Twenty minutes later, I’d counted fifteen taxis depart. My foot tapped on the sidewalk.
Jed noticed. “He said it was important. We have to wait.”
“You might be sworn to serve him, but I’m not. I say we leave.” Sweat ran down my chest and dampened my bra. I plucked my collar and pumped it to cool my skin. Summer in Australia was hot. Sweltering. Awesome. Perfect beach weather.
Take the taxi and head down to the beach, The Others teased. You don’t need the Ludus.
I snorted. And miss my registration?
“What’s the rush?” Jed asked.
“I just…” I paused, wondering if I should say something. I felt silly contemplating it. “I’m keen to get going and meet my brother.”
He raised his eyebrows. “You mean the other contender Bruce Urser sired?”
I slumped. “I know it’s stupid, and I know he’s not really my brother, but until a few weeks ago, I didn’t know the Game existed. I thought Bruce was my real father. He acted like one for the first half of my life and then he left me alone with a half-sister who feared me because of my gifts. Finding out I have a brother who is like me is… well, it feels like the chance for a real family.”
Jed scowled. “You’ve never met him and you think he’s your family.”
“I know it’s dumb. I’ve lucked out in the family department my whole life. Surely I’m bound to get some good news soon, right?”
“Family is a waste of time,” Jed said and then replaced his scowl with a mask of indifference. “Anyway, you have to do what Cash says because he’s your mentor. Have you forgotten you’re his progeny?”
I studied Jed, wondering where the anti-family animosity came from. He never spoke much about his past, and I’d assumed it was a Player thing so never pushed it. Maybe there was something more to it. When he didn’t return to the subject, I answered his question. “No, I haven’t forgotten, but that doesn’t mean I have to do what he says.”
“Yes it does.”
“No it doesn’t.”
“Roo, you swore an oath, remember? You may not be registered, but you swore an oath.”
My mind raced back to when I stood in front of Cash in the burning restaurant I used to work in. It had all been so new then. I’d just discovered I wasn’t a witch, but one of them—Nephilim. I was half god, half human, and full of abilities I didn’t understand. Cash had been my anchor, and a sexy one at that. Like every other woman in his life, I found him irresistible. Driven, loyal, unwavering. Never mind the intangible connection I felt between us every time we kissed. So, when he’d taken a knife and sliced our palms, flattening them together, I let him. He made a blood oath and promised to be truthful, protect me and instruct me in the matters of the Game. But he’d lied. He failed one of those pledges when he planned to leave. He wasn’t even going to say goodbye!
As if hearing my thoughts, Jed repeated my side of the oath.
“You pledged to let him be your teacher and confidant until you complete the trials and are released into the Game—”
“Ah-huh!” I jumped, triumphant, and pointed in his face. “Sucked in. That doesn’t say I have to do what he says.”
He rolled his eyes.
“He’s my teacher and I have to confide in him…” I sat on my suitcase and bit my nails.
Confidant, The Others laughed. You simper and whine about his lies, yet you haven’t told him about us. You know it’s because he’ll see you for the monster you are and then there will be no ifs, he’ll leave for good.
An approaching roar brought my attention to the congested airport street, and I peered into the traffic. A figure on a black motorcycle darted in and out of traffic until it purred to a stop in front of us.
Pulling his aviator sunglasses off, Cash lifted the black ball helmet off and hung it on the handlebars, leaving his ruffled blond hair sticking up on end. His hair and stubble had grown in the past few weeks and he’d taken no steps to return it to its former anally retentive style. I liked it.
No I didn’t, damn it, I was angry at him.
But that bike… sex on wheels.
I knew what he was trying to do—butter me up. Make the past two weeks disappear. Well, it wouldn’t work. I pulled out my fifty dollars and took my bag before heading toward the taxi rank.
Cash got off the bike to intercept me, his hand shooting out to take hold of my shoulder.
“Roo, come on. Don’t be stubborn.” He smiled and my heart stopped while my mind scrambled to catch up. I scowled. He widened his grin, clearly liking the effect he had on me.
