We gather for the second challenge in the banquet hall.

The Draugur vamps look smug about Arsen’s victory, lounging back into their chairs and laughing a little too loudly. Cocky fuckers. The Baetal are on the opposite side of the spectrum. Behaving sullen and glowering at everyone over their drinks. Well, I was about to wipe the looks off everyone’s faces.  

“As the lady in dispute,” the officiating Elder says, turning to me. “The second contest is your choice.” 

I take a deep breath, hoping I’m making the right call here.  

“I choose. . . a quiz.” 

A chorus of confused murmurs echo from the crowd. Arsen and Niko appear pretty caught off guard as well. Note to self: If you want to stun an entire room full of self-loving supernarturals, ask them to use their mind over their muscle.

“Is this a joke?” Niko says, rising from his chair. Arsen does the same, lifting a brow at me. I know what I’m doing, handsome. Don’t doubt me.

“Not at all.” I answer.

“We’re vampires.”

“And?”

“What does this prove?” He asks. “Besides how ludicrous you are.”

I cross my arms, “Knowledge is power, is it not?” I glance around the room. Wouldn’t it make sense that my mate has power in numerous forms? Mind, body and soul.”

“But a quiz? That’s so lame.” A few Baetal behind him murmur in agreement.

“Only if you suck at it.” I give him a pointed look, “Is that what it is, you’re afraid you’ll look stupid?”

“Hell no.” Niko practically puffs out his chest like a goddamn rooster, “bring it on.” Arsen stands there, massive arms crossed over his chest, thoroughly entertained by our exchange.

Gawd, men are so easy. Imply that any part them is less than perfect, and they’ll immediately seek to prove the opposite.

Elder Farrow steps forward, clearing his throat. “This is . . . unprecedented.”

“Yes, but it is my choice, right?” I’m trying to sound confident, but I’m hanging on by a prayer here. This is my only chance to get ahead.

He shares a look with the other elders and then sighs, “Very well then.” 

Hell. Freaking. Yes.

“I’m not sure what we’ll need for this.” He adds.

Poor Elder Farrow, the guy looks thoroughly discombobulated, so I pipe in, “Actually,” I say reaching into my pocket, “I already ordered a few things for it. They were delivered this morning. So you’ll just need to set up the questions.”

“You had this planned?” He asks.

“One can never be too prepared, right?”

Elder Farrow eyes me for a moment then says, “Alright, we’ll postpone the next challenge until all arrangements can be made.” He signals to one of the human thralls and the man goes rushing out of the room. “We’ll reconvene shortly.”

* * *

Two hours later, Elder Farrow stands in the front of the banquet hall, much more prepared than before. “On the contestant’s request,” he says. “I have prepared a series of questions relating to earth science, chemistry and biology. They are all taught in high school level courses, for the sake of fairness.” 

Fairness. I.e. Not to make the Master’s look weak compared to a newly sired female.

Some of the other Elders brought out a table and chairs, arranging three buzzers I’d ordered off the internet a few days ago in front of each seat.  

“The first contestant to hit their buzzer after the question has been read will have three seconds to supply an answer. The contestant with the most correct answers at the end will be the winner.” 

Now, Arsen looked openly worried. Niko forced a careful blank stare. I had them both where I wanted them. Fuck sports. Fuck fighting this battle on a field where they had a constant advantage. It’s my turn now.  

We take our places at the table and I steal a deep breath, getting into the right headspace. I gave Elder Farrow the material to choose his questions from, but I don’t know precisely what he'll ask. Still, I've reviewed the books I gave him. I’m confident I’ll know the answers. And more importantly, I’m confident Arsen and Niko won’t. Not that I think even of them are stupid, but Science is my jam.

Besides, Arsen is more ‘brawns over book smarts’ type. And Niko was probably turned before public school was even a thing. I have this in the bag.  Elder Farrow clears his throat again, opening the notebook of questions.  

“Are you ready to begin?” He asks, smiling. The three of us nod as the crowd falls quiet, watching. Elder Farrow adjusts his glasses and reads the first question.  

