Chapter 329

To my shock, Rafe just wraps me up in his arms and pulls me into a tight hug. “If you get killed I’ll never forgive you,” he murmurs, his head ducked low against my own. “And dad will slaughter me. So. Avoid that, please. I would like to live long enough to meet my mate.”

I go still but then laugh a little, hugging my brother back for a long moment before he lets me go, still looking down at me like he hates me a little bit but giving into it.

Jesse just sighs and wraps me in a hug next. “Give ‘em hell, baby trouble,” he murmurs. “And don’t shoot me in the face when you come for me – I’m very pretty, it’s my only saving grace. Don’t take that away.”

I laugh, shoving him away next and turning to Jackson – who is hardest of all.

He just sighs and nods towards the helicopters, to where all the troops are gathering – some of them his, waiting for him. The four of us walk together, me close to Jackson’s side.

His wolf snarls and howls, scratching at the edge of our bond, desperately unhappy though Jackson holds him back and doesn’t allow any of this on his face.

You know this is killing me, right? He asks, speaking directly into my mind.

I turn my face up to his, sad to put him through it. I know. But thank you for trusting me. I promise I’ll be safe. What I have planned wont’ take long.

The minute you feel unsafe, you call for me, okay? He says, looking directly into my eyes, his pain and worry showing directly there. No matter where you are, I’ll hear you and I’ll come. I promise.

I step closer, biting my lip a bit as I look up at him with shining eyes and nod. I don’t think we have to worry about it, I whisper, back, still grinning. But I will. I promise I will.

Jackson narrows his eyes at me, smirking a bit like he can’t help it. What on earth do you have brewing, fire sprite?

I just grin up at him and shake my head, letting nothing out. But my wolf trots across the bond, pressing herself warm against his gigantic wolf’s side. His wolf snarls a bit, dipping his head to press his teeth to her neck and pretending to give her ruff a little shake like a wayward pup who doesn’t listen. But I laugh, taking it for the joke he means it, and my mate beams down at me.

Jackson stops outside his own set of helicopters, where his troops are massing. Jesse stops too, going to stand with Tony, who is also on Jackson’s team as well. “Well go on,” Jackson says to me, his words tight as he nods towards the small helicopter at the end of the row. “Quit spying on my strategy, enemy.”

I just beam at him, standing on my toes, resisting the urge to jump into his arms. He just grins and forces himself to turn away.

“Shoot straight!” Rafe calls to me, waving me off, though I can tell it’s killing him to let me go too. I wave to my brother, beaming at him, and start towards where I can see Blythe kneeling by our supplies, checking through them as he waits for me.

“Ari!”

Someone catches at my arm and I turn in surprise to look up into Luca’s eyes.

“Ari, where are you going?” he gasps, staring at me in shock before turning to look at Rafe and Jackson. “Didn’t they – what are you –“

“I’m playing the Games, Luca,” I say, deftly pulling my arm from his hand. “Just like you.”

“But you…” he frowns at me, confused.

“Is there something you need?” I ask, deliberately cold, staring blankly up into his eyes. “I have to go join my team.”

Luca sighs, giving up the pretense and pursing his lips as he looks down at me. “Ari, look, I’m really sorry I didn’t come up last night –“

“No time now, Luca,” I say, turning away and starting for Blythe.

Luca grabs my arm again, pulling me back, and this time I snarl as I stop, looking deliberately down at his hand and then slowly lifting my eyes to his face.

Luca’s eyes go wide and he drops my arm. “Ari…”

“Anything you wanted to say, Luca, you could have said to me last night,” I say, quiet and controlled. “Right now, I’m out of time.”

“I was really tired last night –“ he whispers, affronted.

“We’re all tired, Luca,” I say, my voice flat. “See you tonight for dinner, if you can muster up the energy.”

I stride away to Blythe, not bothering to look back at my mate. Because I’m still livid with him, even if I’ve got bigger things on my plate right now.

“Hey, Blythe,” I say as I approach. He looks up at me with a bit of surprise.

“Hey, Clark,” he says, breaking into a smile. “Didn’t think I’d get you here without a bit of kicking and screaming.”

“Well, I’m here,” I say, giving a little shrug. “Any chance you want to make a last minute trade?”

He just raises his eyebrows and stands.

“I have it on good authority,” I say quietly, “that both Rafe and McClintock will work together to trade you their best guys if you just give me to one of them. You don’t even have to give me my gun to go with me.” I give a little kick to the familiar case that I now know holds my paintball sniper rifle.

Blythe twists his mouth to the side and gives a shrug. “My plan is to still work with you, Clark. I’m…kind of sorry to hear that you hate it so much that you don’t even want to try working with me. I didn’t do all of this to be a dick. I was looking forward to getting to know you. Building a team.”

“I already have a team,” I say quietly, looking off to the side. “So, is that a no on the trade?”

“It’s a no, kid.”

I clench my teeth a bit, but shrug, letting it pass. “Okay.” I look around at the rest of the pile of supplies. “Is any of the rest of this for me?”

“Sure,” Blythe says, giving me a small smile. “A lot of it, actually. Since I only requisitioned one Cadet, we got a lot of really good supplies.”

“Cool,” I say, crouching down and looking around at it all. “Should we get it on the chopper?”

“Yeah,” he says, laughing a little, cheerful to see me cooperating instead of continuing to fight. “Let’s get going.”

In the helicopter, Blythe explains the majority of the supplies that he requisitioned and I listen carefully, noting it all. Then even before we land we start to strap on what we can, knowing that the game starts as soon as the helicopter takes off and that at least one of the other teams will be coming for us fast, wanting at least to take out me and my rifle.

I sling that onto my back and then begin to strap on the hip and thigh holster that Blythe ordered for me, which is small and precisely measured enough for me to guess that Daphne had a hand in making it. I smile, silently thanking her for it as I fasten the last buckle.

Then, to my distinct pleasure, Blythe starts to hand me guns.

“What are all these?” I ask, laughing a little.

“Compact revolves at your hips,” he says, nodding to me as I start to strap them on too. “Larger pistols and extra magazine at your thighs.”

I grin as I finish strapping it all to my body and then drape my bandolier of sniper bullets across my chest. “Cool. I like your style, Blythe.”

He laughs, nodding to me. “See? I knew we’d get along, once we had the chance to try it.”

I nod back to him but don’t say anything else, just peering out the window of the helicopter as he begins to lay out his strategy for me, which involves attacking Rafe first and going from there. I don’t really pay attention, though.

I have other plans, after all.

The helicopter lands and Blythe and I climb out at our assigned base. The field today is very different than before – gently rolling hills covered in trees, much less advantage for a sniper than the previous cliff faces. I wonder if the Captain thought about that when he chose it.

“Okay,” Blythe says, waving off the helicopter and looking down at the map as he lifts a canteen of water over his shoulder. We have very little to offload from the chopper since it’s just the two of us and Blythe plans to abandon the base immediately. “We’ve just got to figure out which of these bases belongs to Sinclair –“

“Is it started?” I ask, peering up after the helicopter, curious.

“What?” Blythe asks, looking up at me.

“The Games,” I say quietly. “Has it started?”

He looks up after the helicopter too, which pulls away.

“Um, yeah,” he says, frowning after it. “Soon as the helicopter’s gone, we’re in.”

“Okay,” I say with a sigh, taking a step away from Blythe and casually unholstering the pistol at my hip. “Sorry about this.”

I aim the pistol directly at Blythe’s chest and pull the trigger.

A satisfying burst of pink paint blooms on his vest.