by Carly Morgan
Alone together in her suite after the challenge, she rushed into his arms, kissing him fiercely. While she sweated her way through every question, she had had a taste of what it might be like to lose him, and it wasn’t something she ever wanted to swallow again. She was his now, forever and always. There was only one more challenge left. Kaelia didn’t know what it was yet. But she knew she had to win it.
Callan hiked her up against his front, and she wrapped her legs around his torso and intertwined her fingers through his hair. “I love you,” she murmured, throwing her head to the side so she could kiss his neck. “I can’t wait for this to be over.”
“Me, too.” He laid her out on top of the bed, his forearms propped on either side of her, his thigh pressed against her leg. Kaelia felt his penis bulging through his pants, and she reached for it as he began hiking up her dress.
There was a knock on the door, the sound jolting through Kaelia like a thunderclap. She sighed in annoyance and stiffened underneath Callan, listening for it to come again.
Tap, tap, tap. There it was. Who could it be, at this hour, early evening? She never got visitors at this time. Kaelia went to hoist herself up, though Callan promptly pushed her back down. “No,” he said, his lips on her mouth, her face. “Stay.”
She turned her head to the side, avoiding his kisses. “It might be about the competition,” she pointed out. The next challenge hadn’t been announced yet, and Kaelia was anxious to know what it was.
Callan groaned in aggravation, but rolled off her. “Fine,” he relented. “But we’re not done here.”
She smiled coyly at him as she bounced up from the bed. “I know,” she said over her shoulder, mischievously rolling her eyes.
As she hurried to open the door, she realized it was actually unlikely anyone would come directly to her suite to deliver any news about the next and final challenge. It was probably someone from the hotel staff; a maid, or a repair person, or…
“Lux,” she said his name, surprised to find him standing there in front of her. She hadn’t spoken to him since the fateful night she had gotten sick, and now he smiled sheepishly. There were only five contestants left now after the trivia challenge, and he was one of them.
“Feel like celebrating?” He held up a fresh bottle of bourbon.
Kaelia peeked around his shoulder. “Where’s your better half?”
“She’ll be up in a few minutes,” he said, and he seemed different than he was before, less smooth. “It’s just me for now. Wanted to say congratulations and offer you a drink.”
Kaelia turned and wandered into her suite, almost inviting him in, though not quite. She supposed she’d forgiven him for upsetting her last week. After all, it wasn’t exactly his fault he knew the things he knew. “No thanks,” she declined his offer of alcohol. “But go ahead, feel free.”
“Guess you didn’t learn your lesson last week.” Callan came up from behind her, and offered an arm for her to slide into. “Or do you like being puked on?”
“Well, I was hoping she wouldn’t attack me today,” Lux said evenly, getting a rocks glass from one of her cupboards and pouring himself a generous shot.
“Sorry about that,” Kaelia leaned against Callan’s sturdy chest. “You took me by surprise.”
“Totally understandable.” Lux appraised her for a moment over the rim of his glass, before throwing the shot down his throat. “I, of all people, know what you’re up against.”
Kaelia narrowed her eyes, suddenly not feeling quite as friendly as she did a moment ago. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Lux stared at her, as if dumbfounded, before blinking back his expression and pouring another shot. “I just mean, I get why you’d be scared. Paranoid, you know?”
“Paranoid?” She spoke the word dubiously. “I’m not paranoid. I’m not scared either.”
“Hmm.” Lux downed his shot and then flopped down on the same chair she’d knocked him out of the other night. “What about the next challenge?”
“Well, there’s only five of us now.” Kaelia shrugged, trailing her way to the couch and straddling the armrest casually, leaning forward on her hands between her legs. “You, me, Indigo, and those other two guys. I don’t even know their names.”
“Evan Roberts and Wesley Mills; embezzlement and corrupt political dealings, respectively,” Lux said their names and crimes out loud. “If the challenge is physical, which I’m sure it will be, you can beat out the rest of us without even calling too much attention to yourself.”
Kaelia smiled happily, leaning into Callan as he stood behind her. “I only have to beat two of you though,” she reminded him. “You can still place, and get out of your sentence within the next year or two.”
Somehow Lux didn’t look overly pleased about that. “If I’m still alive by then,” he grumbled, taking another swallow of his drink.
“So you really think there are people out there then?” Callan cut in, his voice gruff. “Looking for her.”
Lux’s eyes flicked up at him, his expression surprised like he forgot Callan was there. He glanced back down to Kaelia. “So he just, like, knows everything?”
“Yeah,” Kaelia spoke brusquely, cocking her head to the side. “Guess he does.”
“Well, okay.” Lux shrugged and said sarcastically, as if he didn’t think Callan knowing was such a good idea. Kaelia could kind of see his point. If Callan wasn’t the same as her, she probably wouldn’t have ever let him know. “Look, all I know is those scientist guys wanted you, like, badly, and if they see you on TV during the competition…”
“Scientist guys,” Kaelia repeated after him, disdainful. “C’mon now, you expect me to believe all this, but you can’t even give me their real identities.”