“Which is the following is least likely to be an effect of global warming? A. Increased frequency of hurricanes. B. Decreased rate of photosynthesis in vegetation. C. Change in global precipitation. D. Loss of fertile delta regions for agriculture.” 

Arsen hit his buzzer instantly. 

“Yes, contestant?” Elder Farrow says expectantly. “You have three seconds to answer.” 

Arsen, looking slightly pale, stares at Elder Farrow in silence for two long seconds.  I swear he’s willing the answer to fly off the papers and into his brain.

“Could you repeat the question?” he blurts out at last. I hit my buzzer.  

“B, photosynthesis,” I say as soon as Elder Farrow turns to me.  

“Correct,” Farrow confirms. “The first point goes to Sasha. Question two. How many atoms are in a mole?” 

I hit the buzzer before he even reads the multiple-choice answers. 

“Six point zero two two times ten to the power of twenty-three.” 

“Correct.”  

Arsen is giving me a look like he can’t quite believe I’m real. Niko looks like he just bit into a lemon. 

“Question three. What percentage of animal species are invertebrates? A. About 25%-”  

Niko hits his buzzer, interrupting the Elder.  

“95%,” he says immediately.  

“Correct,” The Elder confirms. I’m a little impressed. But one easy question isn’t going to win this for him.  

“Question four. Which of these is not found in an animal cell? A. Mitochondria. B. Nucleus. C. Chloroplasts. Or D. Endoplasmic reticulum.” 

Niko slams his buzzer just a second before mine.  

“C. Chloroplast,” Niko answers and I feel a flush of anger.  

“Correct,” Elder Farrow confirms. “The score is tied two to two.” 

I glare at Niko, who smiles smugly back. Is he just better educated than I thought, or is he cheating somehow?  

“Question five. What kind of bond involves the sharing of electron pairs between atoms?” 

Arsen hits his buzzer first this time, though judging by the look on his face he’s not very confident.  

“B,” he declares. 

“This was not a multiple-choice question,” Elder Farrow says, looking slightly disappointed. While Niko is laughing at Arsen, I hit my buzzer.  

“Covalent bonds.” 

“Correct.” 

Niko and I go back and forth as the questions progress. I generally manage to stay a point or two ahead of him, but I clearly underestimated him. He’s making me fight for this. Arsen manages to score a few points through random guessing, but he’s mostly given up. At least I can make sure he won’t win two contests in a row.  

“Final question,” Elder Farrow says at last. “The score is nine versus ten in favor of Sasha, with Arsen commanding an admirable three. If Niko answers first we will move to a tie breaker. Now, what kinds of waves are present during an earthquake?” 

I hit my buzzer immediately.  

“Transverse,” I blurt out.  

“I’m afraid that’s incorrect,” Elder Farrow replies with a frown. Niko hits his buzzer before Elder Farrow can even finish saying the word.  

“Transverse and longitudinal,” Niko says, and I smack myself in the forehead with the heel of my palm, feeling like an idiot.  

“Correct,” Elder Farrow confirms. “Time for the tiebreaker!”  

He pulls three sheets of paper from his note book and lays them out in front of us, face down, along with a pen for each of us.  

“You have one minute to solve for the missing quantity in the balanced chemical equation on the other side of that page,” Elder Farrow says. “I will check everyone’s answers. If both Niko and Sasha are correct or incorrect I will continue presenting questions until there is a winner.” 

I swallow, my throat suddenly dry. Chemical equations are one of my biggest weaknesses. But Niko looks fairly nervous as well. Maybe I still have a chance.  

Elder Farrow starts the timer on his pocket watch and the three of us flip over our papers. The equation is. . . heinous. The material I gave Farrow was high school level, but it looks like he decided to go a little crazy with this one.  

For a solid minute there’s silence except for the scratching of our pens and a few curious whispers from the crowd.  

Finally, Elder Farrow calls time. I put down my pen with shaking hands. I think I’m right, but I’m not at all sure.  

