Chapter 564: The Victor and His Spoils
Chapter 564: The Victor and His Spoils
I climbed out of the pod. My legs felt weird. Simulation hangover. The body taking a moment to remember it hadn’t actually been fighting monsters in a nightmare forest.
Natalia waited by the exit. Her face held the particular blankness that meant she was processing strong emotions and refusing to let them show.
"Four thirty-two," she said.
"You saw?"
"Everyone saw. Live feed to the arena."
"How’s Reyna taking it?"
"She’s still in her pod. They’re comparing times now."
A screen on the far wall displayed the leaderboard. My name sat at the top. Golden letters against black background.
NAKANO, SATORI - 4:32
CABANA, REYNA - 5:47
OKOYE, ISABELLE - 6:03
TANAKA, KIRA - 6:41
VALERIUS, JULIAN - 7:15
Julian’s name glowed an angry red. Fifth place. Behind two Hounds and two Phantoms. The aristocrat must have been having a terrible morning.
"First event," Natalia said. "First place."
"Three more to go."
"Nike’s quest."
"Nike’s quest."
Reyna emerged from her pod across the chamber. Our eyes met through the crowd of technicians and competitors. Her expression carried something complicated. Frustration. Respect. A hunger that had nothing to do with food.
She crossed the distance between us with the confident stride of someone who owned every room she walked into.
"Four thirty-two."
"Hello to you too."
"How did you complete it that fast?"
"I ran in a straight line and hit things with a bat."
"That’s not strategy."
"It’s the only strategy I know."
She stepped closer. Close enough that I could smell the ozone clinging to her skin. Close enough that Natalia’s hand found my wrist in a grip cold enough to burn.
"Next event. Obstacle course." Reyna’s voice dropped to a register meant only for me. "No Aspects allowed. Just physical conditioning."
"Looking forward to it."
"You should be. Because I’m going to destroy you."
"You said that about the simulation."
"The simulation was warm up."
"So was my performance."
Her eyes widened slightly. Just a fraction. Just enough to tell me my bluff had landed.
"You’re lying."
"Am I?"
"Nobody holds back in a ranked event."
"Nobody normal."
Reyna’s lips curved into something between a smile and a snarl. "You’re interesting, Nakano. Very interesting."
"I’ve been told."
"By who?"
"By people who should have run when they had the chance."
She laughed. The sound echoed through the simulation chamber and drew attention from every corner. Technicians looked up from their tablets. Competitors paused their conversations. Even Natalia’s grip on my wrist loosened slightly in surprise.
"I’ll see you at the obstacle course, Stray Dog."
"Wouldn’t miss it, Crimson Comet."
Reyna turned and walked away. Her hips swayed with the kind of motion that was either completely natural or completely calculated. Either way, it was effective.
Natalia’s nails dug into my wrist. Ice crystals formed on my skin.
"She’s flirting with you."
"She’s competing with me."
"Same thing."
"You said that earlier."
"Because it keeps being true."
I turned to face her. Purple eyes burned with cold fire. White streaks in her hair glowed faintly from the Covenant bond processing the jealousy flooding through our connection.
"I only have eyes for you."
"You had eyes on her ass."
"I was assessing a potential threat."
"Her ass is a threat?"
"Everything about Reyna Cabana is a threat. Have you seen her lightning marionettes?"
Natalia’s expression cracked slightly. Not quite a smile. More like the memory of one.
"You’re impossible."
"Impossibly handsome?"
"Impossibly stupid."
"Stupidly handsome?"
She kissed me. Hard. Possessive. In full view of the simulation chamber and everyone in it. Her tongue traced my lower lip. Her fingers tangled in my hair. Her body pressed against mine with the kind of desperate intensity that communicated ownership in every language simultaneously.
When she pulled back, my lungs had forgotten how to work.
"Win the obstacle course."
"Planning on it."
"Not planning. Doing."
"Yes, my queen."
She released me with visible reluctance. I watched her walk toward the exit where Emi and Skylar waited with matching expressions of exasperation.
"The next event begins in forty-five minutes," Cel announced, appearing at my shoulder with the silent efficiency of an expensive assistant. "I’ve arranged for refreshments in the competitor’s lounge. Protein. Electrolytes. Nothing that will slow your metabolism."
"You’re a goddess."
"I’m practical. There’s a difference."
"Is there?"
Cel’s lips twitched. Almost a smile. "Noah will escort you to the lounge. I need to coordinate with Seraphina’s security detail for the VIP section."
"Your sister’s here?"
"My sister is always where power gathers. It’s a family trait."
She disappeared into the crowd before I could respond. Noah materialized in her place with the kind of seamless transition that suggested they’d rehearsed this handoff.
"The lounge is this way."
"Lead on."
We walked through corridors that all looked identical. White walls. Blue lighting. The occasional technician hurrying past with tablets and worried expressions. Noah moved slightly ahead and to my right. Her posture screamed bodyguard in a way that made other people step aside automatically.
"You’re good at this."
"At what?"
"The intimidation thing."
"It’s not intimidation. It’s presence."
"There’s a difference?"
"Intimidation requires effort. Presence is natural."
"Sounds like something a very intimidating person would say."
Her shoulder twitched. Might have been a shrug. Might have been suppressed amusement.
The competitor’s lounge turned out to be significantly nicer than our prep room. Actual furniture instead of metal benches. A refreshment station with food that didn’t look like it came from vending machines. Windows that offered a view of the arena above through some kind of one-way glass.
"Forty-three minutes until the next event," Noah said. "I’ll be outside the door."
"You don’t want to come in?"
"I don’t like enclosed spaces with only one exit."
"Professional paranoia?"
"Professional survival."
She took her position outside. I entered the lounge.
Isabelle sat in the far corner reading a book that looked older than most civilizations. Juan had already found a couch and claimed it for unconsciousness. Raphael paced near the windows with barely contained energy.
"First place," Raphael said when he saw me. "Not bad for a C-Rank."
"I’m versatile."
"You’re something, alright."
I grabbed food from the refreshment station. More protein bars. Fruit that might have been synthetic. Water that definitely was. The body needed fuel and the next event didn’t allow Aspects. Pure physical competition. Speed and strength and conditioning.
Exactly the kind of challenge I shouldn’t be winning against opponents who’d trained their whole lives.
Exactly the kind of challenge I was going to win anyway.