“They didn’t tell me their real identities,” Lux snapped. “For all they knew I’d turn around and sell them out. The people I’ve dealt with in my profession can get killed or imprisoned for doing what they do, so they tend to be pretty hush-hush.”
Kaelia was silent, contemplating his words, biting the inside of her bottom lip. “Well, it doesn’t matter,” she finally said. “With Elgren out, and Grady and Emmanuel out, it’s not like I’m going to have to pull out all the stops to beat the rest of you.”
“Right,” Lux said. “You got lucky the last challenge involved brains, not brawn.”
“So did you,” Kaelia glared at him pointedly.
He aimed his pointer finger at her and said, “Touché,” before swallowing down the last of the drink in his cup. He seemed to deliberate pouring more, before saying instead, “Guess I better get going. The missus will be back soon.”
“Wait,” Callan said, as Lux rose from his chair. “And what?”
Lux looked at him, his face confused. “And what?” he repeated quizzically.
“You said and before,” Callan clarified. “You were saying something about the scientists watching the competition, before Kaelia interrupted you.”
“Right,” Lux nodded, though his eyes clouded. “Look, it’s nothing. I’m sure as long as Kaelia lays low during the last challenge, which like she said, should be easy with what she’s up against, she’ll be fine. I mean, if nobody’s come for her yet, maybe the scientist guys aren’t so smart after all.”
He stood to leave. Kaelia felt her chest tighten, as if he’d threatened her, though he’d actually sort of done the opposite. “How could they come for me?” she demanded, rising to her feet. “I’m on an island in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by guards! I have this around my wrist!” She held up her arm with the tracking band.
Lux shrugged as he seemed to all but race for the door.
“Hey,” Callan followed a few steps behind Lux. “If you think there’s something she should know, you better tell her. This isn’t something to take lightly.”
“Right,” Lux nodded in agreement. “I will. Congrats again, Kaelia, and good luck on the final challenge.”
He nodded at them as he slipped out the door.
Callan
The room was filling with a hazy gray light when Callan woke to the sound of his phone going off. He tried to reach for it on the nightstand beside him, but Kaelia was fast asleep with her head on his shoulder, trapping him. He sighed tiredly. He was always getting calls at weird times since coming to the island. His mom was six hours ahead on one side of the world, his buddies from the legion six hours behind on the other.
Whoever wanted to talk to him wasn’t giving up. The phone went silent for a moment, and then started right back up again. Callan slid his hand under Kaelia’s head and gently rolled her onto a pillow. She turned over on her side and seemed to go on sleeping. Callan hopped out of bed, grabbed his phone and shut himself in the bathroom.
When he emerged again, the room had brightened up considerably. He must have been on the phone longer than he thought. Kaelia was sitting up in bed, groggily running a hand through her hair. “Who was that?” she asked, her voice soft from slumber.
“No.” He dove into the bed beside her, pulling her into his arms and avoiding the question. “Don’t be awake yet. Let’s go back to sleep.”
“Mmm,” she murmured, snuggling into him, though she wouldn’t fully settle in his arms. “Was it your mom?”
“No,” he said shortly, burying his face in the back of her neck. She always smelled so delicious, sometimes he felt like eating her. “It was no one.”
“No one?” she quizzed him playfully. “You’ve never mentioned him before. Or are they a her?”
He groaned, rolling onto his back. “Ugh, you’re not going to go back to sleep, are you?” The showrunners weren’t announcing the next competition until tonight, so for the past few days it was like they had existed in some kind of limbo, prioritizing nothing but each other.
“Ugh, you’re not going to tell me who that was, are you?” She sat up and grinned at him, her eyes lowering slyly.
He pushed himself up as well. “It was top secret information,” he said, his voice half-kidding, but half-not.
“Mmhmm.” She pursed her lips at him. “I bet it was your other girlfriend.”
“Ha!” Callan laughed shortly. “You drive me crazy enough as it is, you think I can handle more?”
“Oh, please, you love it.” Kaelia threw her hair back pretentiously. “Being sane is boring.”
“I suppose you’re right.” Suddenly, Callan got the urge to reach for something in his nightstand drawer. He had bought it for her days ago, in a little gift shop on the resort, though hadn’t really planned out when he would give it to her. Now, he held it out to her by the chain, the jewel resting against the back of his fingers.
“Oh!” The sight of it took her by surprise, though she quickly reached to touch the stone. It was onyx encrusted in silver, and had reminded him of her eyes. “For me?”
“For you, Miss Nemesis,” he said, using her ridiculous last name, almost wincing at the sound of it.
“It’s pretty,” she murmured, taking it from between his fingers. “Thank you.”
“I’ll put it on you,” Callan said, and she turned willingly, slipping the necklace back into his palm. He brushed the hair off her neck, and started tentatively, “You know. I’ve always wondered.”
“Wondered what?” she prompted.
“Your last name,” he went on, struggling to insert the tiny circle of metal through the clasp. “I guess you came up with it on your own?”
She turned back to him, the necklace winking just beneath her collarbone. Even while still wearing her slip of a nightgown, the jewelry made her look graceful, elegant. Callan felt the undeniable urge to take hold of her with both hands around the ears and kiss her mouth as hard as he could. He thought if he kissed her whenever he felt like it, then their lips might not ever get a break.
