Elyjah’s jaw tics for a moment as he glances at Orrael who gives a subtle nod.

  Grey eyes meet mine, “We’re not just part of the rebels, we’re the leaders.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  “Earth to Roxanna, what’s up with you? You’ve been lying in that spot for almost an hour now,” Brielyn’s clipped words meet my ears. When a shadow appears over my eyelids, I know he’s standing over me.

  I take a moment before finally opening my eyes to look at my only true friend in the castle grounds. Orange hair tousled, sweat beading down his face, and his lips pursed, Brielyn looks more serious than usual. Typically, he’d be off canoodling with one of the guards or other competitors, but not today. No, he seems to be determined to work his ass off, something that can’t be said about me.

  Because he’s right, I laid down in this spot almost an hour ago when we got to the arena to train and I haven’t moved since.

  “I’m just not feeling it today,” I mutter, tossing my arm over my eyes to shade them from the glare of the sun and my friend.

  “You’re not feeling training?” he asks, incredulously. “Roxanna Delamontee?”

  “Don’t patronize me, Brielyn.”

  He lets out a laugh before I feel something hit my foot. “Get up,” he orders. I look down to see him kicking my foot with one of his own booted ones.

  “Let me be, Brielyn.” I have too many things to think about and I don’t have time to properly train at the moment.

  “Roxanna, don’t be a bitch, get up and train. The last time I tried to sit out of training you promptly kicked my ass.”

  That sounds about right.

  “Yeah, well I could beat you with two arms tied behind my back, so I think you need training more than I do. I’ll get back to it tomorrow.”

  By then I should have made a decision about what to do with all this new information I have, about what to do with the four royals who come with more surprises than pandora’s box.

  “No ma’am.”

  A stinging in my ankle drags my attention to it and I sit up with a frown. My eyes land on the new slash in my black pants and I pull it up to see a trail of blood from a cut on my ankle. I look up at Brielyn in shock, my eyes traveling to the sword in his hand. “Did you just cut me, with my own sword?” I ask, already getting to my feet.

  Gwev, my sword, hangs from his hand and he smiles, waving it at me. “I did. If you want it back, you’re going to have to take it.”

  I narrow my eyes at him. “Her.”

  “What?” His brows shoot up as he takes a step back from me.

  “Gwev is a girl,” I inform him.

  “Ah, meaning I have even less use for her than I thought.” He laughs at his own joke and I can’t help but to shake my head.

  How distracted was I not to notice Gwev leaving her spot next to me?

  My gaze snaps from the sword back to Brielyn and a devilish smile curls my lips. “Just remember you asked for this.”

  The smile on his face drops. “Shit.”

  I move forward and swipe his feet from under him before he even has a chance to run. I pull my fist back a second before he sends the sword up, blocking my path. “Here, take it,” he pants out, holding the sword out for me.

  I offer him a mocking frown as I wrap my hand around the hilt of Gwev. “You’re no fun, Brielyn, you hardly let me bruise you before you gave in.” I pull the sword back.

  He sits up, his orange hair flopping around as he looks at me with wide brown eyes. “I’m pretty sure I have a bruise on my ass. I wonder if one of the guards will check and kiss it better for me.” He grins and I only roll my eyes at his antics.

  I offer him a hand up and he grasps it, popping to his feet. He wipes the dirt from the arena ground off his clothes, sending up a cloud of dust. His eyes wander around the arena, but there’s only two other groups of people and they’re far out from us.

  Finally, he turns back to me. “Really, what’s up with you this morning? Usually, you barely even shove your breakfast down your throat before you’re out here going through that ridiculous routine of yours.”

  I shrug, avoiding his gaze. While I do like Brielyn, and he’s the friend I never expected to gain in The Calling, I can’t tell him shit. I can’t tell him that I entered this competition to avenge my parents, the former king and queen of the Deightyn kingdom, or my sister, the crown princess. I can’t tell him that those plans are going to shit because of the four royals who I can’t run away from without them catching me. I can’t tell him about the sudden emergence of magic.

