Chapter 3
Viol
By the time I roused from my rage-induced nap, the sky was dark and streaked with stars. Some of the stars seemed strangely low to the ground, and unnaturally bright.
I lifted my head and blinked to clear the sleep from my eyes. Immediately, the spines along my neck lifted like hackles.
Those weren’t stars. They were airplane headlights. I saw the damn hunk of metal, clear as day, sitting pretty on the runway by the beach.
Jade, that bastard—he’d listened to my input, then said ‘fuck that’ and did it anyway.
How many poor guys were on that plane? How many contestants had Jade dragged here, ignoring my wish to be left alone? How many fucking omegas would I have to disappoint?
Dammit, I hated when I had no choice but to act like a dickhead for other people’s own good.
Flying down to the beach to confront the new contestants wasn’t worth it.
I’d only freak them out, or make them feel like shit, or both.
Instead, I pinpointed my anger on the man responsible.
I flew straight to the castle, found Jade’s lit office window, then barged in by shifting halfway through the window.
“What the fuck is the matter with you?” I demanded.
The words left my mouth before I registered the scene in front of me. Jade was blindfolded in a chair, his bound hands folded neatly in his lap. Alaric stood a few feet away holding a black silk rope in his hands. He raised a pointed brow at me.
“It’s rude to kink shame, you know,” Alaric said snidely.
My lip curled. “I’m not talking about that. You know damn well what I mean, Jade.”
My older brother sighed. “I see we’re going to have this conversation despite us clearly being busy...”
“I don’t give a shit. Start talking.”
Alaric untied Jade’s hands and removed the eye covering, glaring at me the entire time. When he was decent, Jade stood and perched his glasses back upon his nose.
“Now,” he said, “what would you like to discuss?”
I jabbed my finger towards the window. “Why is there a plane outside?”
Alaric examined his perfectly manicured nails. “Typically, that’s where planes fly.”
My eye twitched. I was never one to shout at an omega, but if anyone made it difficult to keep that vow, it was Jade’s sassy pet cat. Still, I ignored him and focused my anger on Jade alone.
“I told you I’m not doing the Games,” I ground out through my teeth.
“I know,” Jade said casually.
His calm threw me off. “What?”
“I respect your wish not to participate as the bachelor,” Jade went on. “Therefore, there will be no Games.”
My brow furrowed in confusion. If he was telling the truth, why was there a damned plane outside? That was always how the omega contestants arrived—and where contestants existed, so did the Games.
Alaric snorted. “Oh, I see. You didn’t investigate before coming here to yell at Jade.”
“Investigate what?” I snapped.
Alaric ignored my question, clicking his tongue. “I even got Taylor to babysit for this, and you’ve ruined our evening with your lack of curiosity.”
I was not in the mood for Alaric’s antics. I was still mulling over what the hell he could possibly mean when Jade replied, “It’s not ruined, kitten. Viol will leave shortly.” He shot me a sharp glance. “Won’t you, Viol?”
It was a command, not a question. Holy Drake, he pissed me off. How dare he boss me around after he’d stabbed me in the back?
Jade removed and folded his glasses. That was a clear indication our conversation was over.
Scowling, I turned on my heel and stormed towards the window.
If they wouldn’t answer my questions, I’d answer them myself.
Unfortunately, that meant interrogating some poor schmucks who were promised a chance at love on an island getaway.
Except they were promised a lie. I hated being the bearer of bad news, but at least I could pin the blame on Jade.
Without saying goodbye, I launched out the window. My dragon form ripped free from my flesh, and my wings spread wide to catch my fall. I gained momentum before banking towards the runway. If I caught the contestants before the plane left, I could still stop this disaster before it started.
But as I flew, my heart sank. I watched in horror as the plane slowly circled round and taxied in the opposite direction.
I swore under my breath, pumping my wings faster.
I had to make it in time. I had to tell those poor fuckers there wasn’t anything here for them.
If they spent even a single night on the island, they’d get their hopes up for nothing.
I was severely pissed at Jade. He was in charge. He should’ve been the one dealing with this shit, not me.
The plane’s engines accelerated. By the time I was in diving range of the runway, the plane had taken off, its magic-propelled metal ass blinking out into the night sky. I was too late.
