Jaxon eyes him for a few seconds, and at first I’m confused by what’s going on—if Jaxon is going to do this, isn’t he going to compete with the Order? But then I remember what Hudson told me yesterday about how the game fosters interspecies relationships…and injuries, apparently.

“You want to team up?” Jaxon asks, just as casually but not really.

“I was thinking about it. Eden and I were going to partner up with Xavier, but we still need to add some vamps and witches.” He looks at me. “And maybe a gargoyle?”

When hell freezes over.

48

Win, Lose, or Die

“What? Me?” I ask, my eyes going huge. “I mean…I don’t think… Can gargoyles really compete?” I know Amka said I could, but I thought she was just teasing me.

And, by the way, please let the answer be no. Please let the answer be no. I’m not fabulous at sports to begin with, let alone paranormal sports where the goal is not to die, but there is no guarantee. Not to mention the fact that I have no idea what my powers are yet… I mean, besides turning to stone, which doesn’t seem very helpful in a game anyway.

“Ludares is open to every junior and senior in the school,” Flint tells me. “So, hell yeah, you can compete. Plus, I’m totally down with having a gargoyle on my team. Who knows what you can do?”

“Nothing,” I answer. “I can do nothing. That’s the problem.”

“That’s not true,” Hudson tells me from where he’s still leaning against the wall. “You can do things. You just don’t know what they are yet.”

“How do you know?” Equal parts terror and excitement thrum through me as I lean forward. “Did you see me do something when we were together?”

The whole table is staring at me again. I ignore them because apparently this is my life for now. I hadn’t meant to ask the question out loud, but sometimes I get so caught up or invested in the conversation that I don’t realize what I’m doing.

I vaguely register Macy telling everyone that I can see and talk to Hudson—at least I think that’s what she says because suddenly everyone in the Order tenses up and turns to Jaxon, who just shrugs. Which is fine with me, since right now I’m more interested in hearing what Hudson has to say than I am worried about Jaxon’s friends staring at me.

“You mean besides keeping me trapped in stone with you for nearly three and a half months?” He raises one brow.

I sigh and throw my hands up. Because I already know that. “Yeah, that’s basically my point. I can’t imagine being much help on a team when all I can do is turn to stone. It’s kind of easy to catch me that way.”

Hudson chuckles. “There’s more, you know. Like, the wings aren’t for decoration only—you just need to figure out how to use them.”

That’s true. And Flint did offer to teach me—maybe I should take him up on those flying lessons sooner rather than later. I mean, if I can even turn back into a gargoyle again. I haven’t felt so much as a tingling over the last four days.

“I think I’ll sit the game out,” I say to the table at large, who are all still gaping at me—well, except for Flint and Macy, who are reminiscing about past Ludares tournaments. “I mean, you make it sound like so much fun, but—”

“No way!” Flint pauses with his fork in midair. “You have to play. Besides, your uncle mentioned that the prize this year is kick-ass.”

“Oh yeah?” Macy bounces excitedly. “What is it? He hasn’t even told me yet.”

“I was in his office when he got the call yesterday; that’s the only reason I know,” Flint tells her. “It looks like Byron’s parents have decided to donate the prize this year.”

“Really?” Mekhi looks surprised.

Actually, everyone at the table does. I remember Jaxon telling me Byron was the Order member whose mate was killed by a few members of Cole’s pack. Though, for a while at least, Byron seemed to think Hudson had somehow influenced the wolves to do what they did.

Hudson raises his brows. “Do I just get blamed for everyone’s deaths now?” He clenches his jaw and turns to read tomorrow’s menu posted on the wall.

“Stop taunting us and just tell us what the prize is, Flint.” Macy’s voice—a little whiny and a little annoyed—is what draws my attention back to the conversation this time.

Well, that and Jaxon shifting so that he’s pressed against my back, his chin resting on my shoulder.

I turn my face to the left so I can smile at him, and he winks back, then gives me a sexy little eyebrow raise that makes me think all kinds of things I shouldn’t be thinking about in the middle of the cafeteria—especially not when Jaxon’s brother is in my head, watching the whole thing.

“I’m not taunting you!” Flint sounds indignant now. “You guys are the ones who wouldn’t stop talking long enough for me to tell you.”

“Well, we’ve stopped talking now,” Luca says. “So spill it.”

