Page 80 of Forged in Fear

The sound of a single shot ringing out is promptly met with cursing before we take off running, footsteps thundering around us. It’s too pitch black for the three of them to see well, but me and Timmy?

We were made to thrive in the dark.

“I got him, did you see that?!” he boasts, free hand in Kahl’s so that he doesn’t get separated during the chaos.

Sliding to a halt, Kinsley passes me his gun before leaping up to grip the bottom step of the metal staircase, pulling himself up and gesturing. Kahl tosses Tim up to where Kins is waiting, the two of them climbing onto the fire escape to wait for the rest of us. As much as we know it’s going to cost us some sort of hefty fine or another, they came up with the brilliant idea of severing off the first landing last night so it’d be harder for others to access.

Halloween brings out the worst in them, I swear.

“Of course you did, you’re a Veles,” Kaiden scoffs, like it should be obvious.

Because despite Faye being convinced that she might be related to him, that didn’t equate to her believing she could handle his unique situation when she couldn’t even care for herself. So when Ben decided to take a better job offer a couple of towns over, she chose to go with him. I get it, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t sad to see her go.

Hadeon may be my refuge, but that doesn’t mean it’s everyone’s. There are more women out there somewhere, so logically, there must be other places just as devoted to keeping their women safe, even if we aren’t aware of them.

As much as it pains me to admit, over the course of the last year he’s thrown himself all in trying to find a way to help Faye, and this hospital has access to far better resources. I finally relented and gave him a few blood samples to study, because the stupid part of my brain that wants to hold onto hope wouldn’t shut up that he might be right. If he can unlock a way for male dragons to unlock their abilities without mates, it leaves the main global problem the repopulation rate to resolve instead of a quest for power.

Thankfully she’s only a little over an hour away if they run into issues, but it still makes me uneasy knowing she’s out there with only Ben to protect her when neither can shift. Not my life or choice, and I get why they wanted to risk going, but I don’t have to like the idea.

We get onto the roof, Kinsley pulling his backpack out of the corner we stashed it in earlier and distributing night vision scopes to attach to everyone’s paintball guns. Apparently there’s some new rule where we aren’t allowed to bring anything with us to the start of any game anymore because the others complained it was unfair.

But they didn’t say anything about no outside supplies after the game actually started.

“What happens if I accidentally hit people on our team?” Timmy asks, resting the barrel of his gun on the pathetic excuse of a wall and I hover nervously with him that close to the ledge.

Not like everyone on this rooftop can’t grow wings in a split second, but I’m not about to test our reflexes if I can avoid it.

“Then they learn to keep their guard up and not blindly trust their teammates,” Kahl declares with an indifferent shrug. “You think out on a real battlefield your enemy wouldn’t pick up a dead man’s uniform to Trojan horse their way into your camp? Assume everyone wants to kill you and you’ll be better off for it.”

Tim nods, soaking up everything that comes out of the triplets’ mouths like it’s gospel.

The poor, unsuspecting fools.

“So you don’t lose for friendly fire?” he confirms and I take a slow, casual step to the right.

Kaiden is crouched a little ways to the left, already firing down onto people running around on the street below and answers absentmindedly, “Come midnight, team with the most men still standing wins.”

Nodding to himself, he slips a hand into his pocket and I duck behind Kahl, using him as a living shield. “Grenade!” It’s the only warning I give them, just so I can claim innocence when the treachery comes to light.

Red paint explodes with the force of a bomb, coating nearly the entire roof. I’m shielded from the worst of it, but it still looks like I took a hatchet to someone’s skull. The guys on the other hand are rocking the scarlet letter look to the point we might as well put their faces next to the definition of ‘shame’.

Kins was thrown flat on his back and he raises a shaky hand in our direction as he croaks, “But Timmy...why?” There’s no point even attempting to suppress my laughter at this point.

“Eli promised to take me for ice cream if I helped him win,” he replies without remorse.

“Your family for an ice cream cone?” Kins sniffs, clutching his chest. “I’d have taken you if you just asked.”

Tim grins, pulling his hood down to reveal a clean face, turning his back just before it detonated. “Should have offered first.”

I head over and extend a hand, helping him up. “We never stood a chance. You three taught Eli too well.”

Kaiden swipes paint off of his face. “But now that you’re hit, you don’t even get to play the rest of the game,” he reminds our double crossing ward. “You should have waited until closer to the end of the game, or in a crowded area where you could have taken out more people. Now we’re just stuck walking to the loser pit.”

Unzipping his jacket, Timmy tosses it to the side, along with stepping out of his sweatpants to reveal a pair of jeans beneath. All of his splattered clothes he tosses into the corner where the backpack was stashed.

“What do you mean? I’m still clean,” he declares with a dramatic flourish, extending his arms at his sides and spinning with extra pep in his step.

As much as I know they’re tempted to fire off a quick shot, they restrain themselves, as amused and proud as I am. Because if he can outwit a Veles this young? The rest of the world will be begging for mercy when he’s ready to change it.

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