by J. Kearston
The two of them are alone more often than not. I shouldn’t be, I mean hell, they’ve had this routine for a decade when the two of them were far younger, but the reminder doesn’t put me anymore at ease. She can protect herself, sure, but what if someone tried to use Eli against her? It’s incredibly obvious that he’s her weakness and she would go with someone if it meant keeping her safe.
Fuck, you can’t camp out in her yard, you’ll look like a psycho.
“You alright?” she asks, giving me a concerned look.
I force a smile on my face. “Of course, little dragon. Same time tomorrow?”
She taps her finger on her lips as she debates. “The three musketeers should be home around midnight and tomorrow’s a training day. Honestly, I feel bad making you follow me around everywhere as it is. Don’t you want a day off?”
I balk, but Yri beats me to it. “No matter how fast you’ve healed, you cannot possibly want a repeat of last weekend already!”
She rolls her eyes. “The Gauntlet is in a couple weeks. I need to be on my A game if Caius is running.” She turns to give him a look of appraisal. “It’s been a long time since I came that close to losing.”
He smirks. “Maybe you’re letting all those victories go to your head.”
She gasps dramatically. “You calling me a slacker, newblood?”
Cai heads towards the door, hands raised in surrender. “Just call ‘em like I see ‘em. Maybe the men around here have been taking it easy on you; Soren and I just didn’t get the memo before our first run.”
“Care to make this interesting then?” she challenges, laser focused on his every movement.
Cai gestures for her to continue. “Sure, whatever you need to give yourself proper motivation,” he goads.
She cracks her knuckles. “Winner gets a favor.”
His eyes light up. “What do you want if you win?”
She shakes her head. “To be cashed in later whenever the winner wants.”
He licks his lips. “That’s just asking to be fucked over; it’s a blank check,” he protests.
She smirks, stretching her arms over her head. “All the more reason not to lose, don’t you think?”
Elias groans from the kitchen and calls out, “Just kiss already so they can leave, why don’t you? All this flirting is scarring me for life. Disgusting.” He scoffs, starting to slam pots around noisily as we all burst out laughing.
“See you in the morning, Ezra.”
She tilts her head. “You don’t want the day off?”
“Not even a little.”
Chapter 12
Ezra
“I have an idea I think we can all live with,” Yri eventually states.
All three of them showed up that morning with Soren. Caius was the loudest advocate, insisting if I was going to be running the Gauntlet in a couple of weeks, I needed to be at full strength instead of nursing my wounds. At least three men end up dying every run, so I can see his point, but it’s an odd adjustment.
Amazing how many different ways there are for people to show they care.
My brothers try to goad me into beating the shit out of them while Soren wants to shield me from anything and everything. Vyrian showers me with praise and encourages my terrible ideas, but Cai? I think he might actually understand what makes me tick better than any of them, and we’ve spent the least amount of time together.
“What’s that?” Kahl demands, crossing his arms over his chest as he holds onto the last vestiges of his patience.
Yri smiles. “Capture the flag.”
Kinsley claps like a fucking five year old, enthusiastically throwing his support at the idea. “Not just yes, but hell yes!”
Even Kaiden looks intrigued at the concept. “Boundaries?”
“If we’re doing this, let’s go all out.” They turn to me and I start speaking more animatedly, their excitement spreading to me like a living entity. “City limits mark the boundaries, but we can’t go inside any building beyond bathroom breaks or grabbing food to bring back to camp. If you cross paths with someone inside somewhere, it’s a neutral time out.
“Flag needs to be obviously displayed somewhere outside, not half in a bush or some shit. Combat allowed, but no weapons. Game runs until either someone gets their opponent’s flag back to their home base, or ends at nine Sunday night if a draw.”
Kahl looks far more excited than I’ve seen him in ages. “You take the north half of town and we get the south,” he decides. “Home base is too broad, so let’s make it where you need to attach the enemy flag the same place yours is or was. Take a time stamped picture for verification.”
“And you need a picture of your flag there before we start to prove you didn’t move the location, because you’re all filthy cheaters,” I add.
Four matching grins take the place over any denial.
Elias comes back a few minutes later with two pillow cases; one bright orange and the other bright yellow. On each he scribbles a quick skull and crossbones like a couple of pirate flags, passing us the orange one.
“Let’s see if your boyfriends have what it takes, shall we?” he teases.
I roll my eyes to hide the fluttering in my stomach. It’s pretty clear from my constant brush offs of others as well as the fact I spend nearly all of my time with one of them that I’m actively dating them. Still, it’s new, and I’m not out of time yet. I could change my mind in a few weeks, look back on this fondly, and start dating another flight if I want.
We haven’t labeled anything, but Elias pointing it out like that makes it feel more permanent. The thought doesn’t make me balk like I assumed it would, just fills me with the expected nerves.
“Match starts at nine, so you have an hour to get set up, boys,” I reply instead. “Go!”
None of us hesitate, bolting in opposite directions. Soren, Caius, and Vyrian keep pace with me as we weave in-between houses towards the north end of town. Twenty minutes later we slow so that we can start making a game plan.