“Byron’s parents have decided to donate…” He does a little drumroll on the dining table. “A bloodstone! And not just any bloodstone. It’s one of the queen’s favorites, from the royal collection, that she gifted his parents on the eve of his mate’s death.”

Everything inside me stills as I remember the Bloodletter telling us that she would take care of getting the bloodstone to us. This must be what she meant. A glance at Jaxon’s face tells me he thinks so, too—and that he isn’t the least bit surprised by this bit of news, either. He obviously had a good idea what the Bloodletter would do.

Which also makes his interest in playing Ludares right now—in the middle of everything we have going on—make so much more sense. If the only way to get the bloodstone is to win the tournament, then it looks like hell really has frozen over.

I just need to figure out how not to be a total burden—and, oh yeah, how not to be the first death—on the Ludares field in the history of Katmere.

49

Teamwork Makes

the Dream Work…

(or it Gives You

Nightmares)

“Hey, Jaxon, wait up.” Flint jogs up behind Jaxon, Macy, and me as we walk out of the cafeteria.

Jaxon turns, brows raised. “What’s up?”

“I was just wondering…” Flint trails off, and if I didn’t know better, I’d think he was panicking, though I don’t know why. I do know that he’s floundering, though, mouth opening and closing like he’s searching for words but has forgotten how to actually make sounds.

“Are you okay?” I ask, leaning forward to rest a hand on his arm. “You don’t look so good.”

“Oh, yeah. I’m fine.” Flint focuses on me for a beat, seems to catch his breath. Then says, “Sorry. Too many thoughts going through my brain at the same time.” He shoots me his ten-thousand-kilowatt grin.

I smile back—it’s impossible not to when Flint gives you that look—and tell him, “Yeah, that happens to me, too, sometimes. So what do you need?”

“Oh, right. I was just wondering if you wanted to spend some time practicing for Ludares today?” he says to Jaxon, then turns to me again. “We could even get that flying lesson in, New Girl.”

“Flying lesson?” Jaxon repeats, looking like he wants to say something.

“If it doesn’t get me punched this time, I thought I’d take New Girl up, show her some moves,” Flint tells him with a shit-eating grin. “Plus we still have that project for Mr. Damasen to finish.”

“And by moves, you mean how not to die in the air, right?” Jaxon gives him a look that’s half funny and half very definitely not.

“Absolutely. I’m not going to hurt her, Jaxon.” He holds Jaxon’s gaze as he says it, and his usual smile is completely MIA.

“Yeah, I’ve heard that before,” Jaxon shoots back.

“Stop it.” I bump him with my shoulder, even as I roll my eyes at Flint. “Ignore him. I’m really looking forward to learning to fly. But today we were going to do something different.”

“Oh yeah?” Flint looks interested. “Like what?”

“Nothing that requires an entourage,” Jaxon interjects.

“Who are you calling your entourage?” Flint demands with a wide grin. “Maybe you and Grace are Macy’s and my entourage. Right, Mace?”

For a minute, I think my cousin is going to swoon right here in the middle of the hallway. “Yeah, absolutely,” she tells him, and I swear the only thing more obvious than the stars in her eyes is the drool on her chin. “I think Jaxon would make a great entourage.”

Flint guffaws at that, even as Jaxon gives me a “what the fuck” look. I shrug back, because seriously, what is there to say? Except, “We’re going to the library to grab some info on gargoyle powers and the Dragon Boneyard. Then we thought we’d head up to Jaxon’s room and hang out as we research.”

“Oh, come on,” Hudson says, annoyance coloring every British syllable. “We don’t need Dragon Breath to find out what we need to know.”

Right. Because there’s no way an actual dragon might know anything about the Dragon Boneyard.

“The Dragon Boneyard?” Flint looks intrigued. “What do you want to know about it?”

“Everything,” I answer, linking one arm through Jaxon’s and the other through Flint’s. “So why don’t you come, too? You can help us figure out what we need to know.”

“Yeah, sure. What do you need?”

“We’ll tell you all about it when we get to Jaxon’s room,” I promise. Then I glance behind me at my cousin, who looks like she doesn’t know if she should follow us or not. “Come on, Mace. We need all the help we can get.”

“Awesome. Just let me text Gwen and tell her I’m not going to be able to hang out later.”