  I sigh, lifting my eyes to meet his. “I can’t talk about it,” I tell him.

  He frowns, placing his hands on his hips and staring down at me. Despite being much taller and bulkier than I am, Brielyn doesn’t scare me in the slightest. The poor guy is like a teddy bear, pretty to look at and fun to play with, but not dangerous.

  “Does it have something to do with the men always following you around?”

  “What?” I ask, slightly caught off guard by the fact that he’s nailed the head of the issue. Brielyn isn’t the most observant guy since most of the time he’s too focused on his pants being around his ankles. The fact that he’s picked up on what’s going on now is a shock to say the least.

  “You slept with one of them?” He asks, his brows rising.

  “What? No?” I should have known that this was where this conversation was going.

  The man’s mind is constantly in the gutters.

  His mouth drops slightly, and he moves closer to me, lowering his voice. His eyes are alight with excitement. “You slept with all of them? Oh, you dirty girl, tell me all about it.”

  Somebody fucking help me.

  “I knew it was a little weird that they were starting to actively seek you out.” He shrugs his broad shoulders as I only watch him in shock, trying to find my tongue. “I mean sure, they’ve always seemed to have a thing for stalking you, but showing up at the dining hall and shit was a bit of a surprise, and-”

  “Shut up, Brielyn,” I finally say, cutting him off. “I’m not sleeping with any of them,” I tell him, but I feel the flush that rises in my cheeks.

  “Really, because I could have sworn I told you to fuck whoever you wanted to a short time ago.”

  He did.

  It’d been after Walker and I kissed. I’d found my mind muddled and confused about what to do. I knew I couldn’t actually kiss Walker again and yet I’d wanted to… I’d also wanted to kiss Orrtyn who’d seemed excited about the prospect of Walker and I kissing. I’d been confused with the whole situation and had finally confided in Brielyn.

  You should fuck both of them, had been his response.

  I can’t help but wonder if I would have even considered his advice if I hadn’t heard the royals speaking ill of me not too shortly afterwards with the queen.

  Maybe I wouldn’t have slept with them, but I surely wouldn’t have been opposed to a kiss.

  But now I know better, that I’m straying from my mission and I need to hit the brakes.

  Brielyn eyes me and leans close enough that I can feel his warm breath across my skin as he studies me. Finally, he leans back, and that knowing smirk is back on his face as he folds his arms over his chest. “Okay, so maybe you didn’t sleep with them. You seem like someone who wants to go slow, but you definitely did something, didn’t you? Did you kiss another one of them? Maybe a blowjob?”

  I turn my head, glaring at the man.

  “Well, which was it, you can’t leave me hangin’ like this. The suspense will literally kill me.” He places a dramatic hand against his chest and I almost shove the man on his ass just to shut him up.

  “I thought you said you wanted to train,” I say, turning my back on him as I lazily twirl Gwev in my hand.

  Footsteps pound behind me before Brielyn is walking beside me. “Um, no, you can’t do me like that. Spill.” Silence. “Was it Orrtyn?”

  Silence.

  “Hmm, so not the rugged twin, who by the way, would be my second choice, right after…” He pauses and I know it’s all to add to his performance. “Walker.”

  He grasps my arm and if it were anyone else they would lose their hand, instead all I do is sigh and glare at his hand.

  “It’s nothing new,” I say, heading off his elation. “The kiss that you already know about is still the problem.”

  “Are you serious, Roxanna? That’s freaking child’s play!” He speaks far too loudly as his grip tightens.

  My head snaps up, “Lower your fucking voice,” I hiss at him. I turn my head slightly to take in the rest of the competitors but they seem to have missed Brielyn’s dramatic outburst, thankfully.

  He only smiles as he pulls his hand back. “I just don’t understand why you’re freaking out about a little ole kiss still.”

  I feel my cheeks flush. I turn to walk away, but find myself caught off guard as the words start spilling from my mouth. “It’s just… I’m not used to kissing someone.”