I hated when he did that—smiled. This new Cash was something to get used to. The untamed animal within him had vanished, replaced by wicked delight. Now and then, proof of his healing soul slipped through the cracks of his fractured demeanor. A wink here, a chuckle there, but this was by far the biggest display of genuine happiness I’d seen, and it was directed at me. It took my breath away.
“Come on, Roo.” He squeezed my shoulder and dipped to catch my eyes. “I meant it when I said I was going to stay. I’m not leaving you when you need me the most. You can’t be mad at me forever. Especially when you can drive.”
My breath hitched. “Monster.”
Alarm flashed in his eyes. “What?”
I glanced past his shoulder at the sleek, black ride. Bigger and more powerful than my old Suzuki dirt bike. The sight of it made me weak at the knees. I sighed wistfully. I missed my old bike, but the beast in front of me… I nodded at the motorcycle and whistled appreciatively. “Ducati Monster Twelve Hundred R. With a Testastretta eleven degree Desmodromic twin-cylinder engine.”
“I wouldn’t know about that. The guy at the shop said it was the fastest and the safest.” Cash retrieved the helmet and handed it to me. “Sit on it. Test it out.”
“A hundred and sixty horsepower.” Excitement stirred my insides, making my heart pump at an alarming rate. Suddenly, I wasn’t angry at him anymore. I thought I could forgive him for anything in that moment. Almost. Then I remembered something devastating.
“But…” I glanced at the GPS ankle monitor on my leg. Stupid protocols against witches. More like protocols against women. “I’m not allowed to drive. The restrictions say women can’t drive. You know that—don’t tease me.” I handed the helmet back to him.
“I’m not teasing. I’d rather not drive with my condition. You know a seizure can come at any moment. We have a legitimate medical reason if anyone asks.”
His condition. It was another thing he’d kept from me in Houston. His body wasn’t healing like a Nephilim anymore. The thought of him weakening hurt, but the fact he tried to keep it from me hurt more.
“You haven’t had an attack since your eyesight returned two weeks ago. I think it’s safe for you to drive with a passenger.”
“Humor me okay?” His eyes softened. He shifted the long hair catching around my ears, so it wouldn’t fly in my face when we rode, and then tugged the helmet over my head. The graze of his touch on my neck caused a stir in my belly. For an eternal breath, we gazed into each other’s eyes. Then he got on the bike and put on his own helmet.
“See you back at the Ludus, Jed,” Cash said.
My jaw dropped. I’d been so blinded by the beauty of the bike I’d failed to comprehend there was only one. Jed would not fit. Neither would the luggage. I turned to Jed, intending to apologize, but he had already flagged down a cab a few feet away.
“Don’t worry, I got your luggage,” he called and turned back to his game of luggage Tetris in the back seat.
I knew he’d declared for Cash’s House, but I still felt uncomfortable at Jed’s blind servitude. I didn’t understand it. It didn’t sit right. But perhaps this was the way all Players behaved with the heads of their Houses.
I faced the bike—the sexy, powerful bike. Could I really ride it? It ran on more horsepower than my old bike, and I’d never driven one this big before. Sure I’d lusted after it in Road Rider magazine, but it was a big step up i
n raw power. Sweat prickled my temples, and I swallowed.
“Why?” I breathed.
“Maybe it’s a peace offering,” he conceded, fidgeting with the strap on his helmet.
So he wasn’t ignoring the past two weeks and, from the way his body tensed, waiting for me to respond, it was clear he still struggled with his new emotions. Not hard to believe considering a few weeks ago he’d never felt them in the first place.
“A peace offering,” I repeated and straddled the bike in front of him. I couldn’t believe he expected forgiveness so soon after his betrayal. It was almost insulting. Yet, The Others were right. I lied to him as well, and if—when—he found out… I didn’t want to think of it. Instead, I lied again: “I can live with that.”
