102
The contest has been going on for weeks now, and so far, nobody has died, but it’s been painful watching beautiful women reduced to their most basic selves as they scrabbled for survival in such a harsh environment.
I shake my head and watch as Cat and Thorun, struggling through the dense, wet forest, almost reach the second drop point.
The first they’d used to their advantage, and I know the pair are hoping they’ll reach the second before anyone else.
But they won’t. Claire has been there for a day already and taken everything offered, from ropes to beef jerky.
What she didn’t want she’d burnt, ensuring no one coming behind her would have anything of use.
If Cat and Thorun keep moving they’ll be on her in an hour or less.
My phone rings and I answer it automatically; my attention still fixed on the screen.
“I just wanted to let you know that I’m hunting the Italian,” Wolf says without preamble.
“I don’t understand,” I frown. “I know Falcon’s worried about Asumpta and Eleanor, and of course Sparrow, but surely he can spare a fucking moment to help me out.”
“It’s not that he doesn’t want to,” Wolf grunts, “it’s that I have a bit more time on my hands at the moment and I offered to help. So if you have any further information on this Valentino dick I’m supposed to be offing, I’d appreciate it.”
“I don’t have any more intel,” I sigh. “I’ve put together enough to know Cat comes from Sicily and her family is likely powerful enough to have some influence on the Vatican blood bank.
Her father sounds like a cunt, but I don’t believe she has any other family.
I’ve never heard her mention any. Other than that I know they can’t have enough influence to sway the selectors or royalty, or Cat would have been taken out of the Games by now one way or the other.
They’re obviously just some jumped-up mafia fucks who think they’re untouchable because they’ve only ever dealt with humans. ”
“Well then, the blood bank is a start,” he mutters, “that’s more than I knew before this call.”
“Falcon said the sample was lost,” I murmur, “but you and I both know that doesn’t happen with that establishment.”
“Agreed.”
He sounds more subdued than usual and I switch my attention away from the monitors, and Silke, who’s still limping without stop towards the mark on her map, pursued, as she has been for some time, by a loping clan of wolves.
She’s been hobbling through the dense forest for two weeks now, living only on the bugs she can catch and the rain she can lick from leaves.
All her efforts at hunting had failed, bar one, but that had resulted in an almost fatal tussle with a bear over a salmon.
I imagine it’s the scent of her blood from her resulting wounds that the wolves are tracking.
As I watch she suddenly falls to the forest floor and remains down, and I frown.
“Is there anything else going on that I need to know about, Wolf?”
“No,” he sighs, “my last search for my sister was inconclusive, surprise, surprise. The bitch I’m supposedly engaged to is less help than I’d hoped, and Eleanor is going to get her neck wrung if she doesn’t stop her shit with Falcon and start helping me as she promised.
In the meantime, some little dipshit called Ant is running rings around the Dragonspur bastard’s heart, your brother’s tearing his hair out, and the Danish royal family is breathing down my neck for a wedding date.
Other than that, it’s all fine and dandy. ”
“Lynx?” I murmur. “Why is my brother uneasy?”
“Because he has feelings for a woman he will never be permitted to marry, and one who considers him her brother.”
“Oh, shit, don’t tell me…”
“Yes,” Wolf snorts, “he’s in love with Suzume.
Has been for fucking years, the little moron.
And I don’t need to tell you who she looks like and who would never in a million years consent to anything formal between them.
Not to mention the fact that she’s a bastard, so your family would disown him if he were to pursue matters.
Moot point, of course, because she craves another.
It must run in your goddamned family to pin your hearts on the ones you can’t have. ”
“Oh, Christ,” I shake my head.
‘How did I miss that?’
“Anyway,” he sighs, “I’ll kill this little Italian cunt, you just get the fuck back here as soon as you can. Everything’s going to shit.”
I nod, but he’s already hung up.
Frowning, I turn to go when I notice strange movement not far from where Claire is encamped. It’s fast, so fast it looks like a blur and would easily be overlooked by anyone not trained to look for details.
But I know immediately that there’s only one thing that can move that fast.
Cursing, I spin and head for the door as I dial my guards and order a chopper.
I just hope I get to her in time.