66

I was appalled that she recalled so much of that might. She’d barely been able to stand when I found her out on the street, talking to Wyatt.

“Also, you still haven’t given me the good dirt about Wyatt,” Zoe said.

“What dirt?”

Zoe held her palms so they were roughly six inches apart. “Bigger?”

“Huh?”

She moved her hands another three inches apart. “Bigger than this?” she asked with a gasp.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Zoe. Stop it.”

She pouted and lowered her hands. “It’s important information.”

“That night was a spur-of-the-moment thing. I was coming here to maybe die, and I needed some stress release. That’s all that was. A night of…” I paused and gave a defeated shrug. “Good sex, I’ll admit. I was desperate to get my mind off everything for a while, and Wyatt happened to be there. Nothing more. I let myself forget what a bossy, domineering asshole he was for one hour. I put all that out of my mind, used his body to get what I wanted, and then we were done. I’ve already forgotten how it felt if I’m being honest,” I lied.

Zoe wasn’t buying it. She leaned closer. “Sure. I saw you afterward. The afterglow, how angry you were at Wyatt. I know you, sister. You got mad at him because he made you feel something that night.”

Before I could respond to that little bombshell, Zoe changed the subject. “Well, no matter what’s happened in your past, I’m glad Wyatt is here looking out for you. He may be the only one who really gives a shit what happens to you. From what I’ve seen, the other guys are desperate, horny, or idiots. Some of these guys are so hell-bent on winning and beating the others, they’ll forget to protect you. Wyatt won’t have that problem. He’d throw himself into a pit of ferals and vampires before he let you get hurt again.”

“Well, the showrunners obviously don’t give a damn if I live,” I said. “They threw me to that tiger within the first hour.” I tried to remember the rules of this stupid show. “Remind me what happens if I die or get hurt badly enough that I have to go home? What happens to the prize?”

Zoe scrunched her face in disgust. “That’s one of the parts I hate. If the lead contestant dies, they pull in a new one. Whoever came in second in the casting process is on standby. The Reject Project goes hard on the whole the-show-must-go-on thing.”

It was strange to think of a young woman sitting at home, knowing that if something bad happened to me, her chance to shine would come. Hell, she’d probably been rooting for the feral shifters and vampires to do me in.

Zoe finished my makeup and hair for my date with Wyatt. I was not looking forward to it, but I had to play the part. I needed to get my head in the right space to be flirtatious and giggly on camera. I felt queasy just thinking about it.

“Done,” Zoe said. “Oh, you look hot. Wyatt’s going to have a boner in a second when he sees you.”

“What is your morbid fascination with Wyatt’s genitals, Zoe?”

“Because, silly, those weird-looking things are fascinating.”

She took my hand and helped me stand. I gave her a hug. “Thanks, Zoe. I don’t know what I’d do without you here.”

She laughed. “No clue.” She leaned her lips close to my ear and whispered, “Don’t forget, you can request the cameras to be turned off for some alone time if you want.”

I pulled away from her. “Thanks.”

When I stepped out my door, one of the fallen angels I’d met in the city was standing outside. Recognizing him, I said hi, but he simply grunted and led me toward the stairs and down to the lower level. The cameras zipped in and around me to catch me walking into the dining room. One of them even did a full body reveal, starting at my feet and slowly moving up the silk dress to my face.

I wasn’t led to the big dining room that we’d all enjoyed the night before. Instead, the fallen angel led me to a small, intimate dining room. A fire roared in the fireplace, and outside, the sun was just sliding below the horizon. I hadn’t realized it was getting that late.

Wyatt was already there and stood as I entered. No one else was anywhere in sight. A camera flitted into the room and positioned itself on the wall for a good angle.

Wyatt straightened his suit and grinned at me. I was struck again by how well he cleaned up. The crisp suit, his freshly washed and styled hair, those amazing eyes staring back at me.

He looked at me in astonishment. Zoe had done a good job with my dress, hair, and makeup, and it showed on his face. Giving myself a little internal fist pump that my appearance could take him by surprise, I walked toward him. Wyatt’s face quickly morphed back to the extra flirty version of himself. Gone were the simple smile and bright, inquisitive eyes. He’d slipped back into the persona he projected for the cameras.

It should have irritated me, but it didn’t. It was the smart thing to do. I was pragmatic and understood what was at stake. It would be nice to be ourselves, but the cameras were always around. If we wanted to survive this, we had to play our parts. I winked at him and smiled like the seductive little minx the viewers wanted me to be.

Wyatt hurried around the table to pull out my chair for me and helped me into my seat. He rounded the table and took his seat.

“Any idea what we’re having?” I asked. “I’m starving.”

“Glad you asked,” Von said as he stepped into the room, that bright, creepy smile on his face “Wyatt. Kira. I’m glad the viewers and I will get to watch you two get to know each other better.”

“Um, thanks,” Wyatt said.