Well, fuck me sideways. There are a lot of words in that speech I didn’t like. “Death,” for one. And “explode.”
“We’ll stay together,” Jack whispers, leaning towards me. “We’ll enter the portal as a group. If we stay together, we’ll be able to get out of this mess alive.”
Logically, I know he’s right, but I have the distinct feeling it won’t be that easy.
“You may now enter the portal,” Dimitri declares, keeping his eyes fixed on me. I can see he’s trying to tell me something, but what that something is remains a mystery. Can’t he send out smoke signals or something? Maybe do some elaborate charades? I’m not the best at reading people by staring into their eyes.
When it becomes apparent I have no idea what the fuck he’s trying to say to me, Dimitri throws his hands in the air.
Awww. Is the scary little assassin scared for me? A girly part of me wants to scrapbook this moment.
“You see here, kids. This was the day your grandpa Dimitri realized he actually liked little ole me. I totally had him wrapped around my pussy lips.”
Okay, maybe I would take out the last line. Don’t want to traumatize my non-existent grandkids.
The monsters are surprisingly patient as, one by one, they step through the portal, blinking out of existence. Despite having over two hundred monsters competing, it takes less than five minutes for most of the monsters to step through. I lose sight of Vin very quickly, and I still can’t see Barret and Cal, but Mason, Frankie, and Jack remain with me as we venture to the starlit-spun opening.
“I would recommend grabbing supplies at the hospital first,” Dimitri says dryly just before I step through. At my pause, he levels me with the full force of his penetrating ice-blue gaze. “You’re going to need it.”
Before I can comment that I’m super awesome and not at all prone to almost dying, a monster shoves me from behind—much to my guys’ fury—and I tumble headfirst through the portal.
Have you ever attempted to do a front flip in a swimming pool before? Traveling through a portal reminds me of that sensation. I’m forced to hold my breath as my body twists and turns for what feels like an eternity, but is probably closer to a few seconds.
In the next moment, I am spit out onto the cement, my hands hitting the concrete first.
“Fuck!” I hiss as pain blossoms on my palms where rocks have dug into the sensitive flesh. Fortunately, it takes only a second for my vampire healing to kick in, dispelling the rocks until my hands are as smooth as…butts? Well, Vin’s butt. As I spanked it—
Focus!
“Mase? Jack? Frankie?” I spin in a circle, orienting myself as I peer at the arena for the first time.
I half expected the yeti twins to Hunger Games this bitch and make it a forest. Instead, I find myself staring at a fleet of skyscrapers. I count at least thirty spread as far as the eye can see. Interspersed with them are small shops and houses. Parks and restaurants.
A city of some sort, though I’m pretty sure no cities I know of are completely abandoned.
There’s not a person—or monster—to be seen. The morning sun illuminates the stretch of road I’m standing on. To the right of me is an abandoned grocery store, a few empty cars parked in the lot. Across from me is a second street leading to a downtown area. The traffic lights hanging overhead are currently switched off, the muted hues of green, orange, and red staring back at me.
It’s…creepy, to say the least. And that’s coming from a girl who drinks blood to survive. Have they decimated an entire fucking city for the games? Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me. Pompei? That was us. Roanoke? Also us. Atlantis? Pretty sure Cheryl’s dad was behind that one.
The second thing I note is that I’m completely alone. No Mason. No Jack. No Frankie.
“Fucking hell,” I curse again, kicking at a lone shopping cart rolling past. Of course, I misjudge how fast it’s sliding and miss it, the forward momentum sending me to the ground in a heap of limbs. “Okay, I deserve that, universe. Now, can you stop deep dicking me and help me survive? Please?”
I peer up into the sky, half expecting the universe to give me a sign that it’s listening. Hell, I’d even take a bird shitting on my face.
“Fuck,” I repeat when the sky remains birdless. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”
A loud siren echoes overhead, followed by Dimitri’s voice. It seems to be coming from all directions—like even the clouds have speakers in them.
“The games will begin in ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six.”
I glance warily in both directions, ensuring the streets are still empty. We weren’t permitted to bring any weapons with us, so that’s the first thing I’ll need to grab. And then I’ll need to find my men.
Fuck, they’re probably freaking out right now, especially Hux. I think he’s a teeny tiny bit protective of me. Just a little bit.
“Five. Four. Three.”
And then, I’ll need to find my way out of this arena. Is the exit at the opposite end of the city? Is it in one of the skyscrapers?
I can do this.
I can do this
“Two. One.”
Another siren blares, disrupting the previous calm I felt.
“And the first competition of the Roaring has officially commenced!”
CHAPTER 27
VIOLET
I have a rule book I follow when being a badass.
Rule number one: Fake it till you make it. Don’t trip or break it. Liberate it.
Rule number two: Everything sounds better as a rap. So go back to rule number one, and rap the shit out of it.
Feel more badass yet?
With a quick glance in both directions, ensuring I’m still alone, I walk towards
