by Katee Robert
War sighed. “I should lie to you and put everyone out of their misery, but I love an underdog. It’s one of my many charms.” She nudged Cami toward the door. “No, little princess. He didn’t know. He found out you’d play the White Stag the moment you did.”
“What the fuck are you doing, Amarante?” Luca spoke through clenched teeth. Now that Kenzie had taken Cami from the room, all eyes rested on them once again. He couldn’t afford to react the way he wanted to react, and so he bottled it up, shoving his anger down until he wasn’t in danger of bellowing like the bull Cami accused him of being.
Amarante sighed, the exhale nearly soundless. “Not here.”
“Then you’d better walk your ass out of this room if you want to avoid making a scene.”
She turned with a practiced smile to the competitors. “Enjoy your meal. We’ll speak more afterward.” Amarante led the way through the door. Ryu still hadn’t spoken, but that was typical Ryu. He would follow Amarante right into hell if she asked it of him.
They all would.
But not this. Luca hadn’t signed on for making a sacrificial lamb of an innocent.
Of Cami.
Amarante didn’t speak again until they’d reached the hub. “I knew you’d react like this.”
“You know, it’s funny that you knew I’d react like this, so you kept it from me and did it anyway.”
She spun on him and propped her hands on her narrow hips. “I’m killing two birds with one stone, Luca. We need Kenzie onsite in order to accomplish the first step of this plan, and that means someone else has to play the part of the White Stag. It can’t be you or Ryu. I have my own part to play in this thing.”
Her words rang of the truth, but not the full truth. “And the rest?”
There it was, the fury she kept so carefully banked most of the time. It flared in her dark eyes, hot enough to burn them all alive. “Thalania has a problem taking no for an answer. First the Nibley delegation, then the king himself. Now this princess? No.” She shook her head, black hair swinging. “You made your choice, and if they won’t respect it, then I’ll shove that answer down their goddamn throats.”
Realization rolled over him. “You’re making an example of her.” If she was someone else, if the situation were different … But it wasn’t. “Not her, Amarante. She may be a thorn in our sides, but she doesn’t deserve to be crushed.”
“That’s no longer your call to make.” She shrugged. “She’s already gone.”
He went still. They had disagreements over the years. It would be impossible for four such strong personalities to maintain their relationship without things coming to a head from time to time. He’d never wanted to cut all ties with them as much as he did in that moment. “You crossed a line. We have rules for a reason.”
Amarante dropped her hands and glared at him. “Oh no you don’t. There are times when I deserve to be painted as the villain, and this may be one of them, but that girl came here of her own free will. She insisted on joining the Hunt despite my making it exceptionally difficult for her. I did not go tempting innocent princesses into playing this game, and I sure as hell didn’t abduct one. You even tried to get her to leave. How did that go over?”
Not particularly well, which she was obviously aware of.
It didn’t make him any less angry at his sister. “You could have chosen someone else.”
“I’m not going to apologize for this. It was the right call. You might not see it now, but you will eventually.”
When this was all over.
Luca turned away from her and scrubbed his hands over his face. He just had to think, but all he could picture was the horrible shit that could happen to Cami on that island. If the local wildlife didn’t cause problems, there were traps and pits and a thousand different ways to end up injured—or worse. The competitors only added to the danger. Catching the White Stag wasn’t enough. They had to transfer her to one of the extraction locations in order to win. Kenzie had even had some close calls in the past and she was the most capable of all of them for this kind of challenge.
Cami wouldn’t stand a chance.
“I’m going after her.” The declaration burst from him, but as the words fell between them, they felt right. He wasn’t a good man, but he wasn’t capable of sitting idly by and watching someone like Cami go through hell.
A strange sort of relief filtered through him. I still have lines I won’t cross.
“Luca.” Amarante’s tone stopped him in his tracks.
He turned slowly to face her. “This is wrong, Te.”
“I’m not going to apologize for protecting us.”
“I don’t expect you to.” She’d earned that much and more from him. From all of them. “But I’m still going after her.”
She didn’t so much as blink. “You’re running the risk of jeopardizing a decade’s worth of work. If there is no Wild Hunt, then the Bookkeeper has no reason to come here. We won’t be able to find the trail back to its source. We won’t be able to find the ones responsible.”
Damn it. Damn it.
She was right. He knew she was right. But how the fuck was he supposed to choose between the monster who had terrorized them for far too long and the woman who didn’t deserve any of this?
The fact he even weighed Cami in the balance told him things he’d rather not think about, but he couldn’t seem to smother the instinct to go after her. If he chose their quest for justice over her and something happened … He’d never forgive himself. “I can’t just sit here and watch.”
Amarante nodded. “There’s a spot open among the competitors now. If you’re going after her, then that’s how you do it.” She gave a sad little smile. “It may even sweeten the pot for our enemies. They’d commit unforgivable acts for a chance to take you out of the picture.”
“I’ll do it.” Three little words to seal his fate.
“There are conditions.” When he gave her a look, she raised her brows. “Come now, Luca, you know better. You can’t go sprinting in there and spirit her to safety. You can compete, but you can’t win. Everything rides on this.”
