Chapter 2 THE HUNTING GAMES

“Now, let the hunting begin!”

The host’s voice echoed through the arena, and the crowd erupted. “The prey will get a five-minute head start. First, the hunters will choose their prey. Once you’ve been chosen, you run!”

My stomach twisted.Five minutes.That was all we were getting before a bunch of bloodthirsty vampires came after us.

The hunters began moving along the line, studying us like we were animals at a market. Some looked amused, others bored. They took their time, pointing at contestants and occasionally exchanging a few words with their teammates.

I kept my eyes down, hoping to look as uninteresting as possible.

Please, just pick someone else.

A hunter dressed in violet stopped in front of me.

I looked up.He was tall, with dark hair and a smirk that immediately put me on edge. His golden eyes moved over me, and he seemed pleased with whatever he saw.

Well, shit.

Still, when I glanced toward the royal section and saw the prince standing there, I almost felt relieved.

Almost.

At least it wasn’t him.The hunter in violet opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, someone grabbed his arm. “She’s mine.”

I didn’t need to look up to know who had spoken.

No, no, no.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!

The hunter in violet turned toward the prince, his smirk widening. For a second, I thought he might argue, but he simply stepped aside.

“Of course, Your Highness.”

He gave me one last look before moving toward another contestant.I watched him go, my relief disappearing as quickly as it had come.Traitorous bastard. He could have fought harder for me.

The prince turned his attention to me.He stood only a few feet away, looking far too calm for someone who had just ruined my chances of surviving this game.

“Run, Princess.”

I stared at him.

Princess?

I took a few steps backward, refusing to turn my back on him just yet.Then the host practically screamed into his microphone.

“VERONICA NIGHT! IT’S YOUR LUCKY DAY! YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN BY THE PRINCE HIMSELF!”

The crowd went wild.People stood up, cheering and clapping. Some shouted the prince’s name, while others called mine as if they already knew how this was going to end.I could feel hundreds of eyes on me.

Lucky?

I wanted to climb onto that platform and ask the host what part of being hunted by the Demon Prince sounded lucky.

Beside me, Debby stared at the prince before turning to me.“Oh, you’re screwed.”

The host continued shouting, clearly enjoying himself.

“This is going to be one hell of a game!”

The hunter dressed in violet approached Debby. He gave her a quick once-over before gesturing toward the forest.

She looked at him, then at me.Before I could say anything, she grabbed my hand.

“What are you waiting for? MOVE!”

We ran.

The moment we crossed the entrance to the forest, the noise from the arena began to fade behind us. I pushed through the bushes, ducking beneath low branches and jumping over exposed roots. My boots slipped on loose dirt, but I kept going.

I couldn’t stop.

Shit!

Of all the people in that arena, why me?

the prince wasn’t just any vampire.He was royalty.

He was powerful enough to have anything he wanted, and for some reason, he’d decided he wanted to hunt me.

I have to survive.

I pictured Emma sitting on Selene’s couch, probably asking when I would return.I couldn’t leave her alone in this world.But could I really survive the prince?

Goddamn it, Veronica. Stop thinking and RUN!

I didn’t know how long we’d been running. It felt like hours, and my legs were beginning to burn. Sweat trickled down my back, and every breath scraped my throat.

Debby was still beside me, though even she had started breathing harder.

We had heard only one scream so far.

Just one.

I wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing or a bad one. It meant someone had been caught, and judging by the rules, that person was either dead or on their way to becoming a slave.

Neither fate was something I wanted to think about.

The trees grew thicker as the light began to fade. I glanced over my shoulder, expecting to see a flash of gold between the trunks.

Nothing.That didn’t mean we were safe.

Vampires didn’t need to make noise to catch their prey.Suddenly, Debby stopped.I nearly crashed into her.

“What are you doing?” I whispered sharply. “Why are we stopping?”

She raised a finger to her lips.“Shhh.”

I shut my mouth.

Debby crouched beside a large puddle of muddy water. Without another word, she dipped her hands into it and began smearing mud over her arms and neck.

I stared at her.“What the hell are you doing?”