I tapped the lifeless digital screen. Embarrassingly, nothing happened. After spouting nerdy bike talk, I should know how to start it. Eventually, Cash cleared his throat. His hand slipped around my middle, at my stomach, and pulled so he was flush against me. He leaned around me to push a keyless start button. The engine roared to life. I gave him a flustered thumbs-up.
He didn’t relinquish his hold around my middle and I wasn’t entirely sure I was upset with that. He gave a little squeeze to signal his readiness.
I pulled on the throttle and sent us into hyper-drive with a squeal of delight.
Chapter 2
Cash directed me into the heart of Sydney. When we pulled into the Opera House parking lot, I thought he wanted to do a little sightseeing. He instructed me to find a particular parking bay towards the rear of the lot. Very specific. The last row, third on the right. Reserved.
“We’re here,” he said.
I cut the engine and made to move off the bike, but he splayed his fingers at my stomach and held tight.
“Don’t move. Just wait.” He scanned the area and, once satisfied we weren’t being watched, lifted a hand to make a hand signal at the concrete wall in front of us. Two CCTV cameras moved to face us, and then an opaque gray digital barrier flashed into view around the boundary of the parking space. It was as though four solid walls sprung into being around us, and yet I heard the echoes of the parking garage beyond. The floor shuddered and moved. The bike wobbled. I clutched on for dear life.
“Earthquake.” The word shot out of my mouth.
Cash’s forehead landed between my shoulder blades and his laugh rumbled through my back.
“Great to see I’m such a source of humor for you,” I grumbled.
He patted me. “Just relax.”
Like a puzzle piece unplugging, the parking space detached from its holding and lowered to the level below.
The Ludus was underground.
When the elevator stopped, we slid off the bike as the gray digital wall flickered and disappeared to reveal a vast sub-level garage. An attendant in a red uniform greeted us and wheeled our vehicle away.
I expected a sporting complex, or learning institute, but not an underground maze.
Cash led me through the shadowy garage to a set of large glass double doors. The words “Ludus Australianus” were engraved on a plaque set overhead. Above the plaque was a wooden carving of a dragon, or maybe a serpent, eating its own tail. Beyond the doors, I could see a tiled foyer and a young man sitting behind an administration counter with a Bluetooth earpiece in.
“It’s a reminder that our lives here are part of a longer, never ending cycle,” Cash said, nodding to the carving. “It’s a warning, that if you break the rules, the Tribunal will have no problem canceling your game. Your life here is finite, but your soul is not. Just remember that next time you have the urge to break a rule.”
“I don’t break rules!”
His sardonic look shut me up. “You’ve used your abilities in public many times already. Caught on camera if I remember correctly. You’re lucky you weren’t registered when that happened, you would have been canceled. Your ignorance has saved you so far, but soon that won’t be the case.”
“Okay, maybe I do break the rules but, in my defense, I didn’t know them. I was also protecting myself. And they’re stupid.”
“The Tribunal doesn’t think so.”
I huffed. Of course he would argue with me. He was the Queen’s Enforcer, after all. I would imagine that vocation had been all about holding people to the rules. A pang of jealousy stabbed me at the thought of him belonging to someone else. Not just anyone else. Her. They were lovers, and probably would be again. I was a Soul-Eater. A nobody. But this wasn’t the Empire, it was the Game. I had to stay focused.
“I thought Marc was the Gamekeeper. Isn’t he in charge of enforcing the rules?” I said.
“Yes, he is in charge, but sometimes he’s not here. When that happens, Tribunal law applies. The point is, when you die in this form, your soul will wake in Purgatory and move into hibernation until returned to the Empire. So, if you want to survive this, don’t break the rules. Go along with it for now, and when we get past all this, you can carry on as you wish. Let’s go.”
Having had enough of the chit-chat, Cash strode toward the entrance and I scurried to catch up. Glass doors whooshed open for us to enter the cold, marble lobby. The administration guy punched away at his computer keyboard and spoke into his headset. He didn’t take his wide-eyes off me.
Seeing me pause with a gaping mouth, Cash steered me to the desk. The room was small and the carnations on top of the counter gave off a sweet, heady perfume. Two solid wooden doors flanked either side of the counter. One had the label of “Registrar” the other “Ludus”.