“Fuck,” I hissed.
I braked midair, hovering for a few beats. My gaze fell to the beach. But as I scanned it, something odd struck me.
Where were all the contestants? There should’ve been a horde of people hauling their shit to the nearby hotel. Weirder still, I didn’t even see Gaius escorting anyone to the building.
Then I saw a single figure struggling to drag a crappy suitcase behind them, but I couldn’t tell who it was. I was too far away, and it was too dark to make them out.
Only one person? I thought. That can’t be right...
There was no way Jade only summoned a single contestant to the island. That snake was thorough, if nothing else.
But an inkling of doubt ran through my head. When Jade said there’d be no Dragonfate Games, I didn’t believe him. After all, I’d seen the contestant-carrying plane with my own eyes. So, where the hell were they? It surely couldn’t be that single person.
My wings pumped slowly as the questions flooded my mind. Below, the lone figure reached the end of the runway, then started dragging their suitcase behind them in the sand.
I rolled my eyes in cynical sympathy. Not only did they show up for nothing, but their struggle to haul their shit back to the hotel was pointless, too.
I wasn’t good with emotional shit, but the least I could do was help on the physical side.
Besides, if I only disappointed a single person, maybe it wouldn’t be so hard.
When I made up my mind, I folded my wings against my body and dove down to the beach. As I reached grounding range, I shifted to land on my feet, hitting the sand with a thump.
The loud, sudden noise startled the person. He yelped, losing his grip on the suitcase before falling backwards on his ass in the sand.
Then I got a good look at him.
And I knew exactly who he was.
My nostrils flared as I inhaled a sharp breath. His fluffy white hair and warm amber-brown eyes were unmistakable. Not to mention the way my chest twisted painfully when I met his gaze.
The world swayed around me. That or my legs were just shaking.
I wanted to ask what the hell he was doing here, but I couldn’t get the words past the lump in my throat.
Poppy blinked at me with those shiny puppy dog eyes. He seemed just as surprised to see me, and just as tongue-tied. We stared at each other silently for a few long beats.
Then I realized how fucking rude I was being. Poppy was knocked flat on his ass while his heavy suitcase lay like a brick beside him. I reached down to pick it up, then awkwardly offered him my hand.
Poppy’s gaze lingered on my palm, like he was making sure I wouldn’t retract it.
Then he gingerly reached out to take it.
When I pulled him to his feet, he felt light as a feather.
He’d barely gained any muscle or fat since the last time I’d been this close to him. He was as soft and delicate as ever.
“Thank you,” Poppy said after a moment.
Another silent beat passed before I realized I should respond.
“It’s nothing,” I mumbled. “Couldn’t watch you stumble around on your own.”
He met my eyes for a brief second, and in that second, my ribs tightened against my rapidly beating heart. I forced myself to stare at his beat-up suitcase instead.
“Can’t haul that back to the hotel on your own, can you?” I asked.
Poppy scratched the back of his head. “Well, each time I come here, I manage somehow...”
Each time.
How many damned times had he come to this island? This marked the seventh instance. Was he trying to torture me?
I turned my head to stare at the empty beach. It really was just Poppy. Nobody else was present. I couldn’t slip away from the crowd and disappear like I usually did, because there was no crowd. It was just the two of us.
I regretted indulging my curiosity. I should’ve stayed on top of the fucking mountain and left well enough alone. This was all Jade’s fault, somehow.
Poppy’s grunt of effort caught my attention. He’d grabbed the shoddy suitcase handles and dragged it two feet in the sand before stopping to catch his breath. What was even in that thing? Poppy wasn’t the type of person who valued possessions, so I doubted he’d brought a bunch of frivolous crap.
I sighed, reaching for the handles. “Let me do it.”
“No, I can manage.”
My hand paused, then I retracted it. He didn’t want my help? Fine. That was probably for the best. I knew I shouldn’t get involved.
So I stood there, watching Poppy struggle to drag the suitcase across the sand. The hotel was far away, and he was straining hard. Did he have help on other seasons, or did he do it alone? If so, was it always this difficult for him?
