of the cameras and smiled. “Good news. Our fae healer is taking care of Leif, and I’ve been given word he’ll be back in the game and vying for the hand of lovely Kira very soon.”

The vampire spun away from the camera to us with a more wicked smile than usual. “Speaking of Kira, it’s time to announce who has won the romantic date with her. Along with that, we have an interesting situation to reveal. Our viewers have already voted that one of you will gain immunity from the Fight for Survival tomorrow. The names of these two lucky gentlemen will be revealed as soon as Kira arrives.”

All the men glanced around at each other. I couldn’t tell what was the better prize to the other men here. Many looked excited by the prospect of having some quiet time with Kira, while others looked like they were thinking of the best way to game the system.

When Kira came gliding into the room a few minutes later, I took one look at her face and wanted to hold her. Anyone who didn’t know her would think she was only tired. I knew her well enough to see the strain. If I had to guess, she was holding herself together with pure force of will. She hadn’t known Ryan long enough to truly care for him, but he’d seemed like a good alpha. The guy hadn’t deserved to die like an animal in the jungle.

Kira’s body language told me she was probably blaming herself, even though there was nothing she could have done to cause or prevent what happened. Even if it hadn’t been her on the show, Ryan would still be dead. The only difference would be that she’d be safe at home on the couch, watching it with Zoe instead of living it.

“Ah, good,” Von said with a clap and a smile. “Miss Durst has graced us with her beautiful face. Now we can get down to the exciting bits.” Cameras hummed and turned in place as they positioned themselves for the best angle. “As for the romantic date, Leif and Wyatt crossed the magical barrier at the same exact time, so there is technically a tie. But seeing as Wyatt was the only one conscious, he has been named the victor of the first challenge.”

Despite myself, pride and accomplishment surged through me. I never would have thought I would feel that while on the show. It had been a job, a duty to my best friend and his sister, but now I was fighting the urge to puff my chest out in pride. It had to be all the testosterone in the air. The show did everything it could to promote that macho bravado they wanted all the alphas to project.

Keeping my head, I nodded my thanks and smiled across the room at Kira.

Nathaniel bolted up from his chair, blocking my view of her. “I call bullshit. I challenge Wyatt. I want to claim his reward.”