“You know the town better than anyone,” Yri points out.
My eyes start scanning the area. “But you guys have more real field experience. Would we prefer being backed into a corner so we only have one access point to watch? Low to the ground so it’s quicker to get back to after we have their flag before they can stop us?”
Cai jumps in. “Half of us should stay to guard our flag while the other half try to get theirs. So it needs to be an area that would only take two people to defend easily.”
I’m nodding, knowing they might curse me for it, but have the perfect pace in mind. We arrive at the metal stairs on the side of the tallest building this side of town, starting the six story climb up the fire escape.
I walk over to the antenna on the roof and securely tie our flag, making it incredibly obvious. I gesture for Soren to hold up his phone beside it for a timestamp before snapping a picture on mine, tucking it back in my pocket.
The three of them nod their approval, walking the expanse of the space. “They won’t be able to sneak up on us here with only the fire escape, and it’ll be impossible to stay silent on that,” Yri praises.
I shake my head and point to the rooftop access to the building. “Two. My brothers are dirty rotten cheaters and will try to sneak up from this route, claiming they just thought they couldn’t attack if inside.”
An amused breath slips through Ren’s lips. “Sounds about right.”
“Who wants to stay and who wants to go?” Cai asks and I debate.
“Soren should probably stay since the man was built for defense.” He stands straighter at my words and I smirk. “And Cai seems like the most animated fighter. I’m going to assume Kaiden and Kinsley will be the ones to attack our base, so the two of you are the smartest option to protect our flag.”
Cai dips his head in approval. “Smart; playing to everyone’s strengths. Yri has more patience than us; he’ll do better on recon and retrieval.”
Yri waggles his eyebrows at m
e. “So that means I get you all to myself.”
His enthusiasm is contagious. “Don’t worry; I’ll get you back to your flight in one piece,” I tease.
Soren checks the time. “Let’s use the last few minutes before the game begins to bring some supplies back here.”
We jog down through the rooftop access into the building. I chose it for many reasons, but this is one of them; it has everything we might need so we won’t have to go far. The mall is six stories and each level has a wide array of options. The food court is on the first floor so we split up; two to stock up on snacks and the others to grab some sleeping bags and such.
We return to the rooftop with our arms full to bursting, taking inventory of our supplies. Cai and Soren settle in for what could be a very long watch rotation and I start walking towards the fire escape.
“Take care of our girl, Yri,” Soren commands, leaning back against the small brick wall that wraps around the edge.
My stomach flips at his words and he winks, as if he knows exactly the effect they have on me.
Shit, he probably does. Talk about giving away our position.
Vyrian puts a hand on the small of my back as we finish crossing to the stairs. “On my honor,” he responds stoically, his body stiff with tension beside me.
I don’t pry, but it certainly feels like there’s something more to the statement than I’m aware of. Yri seems too high strung at the comment, and that in itself is strange. Thus far, I haven’t seen Vyrian as anything other than a hopeless romantic and a zeal for life that matches my own. But then again, that’s the whole point of dating; so I can get to know them before tying my life to theirs.
As we walk, I tie my hair back into a braid. It serves the dual purpose of keeping it out of my face as well as making my shock of hair at least a little less noticeable. We stay off of the main roads, working our way casually towards the southern half of town as we mull over ideas of where they would have put the flag. At the sudden shock of yellow catching my eye in the light, I whip my head up, before seeing it’s just a yellow shirt hanging out someone’s window.
It happens two more times before Yri laughs, shaking his head in disbelief. “They’re evil geniuses, aren’t they? How’d they even accomplish this in such a short time?”
I glare at all of the buildings in the area as if they personally offend me. “Because even when they aren’t being cheaters, they love their damn loopholes. Assholes must’ve texted the entire half of the city.”
I look around, noting that nearly every building has a yellow shirt hanging out of a window somewhere or tied to a front railing. Pillowcases are tied to several street lamps and car antennas, and now that I’m paying closer attention, half of the people walking are wearing the color on some part of their body.
“Why is yellow bedding even this popular?” I complain. “Who the fuck has yellow sheets? Does every guy in town own a damn yellow shirt? Is there an unspoken rule I’m unaware of?” Yri doesn’t even hide his amusement, laughing until he’s doubled over. He tries to speak, but he can’t get words out between his gasps of air. “I hate yellow,” I finish lamely, scowling at everything in distaste.
Yri wipes tears from the corners of his eyes, trying to compose himself. “Noted.”
I roll my eyes at him, grabbing his elbow to pull him along. “Come on, this is going to take a while.”
We spend eleven goddamn hours scouring the city and can’t find their stupid flag. Vyrian eventually grabbed a town map from the gas station and we started checking off places as we cleared them, but it’s slow going.
“Come on, beautiful, let’s head back to camp to check in with Cai and Ren,” Yri suggests.
I sigh in exasperation, but have to agree. I’m hungry, tired, and irritated. Maybe by having the map, they’ll be able to see a pattern we didKn’t.
We trudge back up the six flights of stairs, Cai’s head peeking over the edge at the sound of our footsteps. He offers a hand to help me over the last step that I take gratefully.