“Well, I couldn’t very well go by Gordon, could I?” Kaelia fingered the onyx pendant in her thumb and forefinger, looking down at it.
“So, what, you chose something to make you sound dangerous? Tough? To go along with your profession?”
She tilted her head, and Callan could tell she was slightly offended. “No,” she dropped the word bluntly. “I chose it after the ancient Greek goddess of retribution, who punished those who committed arrogance against the gods. I chose it because it had meaning, not just because it sounded cool.”
“Okay, okay.” Callan didn’t want her to get upset. “I mean, there’s nothing wrong with it, I just thought you might want to maybe… change it someday.”
She glanced up at him, though her fingers remained against her new necklace. “Change it to what?” she practically stammered.
Callan smiled and took her in his arms, holding her against his bare chest as he stroked her hair. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe, Kaelia Merone. It sounds a lot better, don’t you think? Draws less attention?” Callan didn’t know what he was saying, hadn’t planned to say it that way. But something about it just made sense.
She pulled away and playfully shoved him. “Are you serious?”
“Am I never not serious?”
“Oh my God, I’m freaking out a little. Damn, I freaking love you, Callan Merone! Do you know that?”
“Don’t freak out,” he said, and leaned in to kiss her. “I love you, too.”
“But what about the competition?”
Callan shrugged. “It’s almost over. We can go to a mountaintop in Bogota, or Belize, or wherever you want. We’ll have sheep and grow mangos and cliff dive naked at midnight…”
“Yes,” she answered, interrupting him. “Yes. Yes, yes to all of it. As soon as this is over, and they take this stupid tracking band off my arm.”
“Well…” He flinched to have to cut off her excitement. “We might not be able to do it all that soon.”
She bristled. “What do you mean?”
“That phone call I just got…”
“Yes?” Her eyes zeroed in on him just like a predator about to attack its prey. Callan almost felt a little scared. Or maybe he definitely did.
“There’s some political unrest right now. The rebels are rising up again, against Amity.”
Kaelia rolled her eyes, unimpressed. “When is there not political unrest? As long as Amity remains in power, there will always be…”
“They called me in to fight again,” Callan cut her off before she could say something that could get her arrested if they were in different company. “They want me to join the militia, just for a little while.”
“What?” Her face darkened dangerously. “Fight for them again? For the party that threw me in a work prison to rot?”
“Any party would have imprisoned you,” Callan couldn’t help but argue with her. “You were an assassin.”
“Amity’s prisons are treacherous and inhumane,” she snapped. “You know this.”
“Fine,” he relented. “I get it. It’s not ideal. But it’s my duty, and I’ll be able to earn enough money…”
“We’ll earn money when I win the competition,” she reminded him. “You don’t need their blood wages.”
“Kaelia, it won’t be for long.”
“Won’t be for long?” She shot from the bed and stalked around, her eyes flashing lividly. “Callan, are you crazy? Do you think I didn’t notice it? The scar on the back of your head? Callan, you were shot, and now you’re going back there? For what? So maybe you can get killed this time?”
Callan’s face reddened; flabbergasted that she had figured it out without him telling her. Part of him was impressed by her heightened observation skills. Though the other part felt violated. He didn’t tell many people that he’d been shot in the back of the head while parachuting out of an airplane and somehow managed to survive. Most people wouldn’t believe him if he did.
“Kaelia.” He tried again, standing from the bed. “Try to understand. It’s important for me to show loyalty to the party.”
“Fuck the party!” she shouted.
“Kaelia, please be quiet,” he nearly begged h
er.
“No,” she refused. “No, don’t you ‘Kaelia’ me. You know, I can’t even believe you right now. First you ask me to marry you, and then you drop this bomb on me!”
“I’m sorry.” He hadn’t meant for it to go this way. “Look, just try to relax…”
“I won’t relax! How the hell else am I supposed to get through to you that you’re doing something completely moronic, Merone. I mean, these guys discarded you like an old dog at the pound when you got hurt, and then as soon as you’re better and they want you back, you come running with your tail wagging. What is wrong with you?”
“All right, that’s enough.” Callan’s voice went stern, though her expression of fury wouldn’t be mollified. “Look, I get that you’re upset, but you will not talk to me like that. Do you understand?”
She refused to answer him, standing there in her nightgown with her hair tousled from sleep and looking like she might kill someone. After staring each other down for several moments, she eventually turned on her heels and stomped towards the bathroom.
“Hey,” Callan protested, starting to follow her. “Kaelia. Don’t walk away from me after I asked you a question. You better stop right now!” His words were cut off as she slammed the door in his face, leaving him jarringly alone in the room. “Young lady…” he started, though felt off-balance all of a sudden, as if he didn’t have his own legs to stand on.
“Leave me alone!” she screamed from inside the bathroom. “I have to get ready for the announcement today.”
Callan wrinkled his brow, puzzled. “That’s not for another nine hours.”
“Just leave me alone.” Her voice came out quieter than before, and Callan did as she asked.