53
ALBY
“Hands on my waist.”
Eyes larger than plates, I obey, fingers twitching when they make contact.
“Good boy.”
My face burns at the instant erection that prods at the sinthine encasing it.
“Now, this one is very simple. If all else fails, this is what you remember, Alby.”
“O-okay.” I nod quickly, breath hitching as she wraps her arms around my neck. If she wasn’t wearing her helmet, I’m sure I’d be humiliating myself by gazing starry-eyed at her lips with such close proximity.
My heart flutters like a hummingbird as her nails gently scrape across my nape where my Avri suit ends, and my entire body shivers. “You only need to step forwards when I step back, and to the side when I step to the side. Simply watch my feet.”
“Got it,” I mutter, sucking my bottom lip into my mouth as I dip my head down to look at our boots, noticing how much smaller hers look compared to mine.
“Do not do that, Puppet. It is distracting.”
My head whips back up so fast it almost smacks into her visor, and I know my cheeks are now ten shades darker . . . and my hard-on ten times stiffer.
“D-do what?” It comes out no better than a whimper.
“Bite your lip.”
“O-oh! Sorry, Ez—” I pause in a panic. “U-uh . . . is that okay? Ez? Sorry, it just—”
“That is fine.”
Her blunt response soothes me as always and loosens my muscles.
“Now look at our feet.”
My chin snaps back down.
“Good. Now back.” She steps backwards with her left foot, and I hesitantly step forwards with my right. “Left.” She does the same with her right, and I follow with my left foot forwards. “Side.” I step to the side. “See? Easy.”
A shy smile pulls at my lips. “Yeah.”
“Havoc, when’s it my turn?” Tate complains, thickly muscled arms crossed over his chest as he watches the two of us with stark jealousy from beside Scotty, Tiger, and Cooper, who stand at the back wall of the private training room by the racks of weights.
“Not yet,” Ezla replies shortly.
He huffs and grumbles under his breath.
Honestly, sometimes Tate still makes me a little nervous—we all know his obsession with our Bonded knows no bounds, and I’m always slightly on edge when he observes any one of us with her, wondering if he’s about to snap and slaughter us all to have her for himself.
But he never does, and I know Scotty wouldn’t let that happen anyway, wouldn’t allow him near us if he truly thought Tate would kill any of us.
Besides, despite how scary he is, I’ve come to think of the possessive man in the same way I do Scotty and Tiger, even Cooper.
Like a brother.
I wonder if my parents would approve?
I know they would. They’d be so happy I’ve made so many friends, that I’ve . . . fallen in love. And maybe they can even see that when they’re watching The Bonding Games on TV, as is expected of all citizens of Techta.
The thought lifts me up at the same time a part of me crashes down.
My parents. I’ve hardly even thought of them with everything going on, and guilt worms its way through me.
I’ve been terrified half to death a good portion of my time here, but mostly, I’ve been happy.
For the first time in my life, I actually like that life.
Even with the lingering guilt because of the Evot girl I killed, with all the horrors of the Games .
. . I can’t regret anything that got me here, to this exact point.
Learning to dance in my Bonded’s arms. Something I never thought I’d have.
Just weeks ago, I was mentally preparing for certain death. Then I met the Gold brothers . . . Ezla.
I used to be near collapse every time I saw her from sheer terror.
Now I’m close to fainting every time due to much warmer feelings.
Cooper and Tate have been slower going, and I’ll admit, I’d been a little scared they might be like Troy and Aider at first. But despite their more moody dispositions, they aren’t like them at all, and they’ve snuck into those I consider family, slowly but surely.
A while later, I’ve got the basics down with Ezla, and it’s far easier than it used to be at Evot Training School 246.
After that, it’s Tate’s turn, and I stand to the side beside Tiger as I watch him snatch up our Bonded with all the greed of a corrupt king, pressing every inch of their bodies together.
I feel myself flush furiously.
No matter how many times he does something like that, or how many times our group speaks about anything dirty, does anything dirty . . . I still have the same reaction, like some sort of prude. I’m not ashamed, not at all. I just get . . . extremely shy. Even more so than usual.
But Ezla seems to like that, I’ve noticed.
Especially when my head was between her legs and my tongue inside her.
My cock gives an insistent jerk.
Temperature shooting through the roof, embarrassment and arousal scorch my insides. The sinthine of my suit should hide it well enough, but I shift anyway, trying to discreetly adjust myself.
