Page 28 of Enter if you Dare: Part One

Ares stands. “We will get what we can and come see you.”

Clay picks up his coffee and drains it in one go and stands. As he gets to the door, he stops with his hands resting on the frame. “Next time your pet scarecrow puts his hands on my woman, I won’t hesitate.” Then he leaves. I guess that could have gone worse. Cave watches the door for a moment and turns back to his drink, unbothered, which I suspect is the most unsettling response. It’s why Clay is so pissed; I would be as well.

“Welcome to the island,” Kayla says to me and refills my coffee once more.

Cipher

Tonight is the first chase, and I’m nervous. I like Valli as much as you can like someone you don’t really know. She intrigues me, and I’d love to know how she ticks. I like to dissect people to learn their inner workings.

The people on the island are different; we are shaped because of trauma. Outsiders generally don’t see the world the same way as us.

I tighten the same bolt three times and set the wrench down, accepting that my mind has wandered elsewhere. There are lots of things I don’t say out loud; I don’t see the point when the information is known.

Noa has been pacing all day, wondering if Valli will show up, but we know she will. If he really wanted, he could check the security cameras I installed yesterday at her house, along with a panic button. Given her circumstances and her refusal to stay here, it made sense, and it helped to calm Cave. There is something about her that speaks to him. He won’t let her go.

I know I belong to Cave. It’s just how it is, and I like it. Now she also belongs to him, but I think it might take her a while to accept the reality. She isn’t from here, so she doesn’t understand how things work.

The Scarecrow is the core of the island. He is feared the most, and rightfully so; he is unstable at best. Cave has somewhat of a moral compass, but only if he likes you. He respects Ares, so limits hurting Vero because Ares has claimed him. On the island, it’s an unspoken rule: when someone is claimed, if you fuck with them, you fuck with who they belong to. As the saying goes, don’t bite the hand that feeds you, and Ares is the ultimate food source.

Noa appears in the doorway, his zombie makeup applied and his shovel tipped over his shoulder. He drops onto an upturned crate in the corner.

“Are we really doing this?” he asks, and I turn to look at him in surprise.

Noa is the one who fought for this when Nixie was on the fence. We know Cave is a liability at night, never during the day—he has a soft spot for kids. I think he enjoys playfully scaring them.

“Do you not want to do it anymore?” I ask.

Noa sighs. “I do—I really like her. She likes to dig holes with me, though I know that isn’t setting the bar high.”

“But?” I ask, because with Noa there is always a but.

“Is Cave even capable of sharing?”

I have no idea; the situation has never arisen. No one else has ever wanted me, and thankfully so, since he has always been enough for me. I sometimes wonder if any normal person could deal with me—I don’t initiate sex, I won’t seek it out, and I’ve read that in a relationship those things are what partners want. However, I need someone to force my brain to shut down, to stop me hyper focusing on what I’m doing.

“There is only one way to find out,” I finally reply with a shrug.

“Easy for you to say. If he can’t, then I’m the one having to walk away. I can’t win against him. He’s a big guy—his hands, arms, muscles, and dick all look like he is on steroids. It’s not natural to be that size. I wonder if his corn has steroids in it.”

I laugh. “You’re overthinking it, Noa. Just have fun and be yourself.”

“Probably,” he says, jumping up. “Cave is in a mood.”

“Cave is always in a mood.”

“It’s freaky when he doesn’t blink, though.”

Noa comes to stand next to me. It makes me nervous because he likes to touch things, and when I pull something apart, I lay out the components in the order they came off. All so I can reverse the order when I put it back together.

“Are you nervous about tonight?”

I consider lying, but Noa knows me well enough to see through it. “Yes.”

He grins. “Me too. I have never been chased by Cave on purpose. But I can’t lie and say that doesn’t make me hard. Are you two exclusive? I don’t want to cross any boundaries.”

I have to think about it, but I don’t think we are. It’s not exactly a conversation you can have with a man who doesn’t really talk. So I shrug. “I have no idea, but I have no issues with sharing if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Do you think he will go full Cave on us in the cornfield?”