  Shit.

  Realizing that it’s too late and Brielyn is going to jump on it, I’m not surprised when the man appears in front of me, his mouth wide open. He looks around before leaning forward and lowering his voice. “Roxanna, are you still a virgin?”

  My cheeks flush even more. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Gods, you are.”

  “So what if I am? Does it matter?” I snarl out, my fists clenching.

  Brielyn studies my face before shaking his head. “Shit, this is awesome. I don’t know too many virgins, haven’t been one myself since I was thirteen.” What a surprise. His lips twist into a suppressed smile before he lets out a sigh. “Okay, I’ll leave you alone about it for now. Only because you have that sword in your hand and I like my head on my shoulders.”

  “Thanks,” I mutter, not keeping the sarcasm from my words.

  There’s an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach now that the confession is out in the air. The feeling only worsens when Brielyn gives me a mischievous smile.

  “I’ll let that go, but tell me more about Walker.”

  “What about Walker?”

  Of fucking course.

  That pit of unease in my stomach now turns to anger as I spin on my heel to find the man in question standing behind us. Walker’s arms are folded over his chest, his muscles flexing. He’s wearing a dark shirt without sleeves and it shows off his big arms that hold a smattering of scars, but still catch my attention. There’s a bow in his hand and a quiver thrown across his shoulders. His dark hair is pulled back into a bun, showing off the harsh lines of his face and the darkness of his green gaze. Dark stubble covers his jaw.

  “What do you want?” I ask, matching his stance with a glare.

  “I heard my name,” he says as if that's enough of an answer.

  “Because I was in the middle of telling Brielyn how fucking annoying you are.”

  A lie.

  Walker’s eyes narrow, “Sure you were, princess.”

  Disbelief drips from the asshole’s words and I find my jaw clenching in anger. It’s bad enough that he and his group of friends already have me in a world of confusion, I don’t need his snarkiness to add onto it.

  “Gosh, you two always bring this crazy tension that has me ready to go,” Brielyn dips in. His animated gaze shoots between Walker and I.

  A muscle twitches in Walker’s face as he turns to look at Brielyn. “Beat it, I need to have a word with Roxanna.”

  Brielyn takes a big gulp, his eyes flitting between us again as some of the excitement fades. He takes a cautious step backward. “Sure, I’ll just be over there waiting on you, Rox,” he says pointing a thumb behind him. He turns and moves away from us as quickly as he can.

  I place my hands on my hip, my hand flexing around Gwev as I stare up at the giant in front of me. “Brielyn isn’t just some peasant that you can talk to however you want,” I tell him. I want to make it clear that I don’t appreciate the way he dismissed my friend as if it's his god given right.

  He scoffs, a frown carved on his lips. “First off, I’m tired of you implying that I’m a royal when I’m not. Second, I’ll talk to whoever I want, however I want, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it, princess.”

  My blood boils.

  “Watch your tongue when speaking to me.” I take a step forward, craning my head back to look at him. The sun peeks over his shoulder, creating a halo along his face that couldn’t look more wrong. This man isn’t an angel, he’s the devil in the flash himself. “I’m fully recovered from the other night, I can one hundred percent take you now.” It comes out low and raspy in a way that I don’t mean for it to.

  There’s silence between us as the words hang in the air and Walker raises a brow. “I can’t tell if you’re trying to proposition me or fight me.”

  I can’t tell either.

  I shake my head and take a step away from the man. “What in the hell do you actually want, Walker? As much as I’d love to sit around and bicker with you I need to get back to training.” And remembering why I’m keeping my distance from you.

  “Really, because as far as I can tell you’ve been doing absolutely nothing all morning.”

  I narrow my eyes at him. “And how would you know that?”

  He tilts his head slightly, his jaw tight as he watches me. “You know something important, something that could destroy lives. Do you really think I’m not going to be keeping an eye on you to make sure you keep your mouth closed?”

  The fucking audacity.