But I’m not subtle enough. Because when I catch Scotty’s eye and freeze, he raises a brow and fights a smirk.
He’s not mocking me or anything—I’ve never thought any of the guys have. They’re not like that.
Still, I’m mortified.
I quickly look away.
“Are you hard? Should we ask Ezla if she’s up for a threesome?”
I choke on my saliva.
Slapping my chest, I try to regain my composure. Before looking at Tiger with watery eyes.
He continues before I can even try to formulate a coherent response, “Double penetration maybe? I bet she’d love that! We’d be such a great team! We’d just have to be careful not to rub dicks, because as much as I love you, Bestie, that’s practically incest—you’re my brother.”
I splutter. “U-uh . . . r-right. I mean s-same—you’re like a brother to me too.” I smile nervously, too anxious about attempting said double penetration to linger on the joy I feel again at acknowledging I have a brother these days.
“Brother, I don’t think that’s a great idea for your first time,” Scotty says, but he looks amused.
“Why not?! Then me and Alby could both learn together!” Tiger insists vehemently.
Wow, he’s really set on this. Which means he’s not about to let it go easily.
Or ever.
“No offence, but that’s likely to end in disaster. Neither of you will have a clue what you’re doing—”
“Ughhh! Well you can chaperone us!”
Scotty’s lips tighten. But then he tips his head, considering, and sighs. “Not for your first time. But,” he emphasises when his brother starts to protest, “if our Bonded is okay with it, you can definitely do that another time. And that’s a very big but.”
“A very big butt,” Tiger snickers, and I bite down on the inside of my cheek in attempt to keep my own amusement in when Scotty gives his brother a deadpan look.
Then he exhales that heavy exhale of his and runs a hand over his face as if begging someone, anyone, for patience. “Just—”
“Pay attention, Bonded!”
We all snap to attention, my pulse picking up its pace to a sprint at how Ezla is finally acknowledging us as her Bonds.
“Scotty, get over here. You will demonstrate the first dance expected of Bonded groups.”
Without hesitation, he obeys, straightening from where he’d been leaning against the taalk behind him and striding over to where Ezla stands with Tate, who scowls at having to let her go, begrudgingly taking a milli-step back to give them room.
“That is too close. Go and wait by the wall.”
A disgruntled groan. “Havoc, that’s too far.”
“Go now, or I will never let you touch me again.”
He’s at our side in a flash.
Turning to Scotty, Ezla commands, “Get into position.”
He does, lifting his arm and bending it at the elbow so his forearm is vertical, straightened hand pointing at the ceiling.
Tiger snatches up his tablet that he’s brought and which he cheered about finally having a use for earlier, clicking onto the music app and selecting the opening song for the Halfway Ball dances, the classical music instantly filling the space around us.
“I would not bother with this unless I thought everyone would be anticipating it. Dances such as these are only expected within Bonded groups whose dynamics prompt it. Of course, Player 22’s group, for example”—my stomach turns at just the mention of Aider—“contains three men, and while it would be encouraged they dance if they were romantic, no one will care whether they do or do not as it is widely assumed throughout The Bonding Games’ audiences that they are platonic.
” She pauses. “Unfortunately, there are too many speculations, assumptions, and too much excitement for our group, so we must do this.”
“Don’t sound too excited,” Cooper mutters, visibly affronted, arms crossed grumpily over his chest. A part of me feels like doing the same in a more subtle, pathetic manner.
“Is it really that bad?” I whisper before I can stop myself, and all the focus shifts to me. I gulp. “I-I just mean, is it— Are you embarrassed by us? O-or—”
“Let me stop you right there.” Ezla holds up a hand. She’s pissed, I can tell. “Do not let your insecurities interfere with this. There is nothing wrong with you—you are perfect. You are the most impressive Evots I have ever encountered.”
Five jaws drop through the ground.
She says all of this like it’s simple facts we should’ve known.
Not as if she’s making all of us fall even harder for her as she compliments us like we really mean something to her.
It’s not easy to be praised by the Champion—not that I ever really think of her with that term, because it makes her feel more distant when that’s what the rest of the world calls her.
But that’s who she is. And I’m proud to call her mine.
“It is not good . . . because my father will be there.” There’s almost . . . caution in her tone.
All my senses go on high alert, warning alarms blaring, flashing bright red.