“The fuck’s in there, anyway? Thirty pounds of bricks?” I asked.
Poppy blew out a breath, shaking his head. “It’s not heavy. Only bulky.”
That jogged my memory. When I’d lifted the suitcase upright, it was strangely light. But it was half Poppy’s size, and the difficult terrain wasn’t helping.
“Give it to me,” I ordered. “I’ll carry it.”
“N-no, it’s okay.”
“You’ll be out here all night long.”
Poppy managed to take another step, grunting as he pulled the suitcase behind him. “Really, it’s okay. There’s no challenge tomorrow morning. I have—ugh—plenty of time.”
No challenge?
Then... was Jade really telling the truth?
My head swam with questions. If there were no Dragonfate Games, what the fuck was going on? Why was Poppy here?
“Ah!”
My head whipped around in time to see Poppy trip. I rushed to catch his fall. I grabbed his arm and pulled him firmly towards me—but not too close. Just enough to put him back on his feet.
Poppy caught his breath. He wouldn’t quite look at me. Instead, he glanced at his suitcase lying on the ground again. “Sorry...”
When I felt he was balanced enough to stand on his own, I let go of his arm. It felt thin and small in my grasp. I was relieved to release him. The responsibility of touching him felt too heavy, like the weight of the world on my shoulders.
Without asking permission this time, I snatched up his suitcase. It was light. Even if it was stuffed to the brim with clothes, it should’ve been heavier.
“You coming?” I asked over my shoulder.
Poppy rubbed his wrist, then nodded. He caught up with me but lagged slightly behind, as if he didn’t want to stand too close. I tried to ignore the stab of pain in my chest.
Every step took an eternity, but I wordlessly dragged the suitcase to the hotel. When we entered the lobby, I wasn’t sure what to do. Should I help Poppy take the suitcase up to his room, or leave it to him? Did he want me there or not?
Poppy sighed and wiped his brow. “Um, my room is usually on the fourth floor.”
My heart skipped. So he did want me to continue helping.
“I’d carry it myself now, but...”
My brow furrowed. “But what?”
Poppy bit his lip, cradling his wrist. “Er, never mind. Let’s catch the elevator.”
I didn’t push him, even though I desperately wanted to know whatever he wouldn’t tell me.
I hated being kept in the dark, but I sucked it up.
I pulled the suitcase into the elevator, waited for Poppy to join me, then jabbed the fourth-floor button.
We didn’t speak or look at each other as the lift ascended.
When the doors opened a few seconds later, I waited for him to lead the way. Poppy moved with familiar ease, like he’d taken this path many times—and he had. He’d returned to this island over and over, always going home empty-handed.
Why? Why did he keep coming back here? Was it because he was so meek and compliant that he simply accepted Jade’s open invitations? Or was there some other reason?
Poppy pressed the key card to the reader and pushed the door open.
I remained at the threshold, not knowing if he wanted me inside or not.
I already felt like I’d followed him too far.
I nudged the suitcase into the room with my boot so it was squarely on his turf, and therefore, no longer my responsibility.
Poppy turned around. He glanced at the suitcase, then at my chest, not quite meeting my eye.
“Thank you,” he said softly.
I shrugged. “It’s fine.” After an awkward pause, I asked, “Need anything else?”
He waited a while before replying, “No.”
I took that as my cue to leave. I gave him a stiff nod, then spun around on my heel.
“Wait, Viol.”
The subtle note of pleading in Poppy’s voice stabbed me like a knife.
I remained dead still, not daring to face him, to see his expression. It took everything I had not to bolt down the hallway.
“Yeah?” I said roughly.
Every heartbeat was a hammer swinging against my ribs. As the seconds passed, it grew harder to breathe.
I didn’t know why I was so anxious. I didn’t even know what I wanted to hear. But the longer the silence dragged on, the more I just wanted him to say something. Anything to still the awful churning in my guts.
Finally, Poppy murmured, “Sorry. It’s nothing.”
The pounding stopped, but the sick feeling in my stomach only worsened.
Clearing my throat, I raised the back of my hand in a curt farewell. “See you around.”
But I couldn’t see him again. Not if it ended like this.
My heart couldn’t handle it.