  “So that’s what this is about? You want to make sure I’m still on board to keep your secret?” I already know the answer but I still want to hear it from his lips.

  He nods his head sharply. “Yes, I don't trust you.”

  I let out a dry laugh. “It’s funny how days ago you were team ‘save Roxanna’s life and tell her our dirty secret’ and now you don’t trust me enough to let me get a moment to myself.”

  He shrugs unapologetically, lines creasing the corner of his eyes. “Yeah, well, we were starting to think that you were an okay person.” His eyes move over me from head to toe, leaving heat in its wake. “Turns out we were wrong.”

  I bite down on my lip to refrain from saying something smart to him, knowing it’ll only result in a fight I don’t have time for. “Go away Walker and stop stalking me.” I turn on my heel to walk away from him but his hand wraps around my wrist.

  As he pulls me back toward him, I raise Gwev, pressing it against his neck as I stare up at him. Our bodies are pressed tightly, his body heat crowding me as I feel the movements of his breathing through his chest.

  His eyes don’t even glance at the sword now pressed against his neck. Instead his lips only turn down in a frown as he leans closer, his skin pressing tightly against the blade and drawing blood. “You may think we’re evenly matched, but it only takes a second for me to take a head from its shoulders. If you betray us, you’ll be sure to find out that I don’t pass out empty threats.”

  And there’s the man I need to see. Ruthless, angry, and most definitely my enemy.

  “You’re right, it only takes a second to get the upper hand, a second in which I’ll put my sword clean through your chest. Stay out of my way, Walker, or clipping the wing of your bird won’t be the worst thing I do to you.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “Competitors, you’ve made it past the prelims and it is now time to move onto the Culling.” Elyjah’s words ring out through the small arena that has less competitors than the last time we were here. When The Calling began there were over 250 people and now there appears to be just over a hundred.

  Elyjah’s eyes move over to me before quickly moving away, because by some silent agreement we’re going to go back to acting like last week didn’t happen.

  We’ll forget that the queen tried to have me killed by sending guards and my former babysitter after me, though Delia and I were the only two to know her old title. There will be no mention of the fact that I would have died if it weren’t for the guys coming after me and protecting me. I’ll pretend like I don’t know that they’re not only involved with the failing rebels but also in charge of them, which makes absolutely no sense. I’ll forget that I was starting to waver in my hate towards them. And that kiss with Walker… never fucking happened.

  “You will have a week to prepare before it begins. I suggest that you train your asses off because like the rest of the competition, this part will try you in ways you never expected.” With his arms behind his back, he moves in front of the competitors, pacing. Behind him, Orrael and Orrtyn are standing shoulder to shoulder. They both look more solemn than usual with their short blonde hair and blue eyes. Orrtyn’s eyes flicker over to me as he rubs at the stubble covering his face.

  I look away.

  My gaze lands on Walker who’s sitting away from his friends. It's in moments like these that he pretends there isn’t a connection to him and the others, even though everyone is aware of it. Twin swords are holstered to his hips and one of his legs is propped on the seat in front of him. His elbow rests on his knee and his dark hair hangs in his face. Feeling my gaze on him, he turns his head to look at me and his frown deepens.

  I flip him a finger sign that I’m sure is discreet until I turn away to find Elyjah’s gaze on me. The corner of his lips tip up minutely before falling and he goes back to blowing smoke up the competitor's asses. “You won’t know what you’re heading into and you won’t know when it’ll be over.”

  Of course, we won’t.

  I roll my eyes and pick at a hangnail, ignoring Elyjah’s words. I know from Conrad, who went through the Calling himself in order to become my mother’s champion, that this part of the Calling will send us out of the castle. We’ll be dropped in a remote, undisclosed location where we’ll face all kinds of challenges. It’ll be never ending until the royals finally declare that it’s over, no longer than a few weeks, Conrad believes. Only the survivors will move onto the next part of The Calling which is the Gauntlet.

  Unlike the other parts of The Calling, this won’t be recorded and broadcasted over Caelumine, a part of keeping all the details of the event secret.