Total pages in book: 164
Estimated words: 156728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 784(@200wpm)___ 627(@250wpm)___ 522(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 156728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 784(@200wpm)___ 627(@250wpm)___ 522(@300wpm)
“There.” She stepped back and grinned. “Shall we join the others?”
When Daisy emerged from the dressing rooms, the windows had darkened with the sky. Her breathing became unsteady. It was finally happening.
The sitting room was controlled chaos. Tributes in gowns of every color filled the space, their faces hidden behind masquerade masks as they stood nervously, waiting for the festivities to begin.
She spotted a few male tributes, but the women far outnumbered them. “Are there female hunters?” she asked as Aunt V walked beside her.
“There’s one that I know of. But most of the hunters are male.”
“One woman for five stags?”
Aunt V chuckled. “No, darling. The stags are for everyone. You’ll see.”
Her lips parted, but Aunt V was calling out another safeword drill to the room before she could respond.
Daisy found Maggie by the windows. She barely recognized her in the emerald gown with an open back that plunged to the base of her spine. Her dark hair had been swept up in an elaborate twist, and her mask made her enormous eyes look even larger.
“Daisy?” Maggie’s voice was uncertain. “Is that you?”
“Barely.” Daisy laughed, the sound strange and brittle. “You look stunning.”
“I was going to say the same to you. My God… This day has been utter insanity.”
She was grateful to have someone who shared her experience. Otherwise, she’d mistake it for a dream.
A woman in a white lab coat approached with an IV stand. Daisy stepped back, and her smile faltered. Lab coats had a way of making her stomach drop.
“I’ll need your arm.”
Daisy tucked her hands behind her, taking another step back. “Why?”
Her hesitation drew Maggie’s concern.
“For energy,” the woman in the lab coat explained. “It’s a mixture of vitamins and electrolytes.”
“Is it required?”
“It’s highly recommended. I suggest you take it.”
Daisy looked around the room at all the tributes getting hooked up to IVs.
“What do you think?” Maggie looked up at her, unsure.
Trust no one.
She shook her head. “I’ll pass.”
“You’ll regret that,” the tech said, without pressuring her.
Maggie held out her arm, and the woman swabbed the inside of her elbow. A second later, she was hooked to an intravenous energy drip.
When they were alone again, Daisy asked, “What does it feel like?”
Maggie shrugged. “A little cold. Nothing compared to that thing they stuck up my arse earlier. What an ordeal that was. I hope I never have to look at that man again.”
Daisy laughed.
“Attention, my little does!” Aunt V stood at the front of the room and tapped a champagne glass to get everyone to quiet down. “The Wrecking Ball begins in less than an hour. Once you’re escorted to the limos, you’ll be transported to The Preserve, where the Feast of the Fallen will begin.”
An uproarious cheer answered, the tributes now slightly overstimulated from their vitamin shots and transformations.
“A few quick reminders before we disembark. When you hear the starting bell, the hunt’s officially begun. You may run, hide, or stay and play. The choice, as always, is yours. Remember your contracts. You’re free to protect your body by any means as long as you do so without violating the rules.
“When a doe or stag is captured, the bells will ring again. All captures will be tracked by the organizers, who will be monitoring everyone, including the hunters, from cameras hidden throughout The Preserve. I suggest you keep your mask on at all times if you wish to protect your anonymity.
“There will be clearly marked safe zones to the east and west of the property, and one central to the main house. Use them if you need rest. You have a long night ahead of you, and the hunt doesn’t end until dawn. What is your safeword?”
“Timber!”
“Very good.” Aunt V raised her glass. “Now, a toast…”
Servants appeared with trays of champagne, passing them around in short order. The lab techs removed the IVs.
Daisy lifted her champagne flute and smiled at Maggie, then looked back at Aunt V.
“My beautiful does and my handsome stags.” Aunt V’s proud gaze swept over the tributes, her smile as genuine as her emotion. “Whatever your goals, whatever your fears, whatever you’re running toward or running from—may fortune forever favor you.”
They drank as one. A room full of strangers who might never know each other again once The Feast was done. Each tribute had fought some sort of battle in order to be there, and now they were heading into an unknown war.
Daisy drank her champagne, careful to swallow every last drop.
A strange awareness fell like a hush over the room.
“I hadn’t expected this to be so emotional,” Maggie whispered as the double doors opened.
“Please follow the escorts to the first floor,” Aunt V instructed.
Daisy’s heart raced. This was it. It was finally happening. The feast was about to begin.
Maggie’s fingers laced with hers in a silent show of solidarity that startled Daisy. She looked down at their interlocked fingers and back at Maggie.