Elder Farrow checks Arsen’s page first, frowning.  

“This appears to be a drawing of you setting someone on fire,” Elder Farrow comments.  

Arsen grins, leaning back in his chair with his arms behind his head. 

“It’s Niko. You can tell by the stink lines.” 

“I see.” 

Elder Farrow moves on to Niko, spending a few moments checking his work. Finally, he shakes his head, putting it down.  

“I’m afraid that’s incorrect,” he says. I breathe a sigh of relief as Niko strikes the table in frustration and glares at me like he’s daring me to have answered correctly.  

Elder Farrow checks my work, silently judging, and I cross my fingers, not at all confident that I’ve done it right. But if I can win this, I think I have a shot at winning it all. If I remembered enough about high school chem I might actually win my freedom.

After what seems like an eternity, Elder Farrow puts my paper down, clears his throat one last time, and announces the result.  

“Correct. Sasha is the winner!” 

I jump out of my seat with a victorious cheer. Niko snatches my paper, comparing it to his own with a look of disbelief, then throws them both down, stomping away as I continue to cheer over the polite applause of the crowd. Losing two in a row has apparently hit him hard. Arsen, conversely, doesn’t seem to care at all, waving cheekily at Niko as the other man stomps away.  

Traditionally we get a day of rest before the final duel tomorrow night, and the rest is usually spent celebrating or commiserating the results of the first two contests. The table is cleared away and the party begins almost immediately. It seems to be more for Arsen than for me, but I’m grudgingly included. Niko hasn’t returned from wherever he stomped off to sulk.  

“Fantastic work earlier,” Claudette says, approaching me with a drink in each hand. I assume one is for me, but after a moment it becomes clear she’s drinking both. “Arsen was completely out of his depth. Keep thinking like that and you might actually win this.” 

“I had to make up for that embarrassment in the first round,” I said, appreciating her support. She grimaces and gives me an apologetic look.  

“If I’d known he was laying traps I would have mentioned,” she says, and honestly, I believe her. “I mean, I did kind of expect them, and I figured you would to. I mean, why would he risk a straightforward foot race? Also going directly to the midpoint out in the open that way was a bit stupid…” 

“Yeah, yeah, I know that now,” I mutter, red faced.  

“What did you think he’d do when he lost sight of you, honestly?” Claudette chides me. “Anyone with sense would know where you were heading and go there to cut you off.” 

“I know,” I say a little louder. “I guess I wasn’t thinking straight. I was a little stressed out by all the fireballs. But I wouldn’t have done even as well as I did without your warning, so, thank you Claudette.” 

Claudette smiles, looking pleasantly surprised.  

“You’re welcome!” she says. “It wasn’t much honestly. Especially since you didn’t win anyway. Do you have a plan for the duel?” 

“A loose strategy,” I admit, shrugging. “Arsen and Niko will probably be mostly focused on each other. I’ll try to let them wear each other out while keeping them from killing each other, then when one goes down I’ll take out whoever’s left.” 

“Have you ever been in a fight?” Claudette asks, pursing her lips.  

“Not really,” I admit. “A couple of scraps back in high school…” 

“They’re both trained warriors,” Claudette says flatly. “Niko in particular will be going for the kill.”

“Since I’m the prize, I doubt he’ll actually kill me.”

“Perhaps not, but you’ll need a better strategy than that.” 

“Like what?” I ask with a shrug. “I’ve only had three days to train for this. Not exactly enough time to master a martial art or whatever.” 

Claudette presses her lips into a thin line, thinking, then pulls me away from the crowd towards the wall.  

“I can get you witch blood,” she says in a conspiratorial whisper.  

“What the fuck is that?” I ask, baffled both by the offer and by the idea of witch blood. Is that like a thing in the vampire community. Their equivalent of steroids? 

“Witch blood is packed with magic,” Claudette explains. “It makes vampires temporarily much stronger and faster. It strengthens any powers you have and can even give you new ones.” 

“And I’m guessing using it would be cheating,” I say, based on her furtive whispering.  