He might not have played White Stag the same way Kenzie had in the past, but he knew that island almost as well as she did. The camera locations, the traps, the secret spaces no one outside the Horsemen knew about. Luca wasn’t sure it would be enough, but it’d have to do. “I want to keep her safe, Te. She didn’t know what she was asking for.”
“You’re underestimating her.” She moved to the wall of monitors and typed a set of commands in that had it switching over to the camera situated on the western docks. The network there wasn’t as large as the eastern ones that were nestled in the bay, their purpose more for internal use than for guests. He moved closer to the monitor, watching as Kenzie drove up in one of their carts, Cami in the passenger seat.
She didn’t look terrified out of her mind, but she had to be scared. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go for her. The woman had a plan, and they’d just burned it to ash around her. Luca found himself clenching his fists and forced his hands to relax. “I won’t win.”
“You have to let them catch her—and you can’t be seen helping her.”
He spun around. “Are you out of your fucking mind?”
Amarante stared him down. “You have to let them catch her,” she repeated. “The Bookkeeper has to win, Luca. If you can’t handle that, I’ll tranq you and lock you in your room for the duration of the Hunt. Agree to the terms or you’re not getting on that boat.”
“What if she wins?”
Amarante laughed. “Funny.”
It might be possible with Kenzie bending the rules, but she was right—Cami would be caught, and likely caught early. As it was, he’d be hard pressed to get to her before the others.
She shrugged. “Statistically, the Bookkeeper’s people have better odds of finding her than anyone else.”
He’d read the files. None of the other three were likely to hurt Cami if they caught her fi
rst. Subdue? Definitely. Torment and worse? No way. But the Bookkeeper’s people? Their files were filled with the kind of shit that would give people nightmares. He couldn’t let them get their hands on the princess. “Fine, Te. I’ll let them win.”
“You’ll ensure they win.”
Luca stared. “You’ve got to be fucking with me.”
“I’m not.”
The brilliance of her plan had him wanting to curse and praise her in dual measures. He might have done the latter if she wasn’t guilty of manipulating him. “We’re not supposed to play games with each other. That’s not how we work.”
Amarante stalked to the monitors, turned on one spike red heel, and stalked back. “Plans change, Luca. We have to be adaptable.” She drew herself up, the same way she always had before stepping into the ring. “I didn’t know you’d have a soft spot for the girl. Kenzie was supposed to be the one to step into the empty competitor position. I didn’t tell you because you didn’t need to know. I wasn’t playing games with you.”
“And yet here we are.”
“And yet here we are,” she echoed. “Will you trust Kenzie to play her part?”
He’d trusted Kenzie with his life and sanity and more. She and Amarante were the sisters he hadn’t been born with, the family created from fire and pain and trauma beyond knowing. A week ago, if she’d asked him this same question, he would have answered an affirmative without question.
Now?
Now he couldn’t be sure.
There were only three people in this world Amarante held loyalty to, and Cami didn’t number among them. If it came down to a choice between Cami and their plan, Amarante might spare a moment of regret, but she’d sacrifice Cami without a second thought. Kenzie would act in an extension of that will.
He couldn’t risk it. Luca took a slow breath. There was only one way out of this, and it was through. “I’ll be a good boy and play by your rules.”
She hesitated, something unsure passing over her face. “Luca … I don’t know if it helps or hurts at this point, but I really didn’t think you’d be this invested in the girl. She’s here to force you back to the family who lost you. I assumed you’d feel the same way about her that you have about every other representative Thalania has sent.”
“We both know it doesn’t make a damn bit of difference how I feel. Not at the end of the day.”
“I’m trying to keep us safe.” Words she’d used to justify so much over the years. Words he’d never questioned.
He didn’t question them now. Amarante would always do what it took to keep them safe, no matter how reprehensible the act. He’d never judged her for that. He fought not to judge her for it now.
He’d have to take a page from her book. To keep Cami safe long enough to send her back to where she came from. Any other outcome was unthinkable.
6
The island looked so much larger up close. Cami stood next to War on the boat as it cut through the narrow strip of ocean separating the resort island from this one. Neither of them spoke. What was there to say? She was the White Stag, and she had a mere twelve hours to figure out a game plan and start to follow through on it.
Twelve hours before the other competitors began hunting her.
War guided their boat to a beach partially sheltered by a series of large rectangular rocks. They were a feature this series of islands were known for, and Cami had found them unexpectedly charming in photographs. Now, with night fully set and only the light of the moon illuminating them, they looked like sentinels warning the unwary traveler from landing there.
Unfortunately, this traveler didn’t have a choice.
War eased off the throttle and let them coast onto the gently sloped beach. “This is our stop.”
“I’d say thanks, but …”
“But you kind of want to kick my ass right now. Yeah, I get it.” War leaned on the steering wheel and blew out a breath. “Look, between you, me, and the island, I’m actually a little sorry about this. You seem like you’re not completely trash, and that makes this a little harder than I expected.”
“Thanks?”
