Chapter 20
Rain blocked out most of the noise. Once, this kind of crowd would have overwhelmed him, their energy flooding his senses until he couldn’t think. Today it only fed him; sharp pulses of adrenaline humming through his veins.
Daphne swung into her course, her brassy braid swaying valiantly behind her as she navigated a line of hanging objects.
She moved easily at first, clearing the halfway mark.
Then the obstacles shifted to rotating ones, demanding more grip strength and upper-body power.
Her pace slowed. Rain glanced at the other teams; Green had taken the lead, with Red and Purple close behind.
Their advantage was gone, but that was fine.
They’d chosen this order for a reason. He could make up the time.
“Almost there, Daphne!” he called, edging closer to her podium, hand outstretched. “You’re doing amazing, just a bit further!”
Her golden hair whipped behind her as she reached the final obstacle: a massive hanging ball. She swung her legs, building momentum, then released the previous bar and caught the ball with her arms, wrapping her legs around it. If she fell, she’d have to start over.
Her confidence wavered. Rain felt the drop in her stomach as she missed her timing, and the ball swung her backward. She clung on, breath hitching, then steadied herself. Three rocking motions later, she launched forward, landing hard on the podium and slapping his hand with a sweaty palm.
Rain shot forward.
The twenty-foot wall loomed ahead, dotted with pegs for climbing. A rope waited on the far side for the descent, followed by a combat-style crawl course. After that came the heights-based parkour zone—his second section—leading straight to Jay’s hand off.
He leapt, catching the highest peg he could reach.
His body slammed against the wall, but he scrambled upward, feet finding purchase.
At the top he didn’t bother pausing; he simply flipped straight over the edge, free-falling until he caught the rope near the bottom.
The friction burned his palm, but he tightened his grip and braced as he swung into the wall a foot above the ground.
Gasps rippled through the watchers.
He dropped, sprinting into the crawl spaces.
Crashing to the ground, thick, sloppy mud coated him instantly.
Dragging at his limbs, moving through the confined space reminded him of army training.
A strange pulse tugged at his senses—something transpiring tingled in the air.
It was probably just the other teams. He forced his focus back, pulling his energy inward, and crawled out of the final tunnel onto his second platform.
This section was simple for him; less so for others. The gaps were wide, the platforms uneven, but he’d been scaling rooftops since childhood. The only challenge was the final obstacle: a full spiralling loop. If needed, he could use his power to stay up, but he hoped he wouldn’t have to.
He was halfway through, lining up a jump from a curved surface to a ramp five feet away. Jay shouted encouragement from his podium; three more down, two to go.
A scream cut through the arena, redirecting his attention. His power shot straight to the source.
Two teams over, a Red player dangled from a ledge—a boy who looked barely eighteen and far too skinny for this section. This course demanded strength more than speed.
“What are you doing!” Jay yelled, exasperated. “Keep moving!”
But Rain couldn’t ignore it. He’d clear his last obstacles easily. Why wouldn’t he help?
He narrowed his eyes, willing the energy around the boy to lift him. The kid’s face twisted in shock, but he didn’t hesitate; he hauled himself up with the assist.
Easy.
Rain refocused, leaping onto a tall pole, hauling himself up until he reached the height of the next platform.
Now for the loop. To save time he sprinted along the curved top—spectators shrieked; Jay nearly had a heart attack—before dropping to his knees, skidding along the surface, grabbing the ledge, and swinging under the edge.
He slid down the inner curve, ran as his feet hit the ground, caught the upward spiral, and climbed the metal handles like a ladder.
When they inverted, he twisted his body mid-hang, then monkey-barred across to the final ladder leading down to Jay’s level.
He slapped Jay’s hand. Jay shook his head as he sprinted into the maze.
Rain remained on the platform, scanning the arena. Julian was staring at him with a massive grin.
Fuck. How long had he been watching?
Neither team had finished yet; Julian had no reason to look that smug. Rain trusted his team, but Purple were seasoned champions. Maybe agreeing to that bet had been a mistake.
From this vantage point he couldn’t see much of the course beyond Jay’s section. He could only see Wren, who waited at the end for the final 200-meter sprint with hurdles.
Rain glanced back at the Red player he’d helped. The boy was now trying to climb a pole, sliding down every time. His teammates didn’t seem bothered. Odd. Julian whistled at them; they waved back like old friends. Then Julian turned to Rain again, smirk widening.
Of course. He’d orchestrated it; baiting Rain’s instinct to help.
Rain sighed. He wouldn’t have done anything differently.