“Yes, technically,” Claudette admits. “But considering the advantage they’ve both got on you, I’d say it’s worth it!” 

I shake my head immediately.  

“If they figure out I’m cheating the whole contest will be void,” I say. “And considering I’m a brand-new vamp with no experience, suddenly being crazy strong and having a bunch of new powers would make it pretty obvious something was up. They’re already iffy enough about letting me compete in this challenge to begin with. I can’t risk it.” 

“But you won’t stand a chance just going out there and hoping for the best!” Claudette says, frustrated.  

“What do you want me to do?” I ask, hands up.  

“I want you to win!” 

Claudette fell suddenly silent, her eyes focusing on something over my shoulder. I turned to see Nikolai watching us.  

“I see the dress I sent you went to good use,” he says, eyeing Claudette.  

“Yeah, I love it,” Claudette says in her usual catty tone, swishing the skirt. “Thanks, by the way.” 

“You’re welcome,” Niko says tersely, then turns back to me. “Congratulations on the win.” 

“Thank you,” I say, eyeing him with suspicion. 

“However this turns out,” Niko continues. “I’m glad Arsen tasted defeat at least once. I would have preferred it to have been at my hands, but…” 

He shrugs, trying to play it off, but he looks more bitter than a sack full of lemons.  

“I also,” he begins, looking like it’s giving him some difficulty. “Wanted to thank you for your assistance in the first contest. It would have been…unpleasant to go into the duel with serious burns. It would only have been to your advantage to allow me to be injured.” 

“Not really,” I admit. “I don’t want either of you to die because of this stupidity. It would be better if we didn’t have to do this at all, but since you decided to insist on this dumbass challenge, I’m going to at least make sure we all live through it.” 

Niko gives me a strange look, one I can’t quite decipher.  

“You may want to adjust your priorities,” he says at last. “I intend to win this. I intend for you to be mine. And that means I will be killing Arsen tomorrow. I will accept no other outcome. I think you had best prepare yourself for that.” 

“This guy bothering you?” 

Before I can answer Niko, Arsen appears beside me, putting an arm around me.  

“No,” I say. “We’re just talking about the fight tomorrow.”

“Telling him how I’m going to kick his ass?” Arsen grins.

“About how I’m going to kick yours, actually,” I lie smoothly. “You’re both going down harder than you did in the quiz.” 

“Ouch,” Arsen says with a laugh. “Well, we’ll see about that. I’m glad you won a contest though. Made people think twice about you. Soon they’ll all think you’re just as amazing as I do.” 

He leans in to kiss my cheek and I can’t help a glow of pleased warmth at the praise. Claudette and Niko both look slightly disgusted.  

“Well, I have better things to do than hang around here all evening,” Claudette says. “Like getting hammered and fucking someone from the Baetal envoy. Later!” 

She sweeps off with a surprising amount of grace, leaving me alone with Arsen and Niko.  

“This party will go on all day,” Arsen says, squeezing me a little closer. “We should probably get some rest before the duel tomorrow.”

“It’s pretty early still,” I say, checking the time on my phone. “You really want to go to bed this soon?” 

Arsen grins, leaning in close enough that I can feel the warmth of his breath on my ear.  

“Well, I wasn’t thinking that we’d go straight to sleep...” 

I glance at Niko, my face turning red. There’s no way he didn’t hear that. Judging by the look on his face definitely did. Arsen grins. He’s rubbing it in. His hand on my waist squeezes tighter.  

“Enjoy it while you can,” Niko says, his tone cold as ice. “I’ll see you both tomorrow.” 

There’s a deadly promise in his voice that leaves me chilled. But Arsen’s reassuring arm around me makes it hard to take seriously.  

Niko stomps away and Arsen guides me towards the doors, waving goodbye to the party goers.  

We’re barely out of the main hall before Arsen is pressing kisses to the back of my neck.  

“Chasing you earlier was so hot,” he whispers into my hair. “It took everything I had not to tackle you and take you right there in the grass.” 