“Oh, yeah, that was definitely a compliment.” War hefted the backpack and passed it to Cami. “Word of advice. We drop the competitors at different spots along the coast. They’ll expect you to go for high ground, so that’s where most of them will head to start.”
Cami looked at the high hills she could barely make out against the canopy of stars overhead. “If I stay on the coast, that means they just have to catch me and hold me there until the pickup comes.”
“Only two locations they can signal a pickup from. This beach.” She pointed to the one they currently occupied. “And one tucked down in the cliffs on the south-west side of the island.”
“Seems risky.”
“Little princess, everything about this game is risky. You’ll take your chances wherever you are headed.” War looked up at the moon and something about her softened, as if the glowing crescent in the sky smoothed away her sharp edges. “I’m not going to lie, I’m a little bummed out not to play hare to their hounds this year. It’s nice to shuck off the niceties every once and awhile.”
Cami didn’t know how to respond to that. She had never shucked off the niceties. Not truly. Even when she’d left palace life behind, when she was training with Yael, there were still rules to follow, expectations laid over her. She moved to the front of the boat and hopped down to the sand. “I guess I’ll see you on the other side.”
“If someone doesn’t murder you first.” War laughed. “Sorry, gallows humor. Happy hunting, little princess. And may the odds be ever in your favor.” With that downright depressing quote, she kicked the engine back into gear and guided the boat off the beach.
Cami didn’t stick around to watch her leave. The clock in her mind ticked down, and panic fluttered in her throat. Seven days to avoid capture. A week. An amount of time that could fly by between one blink and the next, or stretch out until a person was sure it’d never end.
She already knew which category this one would fall into.
As tempting as it was to sprint into the jungle and put as much distance between herself and the pick-up point, there were other factors to consider. The place was riddled with traps. Some of them were pits, some cleverly concealed cages, others fell into a variety of categories. When she’d first decided she wanted to compete in the Wild Hunt, she’d spent some time digging through the dark web for footage of past Hunts. The dangers differed from year to year, but every competition, at least half of the competitors were taken out by the traps. Kenzie, of course, evaded them with ease, but she also had the advantage of knowing where they were.
Cami forced herself to stop. To plan.
She’d have to sleep eventually. Adrenaline only maintained her energy level for so long, and she’d be vulnerable when she finally gave in to exhaustion. That must be taken into account.
Come on. You had a strategy for this Hunt.
Yeah, but it was designed to find and contain War, not to evade people trying to find and contain her.
Adapt or die, Cami. Adapt or die.
When laid out like that, there was no other option.
Cami pictured the island in her head, tracing the western curve where the beaches morphed into cliffs. If she went that way, she’d be trapped. The only relief in the western cliffs was the low beach that served as an extraction point. The eastern shore was mostly beaches, but the large rock formations were littered throughout. It was possible to take War’s advice, stick to the coast, and potentially hide there. If she found a good spot before the competitors were delivered to the island, she might be able to prepare and hide until they moved farther inland.
After that, she’d have to play it by ear.
Not a foolproof plan by any definition of the word, but it was better than nothing. The jungle might be attractive in theory—more places to hide, more cover—but the same things that could benefit her were just as likely to hinder her. She
couldn’t risk it. Not this early in the game.
Cami hitched her backpack more firmly onto her shoulders and started south.
“We knew you were a bitch, Death, but we never figured you for a cheat.”
Luca glared at the man who’d just spoken—one of the Bookkeeper’s representatives, Dolph Richardson. He was a massive guy, and scars wrapped around the side of his head, speaking to a life spent in the trenches of violence and crime. The man noted his attention and gave him a slow grin. “Though I wouldn’t be too sad to take out Famine. Don’t you think so, boys?”
The two men at his back exchanged glances, but didn’t say anything. In fact, no one except Dolph had said anything since Amarante announced that Luca would take Cami’s place in the competition.
Amarante gave Dolph a bored look. “Your protest has been noted.”
“And?”
“I’m sorry, were you expecting a pat on the back? You don’t make the rules here, Mr. Richardson. We do. Since War is no longer representing our interests in the form of the White Stag, it’s only right that Famine ensures you are all playing your best game.” Her lips drew up in a smile that made Dolph flinch. “Unless you feel you aren’t up to the task?”
“I never said that!”
“Good, then we’re in agreement.” She swept her attention through the room. “Unless anyone else has an objection?”
The assassin, Envy, spoke, her melodious voice seeming to fill the room. “In the unlikely event that the princess evades capture, does that result in a win for her?”
“Yes.” Another of Amarante’s cold smiles. “If she’s still free by sunset of the seventh day, she will win the promised favor. I’m sure that’s an impossible feat with such a … qualified … group of competitors, don’t you?”
Envy didn’t answer, instead turning to speak with her companion. Luca couldn’t be sure, but he thought she might be Lust. Nothing in Envy’s dossier had given any indication if she’d be in her element in this kind of competition—her special brand was mimicking other’s murders in a perfect copycat—but he couldn’t imagine she’d sign up without being sure she was capable of winning.