I became engrossed in the facial expression of the man sitting behind the ornate, oak desk. He looked at me with eyes that popped out of his head and he shrank a few inches in his chair. His aura skittered around like it was on steroids. Afraid.
“Cash Samson and La Roux Urser,” Cash stated.
“I know who you are. Just one minute, and someone will come and show you to your rooms.”
We sat down on a waiting bench.
I tapped my fingers on my thigh. Cash eyed off the admin guy fiddling with his computer, preparing to make a call.
A few seconds ticked by and then Cash spoke quietly to me. “Roo, we spoke on the plane about the dire consequences of failing the trials.”
“Yeah. I get canceled and returned to the Empire. Pretty sure I get the direness of that.”
“There’s more.”
I chewed on my lip for a minute. “What do you mean?”
He took a deep breath. “Bruce Urser is the queen’s brother in law. He is your father—your sire. That makes your body royal. There are different rules and responsibilities for royals on earth.”
“I’m pretty sure I know this already. I’m confused.”
“Back in Margaret River, after your father visited, you said you wouldn’t kick up a fuss about your royal duties. I don’t think you understand exactly what you agreed to.”
“Oh.” It dawned on me. “You’re talking about the breeding thing. Look, I just said that to make him go away. There’s no way I’d actually go through with it.”
“You might not have a choice.”
“They can’t force me to do anything. You said once I passed the trials, I can declare independent from the Urser House, and play the Game my way. That means I don’t have to agree to do anything.”
“That is true. If you pass the trials.”
Silence descended as the gravity of his meaning hit me. “Then I guess I’d better pass.”
His hand shot out to grasp mine and our eyes met. “Pass or fail, I want you to know I won’t let that happen. You might not believe me yet, but I’m not going anywhere. I promise you won’t have to face that consequence. Here, I want to give you something.” He fished into his pocket, but froze suddenly. His head cocked to the side as he listened intently to something I couldn’t hear. Eavesdropping with his advanced senses.
The admin spoke behind his hand into his phone. Cash could hear both sides of the conversation but I heard the admin guy clear enoug
h: “Sir, you asked me to call you when they arrived, well, they’re here.”
Cash stiffened and a dangerous intensity crept into his posture, sending me on high alert.
The door to the Ludus burst open and a string of security personnel entered. Five big men in suits with ear-pieces filed around us. We both jumped up. Cash moved to stand in front of me. Was this the Tribunal?
“We’re here to escort Ms. Urser to her family suite.” The closest Suit spoke to Cash. He had a familiar face. Dark skin. Head shaved. He was the soldier who attended my father in Margaret River a few weeks ago. So… not Tribunal. I think his name had something to do with fish.
Squid. His name was Squid.
“Urser House forfeited ties to this contender when its leader failed to complete the mentor-progeny ritual and register her on time. I’m her mentor now, he has no say in where she goes, besides, this is the Ludus—neutral territory—she goes where she wants.” Cash flexed his fists, cracking knuckles.
Each man held an expression of contained control, but an explosive atmosphere crept into the air through the action in their auras. They sized up Cash and myself. Five against two. My insides tensed in expectation. A glance at the admin boy had him doing the same—eyes glued to us, on the edge of his seat.
Squid’s jaw set. “Hunter, if you interfere, you will be apprehended, and we will take her by force.”
I side-stepped Cash so Squid could see me. Maybe I could diffuse the situation. “Look, I know I promised I would meet my father here, but I’d like to get settled first and then I’ll see him.”
“No. You come now.” Squid put a hand on my arm.
Cash burst into brutal action, intercepting him. It all happened so fast. Two men pulled guns on Cash. A third and a fourth held his arms, well, attempted to hold his arms. With blinding speed, and deadly efficiency, he twisted out of their grasp and retaliated with a right hook to the Suit on his left. The sound of cheekbones crunching echoed through the small room.
The Game of Gods: Series Box Set Page 47