He shifted his focus back to his team, scanning their energy. They were at Sean’s stage; a heavy-weight challenge. Sean’s confidence radiated; he’d grown up hauling massive loads across his family’s farm. This was his element.
Jay and Thomas had finished. Next was Rogan on rock climbing, then Emily on the inflatable obstacle course, and finally Wren.
Eventually Emily’s hand taps Wren in, and she explodes into motion. Green has already finished in first place. A Blue–Green mixed team is only two hurdles from the end, and Purple is seconds ahead of Wren. Blue–Green crosses the line, leaving Purple and Wren to fight for third.
Wren’s form is flawless—legs lengthening, body folding and unfolding over each hurdle, sprinting hard the moment her feet hit solid ground. When both runners cross the finish, it’s so close no one can tell who won.
Fuck.
Rain and Julian exchange a look, neither sure whether to celebrate or curse the other out. Rain heads toward the finish line with Jasmine and Daphne at his sides, catching up to Wren as the rest of the team gathers.
“We did it, guys. we rocked it!” Thomas crowed, clapping Jay and Rogan on the back.
“I can’t believe we did it, honestly,” Jasmine laughed. “I love you all, and I think we’re amazing, but I’ll be the first to admit I thought we were in way over our heads.” Emily nods vigorously.
“I didn’t doubt us for a second,” Rain grinned, enjoying the feel of their well-earned pride.
“We kicked ass!” Emily bounced joyously on her toes. Jay drifted to Rain’s side, leaning against him, sheepish. Rain wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him close.
“I saw what you did,” Jay murmured quietly.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Rain replied, avoiding his eyes.
“You gave up our advantage to help my old team.” Rain snapped his attention to him, reading Jay’s energy and expression. “Why would you do that? We were supposed to beat them.”
“We did beat them,” Rain said softly, cupping Jay’s face. “And I didn’t help your old teammates, not really. I heard someone fall, and I couldn’t just leave him there. They didn’t even qualify. I’m sorry if it felt wrong to you.”
Jay’s energy shifted, annoyance dissolving into understanding and then distraction at Rain’s closeness. Rain smiled at the change and leaned in, planting a gentle kiss.
“Well, well, well.” Julian’s voice cut through the moment. The team instinctively stepped back, clustering behind Rain, their energies tightening. “Isn’t this interesting.”
Rain sighed, irritated, twisting away from Jay to face him. “What is it, Julian.”
“How does one go from having a gorgeous Princess in their bed last night—fucking, by the way,” he added, flicking his cruel gaze to Jay, “to making out with the consolation prize.”
Rain tensed, fury and guilt colliding in his chest as the dickhead prematurely revealed his truth. He moved toward Julian, but Jay’s energy froze him in place, preventing him from doing something reckless. Julian’s smile turned cruel.
“I’ll be sure to take extra good care of Ivy tonight. I came over to let you know I won our bet. I doubt she’ll be entertaining your bed again if I have anything to do with it. Hopefully your little boyfriend here forgives your… discrepancies.”
Rain bit his tongue hard. Julian’s smugness churned in him like poison, but Jay’s confused heartbreak and the team’s tangled emotions, kept him anchored.
“You hateful bastard,” Rain managed to spit out. Julian laughed, thoroughly entertained.
“We can’t all be as free-loving as you, Rain. I’ll see you tonight. I know you won’t be able to take your eyes off us.” He stalked back to his team, who erupt in cheers.
Rain turned slowly toward his own team. Jay wouldn’t look at him, his eyes bright with unshed tears. Shit. Rain reached for him, but Jay shrugged him off and moved closer to Wren, who immediately wrapped a comforting arm around him.
“I guess that means we came in fourth,” Emily said, trying to sound upbeat.
“Too right we did—we came fourth, Dudes. That’s epic,” Thomas chimed in, patting Rain’s back to consolidate him. “Let’s go get those victory drinks.”
The group agreed and headed out of the arena.
Jay walked ahead with Wren and Daphne linking their arms through his, doing their best to lift his spirits.
Rain trailed behind, wondering if he should leave now and spare everyone the awkwardness of his presence.
But Sean and Thomas flank him, determined to keep him included, tossing jokes back and forth to pull him in.
He couldn’t bring himself to speak. His voice would betray him. He shut off his power completely; it was better to stay blind to Jay’s emotions than drown in them. Self-preservation, nothing noble.
His heart ached violently beneath his ribs. The sadness in Jay’s eyes had nearly brought him to his knees. He’d been so worried about the consequences of them being associated with him, when the brutal truth of it was––he was what they needed protecting from.