“Covering our scent.” She glanced at me. “Unless you want them to find us by following the smell of our lovely human bodies.”

Oh.

Right.

I crouched beside her and scooped up a handful of mud. It was cold and disgusting between my fingers, but I rubbed it over my arms, neck, and clothes anyway.I wasn’t going to complain about getting dirty when my life was at stake.

As I worked, my mind started clearing.I was a hunter. I knew how to survive in the wild. Panic wasn’t going to help me, and neither was running blindly until my legs gave out.

I looked back at the ground we’d crossed.

“We need to cover our tracks, too.”

Debby looked at me.

Then she smiled.

“See? You’re not completely useless.”

I gave her a look. “Say that again, and I’ll leave you here.”

“No, you won’t. You like me.”

Unfortunately, she was probably right.

I glanced at her hands. “How exactly do you plan to cover our tracks?”

Debby reached into her pocket and pulled out a small bottle of water.

I blinked.“You’ve been carrying water this whole time?”

“Would you prefer I carried a cake?”

“Honestly? At this point, yes.”

She snorted and poured a little water onto the ground behind us, disturbing the clearest footprints and muddying the marks we’d left. We worked together, moving carefully and avoiding the softer patches of earth whenever possible.

It wasn’t perfect, but it was better than nothing.We continued until we spotted a cave between two large rocks.

Debby slowed down.“That looks promising.”

I stopped beside her and studied the entrance.

It was wide enough for two people to walk through, and the ground leading to it was clear of thick vegetation. There were no narrow passages to squeeze through and no obvious obstacles blocking the way.

Too easy.

“It’s a trap,” I whispered.

Debby looked at me. “You think?”

“Look at it. If we can spot it this easily, so can everyone else. And if the hunters know we’re desperate for somewhere to hide, why wouldn’t they check here first?”

She stared at the cave for another moment before nodding.

“You’re right.”

I scanned the area, searching for somewhere we could rest without making ourselves easy targets.

Then I spotted a large tree a few feet away. Its thick branches stretched over the ground, and the trunk was wide enough to hide us from anyone approaching from the front.

“See that tree?”

Debby followed my gaze.

“We could climb up there,” I whispered. “Rest for a bit and keep watch.”

“Now that’s more like it.”

We approached the tree carefully and climbed, choosing branches that could support our weight. Once we were high enough, we settled against the trunk and tried to catch our breath.

My legs ached, my clothes were filthy, and I had mud in places I didn’t even want to think about.

I had never felt so miserable.

Debby leaned against a branch and glanced at me.“So, Veronica Night. You said you were a hunter?”

I nodded, keeping my eyes on the forest below.

“Since I was fifteen.”

“Damn. Who taught you?”

“My father.”

She went quiet for a moment.“What happened to him?”

“He died a month ago.”

“I’m sorry.”

I shrugged, although the words still hurt. “It is what it is.”

Debby looked down at her hands.

“My dad was a hunter, too. That’s how I learned a few things. He taught me how to track, how to hide, and how to recognize when something was following me.”

I turned toward her.

“Was?”

She nodded.“I’m an orphan. Have been for a while.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. I wasn’t good at comforting people, especially when I barely knew them.

So I simply nodded.“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s not like you killed him.”

That earned a small laugh from me.For a few minutes, we sat in silence, watching the shadows grow longer between the trees.

Then Debby suddenly raised her hand.

I followed her gaze.

Two contestants had appeared between the trees. A young man and a girl, both around our age, were running toward the cave we’d rejected earlier.

They looked exhausted. The girl stumbled over a root, and the young man grabbed her arm, pulling her forward.

I leaned closer to the trunk.

“We have to warn them,” I whispered.

Debby caught my wrist before I could move.

“Wait.”

I looked at her, confused.Then I saw him.A hunter dressed in red was walking through the trees behind the pair.

He wasn’t running.He wasn’t even trying to hurry.He simply strolled forward, whistling a cheerful tune as if he were out for an evening walk.My stomach tightened.The young man and girl reached the cave and disappeared inside.

The hunter in red kept walking.And I realized, with a sinking feeling, that they had no idea he was coming.