The first speaker agreed. “I don’t know what they were thinking. These competitions have been going on for years, and no one’s ever done that in previous challenges. Each person competes against the others, individually. It’s not meant to be a team effort.”
Wesley snorted. “Exactly. I mean, joining forces isn’t against the rules, but I think it should be. At least there are enough people who feel the same way as us. We’ll stop them before they even make it to the Gods’ Challenge. Then the competition for the real prize can be among people who will do it right. Who won’t fucking cheat.”
“I agree,” the girl said. “So we’re working on the plan right now, and we’ll be ready for the preliminary competition.” She giggled softly. “Honestly, it shouldn’t be that hard to drive a wedge between them. Seriously, she thinks she can keep three men on the hook like that? It’s a disaster waiting to happen. We’ll just make sure it happens.”
I stood there and listened, trying to gather as many details of what they were planning as I possibly could, but it was hard to hear over the rushing in my ears.
My hands clenched into fists so tight that my nails dug into my palms. I wanted to storm around the corner, yank them out of the nook, and beat them senseless. I was fucking fuming.
Why would anybody try to sabotage us? We were the ones who were trying to help everyone else. These idiots had no idea that the school was trying to hurt them, and we were trying to save them. Instead, they were mad at us because their feelings were hurt because we did something no one else had done? Because we actually helped each other instead of turning on each other?
How childish and juvenile is that? Is this what happens when you take grown adults and put them back into school? They regress?
I listened for as long as I could—long enough to get a solid sense of what they had planned.
When the sound of other people heading down the hallway met my ears, I moved quickly, veering away down the hall in the opposite direction from the students I’d been eavesdropping on. Instead of going to the library, I headed straight for the guys. They had a free period too, so I was almost certain I’d find them studying in the common room.
Sure enough, Lachlan and Trace were sitting in the center of the room. “Where’s Merrick?”
“His dorm room, I think.” Lachlan closed his textbook and stretched, making the thick muscles of his biceps flex and shift. He cocked his head at me. “What’s goin’ on, Ari?”
I shook my head, anger ratcheting up inside me again. “Come on, I have to talk to you guys about something. It’s important.”
The two slowly got up and followed me to Merrick’s room. I knocked, and a second later, the blond man opened the door. He looked like he’d been sleeping, and I suddenly wondered how much of my tossing and turning last night he’d been privy to. Had I kept him awake? Fuck.
His sleepy gaze sharpened as he regarded us, his brows pinching together. “I thought you two were studying,” he told the other two men. Then his gaze shifted to me. “What’s up?”
I pushed into his room, shaking my head. “Are you alone?”
“Really?”
He raised an eyebrow at me, and I rolled my eyes. “Okay, fine. Dumb question. I just need to know that what we’re saying is between us.”
“Of course.”
I could see concern replace the teasing smile on Merrick’s face, and he allowed the other two to step in. I waited until Trace had shut the door behind him, then squared off with the three of them, crossing my arms over my chest.
“I was walking down the hallway just now, and I overheard voices whispering around the corner. They were talking about how a bunch of students are going to team up against us, how they’re planning on sabotaging us at the preliminary competition. I’m so livid. Apparently, they didn’t like the fact that we teamed up for the last Gods’ Challenge. They thought it was cheating, just because no one else has ever done it. Even though it’s not against the rules.”
“What the fuck?” Lachlan said angrily.
“You’re a better person than I am, Ari.” Merrick ran a hand over his chin, scowling. “I would have told them exactly where they could shove that.”
Trace didn’t say anything. Instead, he did his usual, pulling me into his lap as he sat on the bed and calming me a bit. I could feel the tension knotting my shoulders release and my anger dissipate a little.
I loved and hated that he could do that. That his touch soothed me like that. It was very strange to me. A foreign sensation.
“So, I think we need to figure out a plan,” I said as my anger dissipated even more. “We need to get back to the godly realm. We can’t afford to be thwarted by our own people. These idiots have no idea why we’re here. They have no idea that someone is trying to kill us off.”
Merrick nodded, irritation sparking in his eyes. “They have no idea that we’re trying to save them from it. Assholes.”
Trace pulled me a little closer, his hands roaming possessively over my body. “So how exactly do we do that?”
Lachlan shot him a feral smile. “We give them exactly what they’re looking for. We make it look like the sabotage worked at first. We make it seem like we’re splintered completely. They’ll think we’re weakened, and we can use that to our advantage.”
I nodded, biting the inside of my cheek. “That’s a good idea. They don’t have any idea we know about their plans, so we can get the jump on them. Give them a taste of their own fucking medicine.”
Lach’s gaze caught mine, and he grinned at me. “You’re a little bit scary, Aria. And I fuckin’ love it.”
Chapter Nine
The sound of the trumpets blaring woke me up on the morning of the preliminary competition.
It wasn’t my normal groggy wake up or a gradual rolling out of bed. Instead, I was instantly awake, alert and on-edge. Excitement buzzed through my veins, making me feel both determined and giddy. I wasn’t thrilled to go put my life on the line, but I was ready to show the other students that we wouldn’t cave under their sabotage. And I was desperate to find out the truth. To delve deeper into the world of the gods and find out why they were trying to kill off the strong magic users among us.
On top of all of that, I’d been itching for a good fight. It had been too long since I was able to get a little wild and put my survival instincts to the test. It wasn’t quite the same as fighting in the ring, but it would still scratch the itch.
I met up with Eden in the hallway, and we joined the crowd of students heading downstairs.
“Well,” she said quietly, “today’s the big day.”
I shot her a sideways look. “Are you excited to compete?”
The blonde girl rolled her eyes. “Not really. Honestly, I’m just mad that they’re making me do it. The rules last year were that you could compete if you wanted to, not that you had to. And I don’t want to win. I don’t want to have to go to the godly realm and compete in the challenge. I saw what happened last year, and we both know my magic isn’t strong enough to survive something like that.”
I smiled at her, putting my hand on her shoulder. “Hey, I get why you feel that way. There’s no judgment here. In fact, it’s probably the smartest way to look at it. It’s dangerous in there, more dangerous than you could believe. The shit I saw…”