“No luck, I take it?” he asks.
We all agreed to keep our phones off unless an emergency to save the battery, but I wish I’d thought to take a few pictures to show them how absolutely ridiculous it was. I flop down on the sleeping bag next to where Ren’s sitting, taking the food he offers me without hesitation.
Vyrian fills them in while I stuff my face, pulling the map from my back pocket and handing it over. They spread it out on the ground and look at it from a few angles, trying to see what we couldn’t.
“And they never once attacked today?” I confirm, stretching out on my stomach.
“Nope,” Cai confirms, furrowing his brow at the map. “It looks like you checked every building.”
Vyrian and I agree, so he adds, “Did you just check it off when you saw a flag without the crossbones and move on?”
I nod and he grimaces. “That doesn’t mean they might not have decoys on the same building. They could have two tied to the roof and the real one hanging out a window.”
I groan, muffling my face in the fabric. Yri pipes up though, “I accounted for that, don’t worry.”
I’m so relieved I could kiss him.
“Now what?” Soren rumbles, patting my shoulder in sympathy.
Over the last week, they’ve started cautiously testing the waters. A brush of the hand here, a quick hug there, but none of them have tried to kiss me. My dreams are only becoming more frequent and intense, leaving me frustrated, yet I can’t seem to voice what I want for two main reasons.
One, if I’m not one hundred percent sure that I want to join their flight, and that’s a hell of a commitment to make, it seems cruel. And two, if I start, I might not want to stop. I’m not ashamed to say I’m a horny mess right now and might not make rational decisions if I put myself in that position.
But fuck, a girl can only give herself so many orgasms to take the edge off before needing to go about her day. I’ve got shit to do. I can’t just play with myself every time I get worked up, but I need to be able to be around them without making reckless decisions. The struggle is real.
“Now, we stoop to their level,” I state decisively, shaking myself out of the rabbit hole my thoughts were taking me down.
I ignore their matching smirks, knowing full well by now that they can tell when my mind takes a trip to the gutter. Bright side, they did confirm that the more they’re around me, the more they’re able to build up a tolerance to my pheromones. So I suppose there’s a silver lining if I ignore all of the embarrassment.
I pull my phone out of my back pocket, powering it up. Soren is easily able to look over my shoulder from his seat, but Yri and Cai have to crowd around to see what I’m doing.
“That’s cheating,” Cai points out reproachfully.
I bat my eyes at him in mock innocence. “Where in the rules does it say that?”
He snorts. “What happened to wanting to win by your own merit?”
I go back to what I’m doing. “That’s the Gauntlet, that’s different. This is supposed to be a training exercise. In real life, do you think your enemies are going to follow all of the rules or use any cheap trick to get the upper hand?” I challenge, not waiting for his response. “As you so helpfully brought to light, the world is going to shit. I highly doubt if someone wants to abduct me and hold me in a lab to get raped or experimented on, they’re going to be using the most honest tactics.”
I have to look up when it turns dead silent, the three of them wearing matching expressions promising murder. A chill slithers down my back at their stormy response to my words, a primal part of me drawn to the savagery they emanate. If they can accomplish even half of what their eyes are promising?
They just might actually be able to keep up with me.
My phone chimes, drawing my attention and breaking the staring contest we were locked in. The little dots flash, showing each of my brothers’ phone locations congregated at the very edge of Hadeon near the forest. I rise to my feet,
rolling my shoulders and smacking my cheeks a few times to stave off the food coma I want to slip into.
“Alright, Yri, you up for a little hunting?”
He rolls to his feet. “For you, angel, always.”
I snort, but it's part of his charm. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”
He tosses a triumphant look at the others as we head out, skirting the edge of town so there’s less of a chance of someone to tip them off that we’re coming. It’s completely dark by now, but the vibrant color of their flag plastered to the front door of a small house can’t be missed even in the dim lighting.
I know better than to head straight for it, so Yri and I climb into a nearby tree for a better vantage point. We scan the area, but not a single thing looks out of place and not a brother in sight. I pull out my phone to double check their location, noting it has them in the house.
“If we steer clear of the windows, we should be able to get it before they know we’re there.”
Yri frowns. “That doesn’t sound like them at all, angel. Hold on.”
He climbs higher into the branches, and before I know it, he’s leaping onto the roof of the house. He lands far more gracefully than I would have imagined, and I never so much as heard a thud. The light catches his red eyes, painting him as a demon lurking in the shadows. When he bends down to pick something up, my stomach lurches before he even meets my eyes.
They fucking played us.
I’m dropping from the branches the same time Vyrian hops off of the roof, the two of us heading towards the front door. “They left their phones here knowing I’d fucking look and put their flag as far away from our base as possible.” I curse, knowing I should have seen something like this coming.
Yri’s hand curls around the edge of the flag, but when he tugs, it doesn’t budge. “What the hell?”
I try next, laughing at the genius of it all. “Those bastards super glued it to the damn door!”
Vyrian snorts, but no matter how much the two of us yank, it’s not going anywhere. “All four of them are likely storming our base right now, the brilliant assholes.”