“What makes you think you’re getting anything tonight?” I tease, pulling away from him. “You threw a fireball at me! I’m a little offended.” 

“Aw, babe,” he whines and wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me back against him. “I’m sorry. Winning this, winning you, means everything to me. I might have been over enthusiastic. But I would never hurt you.” 

“Maybe I want you to hurt me,” I say, grinning.  

“Oh, don’t tempt me.” Arsen’s eyes are almost burning. He looks like he could eat me alive. I think I want him to. “The things I could do to you would curl your hair.” 

I grab the front of his shirt and push him against the hallway wall.

“Prove it,” I whisper.

We definitely break something on the way into his room. I think it’s a lamp but I’m not positive. I’m not paying attention to anything but Arsen’s mouth on mine, his teeth on my lip, his hands in my clothes.

My legs are wrapped around his waist, my arms around his neck. He’s got one hand on my ass, holding me up as we stumble blind through his dark room in search of a suitably flat surface. His kisses leave me breathless, my head spinning, until they find my throat. I feel his teeth there and my body pulses with heat. I grip his hair hard enough to hurt, pulling him closer, encouraging, and I feel the sting of his teeth just breaking the skin. I swear, clinging to him desperately. I don’t even know why that’s so hot but I want his teeth everywhere.

He throws me onto the bed, face down, and plants a hand in my back to keep me there, another grabbing my hips, lifting me onto my knees. I bite my lip, shivering with excitement as he tears away my pants. I hear fabric rip. I’m going to need to buy new underwear. Maybe I’ll get those lacy red ones this time. I’d love to see him destroy those too.

I expect him to plow right into me. Instead I gasp, nerves alight, as I feel the hot swipe of his tongue instead. His fingers slip inside me, curling against my inner walls as he rolls his tongue over my clit, applying a suction that leaves my legs kicking against the mattress, burying my desperate moans in the sheets. His free hand wanders, squeezing my ass, my thighs, claiming every inch of me as he drives me over the edge of orgasm and keeps going until I’m squirming and begging, my senses overloaded.

When he finally lets go, licking his lips, he chuckles at the sight of me going breathlessly limp.

“Pull it together,” he says, slapping my ass. I yelp, abruptly more alert. “I’m not done with you yet.”

He grabs my hips, dragging me up onto my knees and to the edge of the bed again. I hear the shuffle of his pants and the hot slide of his cock against my cheeks. But before he can slide in I kick out, catching him in the stomach. Not hard enough to really hurt him, but enough to make him stumble back a little while I roll over, certain I look as wild as I feel.

I grab him by the shirt and, eyes wide, he lets me throw him down onto the bed. I crawl over him, pulling my shirt off over my head as I do.

“My turn,” I say with a wicked grin. I rock my hips, grinding down against him and he groans, eyes fluttering closed, as my folds drag over the shaft of his cock. I take my time, ignoring his demanding hands squeezing my hips, my arms above my head as I just enjoy teasing him, giving him just a bare edge of the friction he needs.

“Sasha, please,” he begs, and I laugh. But I’m getting desperate too.

I finally raise my hips enough to let him find my entrance, and I watch his face I sink down on him slowly, the look of helpless bliss that overtakes him. I don’t stop till I’m fully seated, till he’s as deep inside me as I can get him. Rather than raising my hips I simply rock them, letting him grind within me. He curses, trying to thrust up into me, but I won’t let him. This is my show, for now anyway, and I’m not letting go of the controls just yet. When I do finally start to move, I take it as slow as I’m able. One long, gradual slide out, then an equally leisurely fall, followed by plenty of casual grinding in-between. He looks like I’m driving him crazy and I love it.

“Sasha, please,” he begs.

“Make me,” I reply, grinning.

He moves so fast I barely even see it. I don’t think he even pulls out of me. The next instant I’m on my back, my legs over his shoulders, and he slams into me so deep and hard that I see stars and shout his name.

I don’t think he could have held back if I asked him too. He practically folds me in half as he bends over me, hands on my hips and thighs, dragging me into his rough thrusts. It’s almost painful, but the intensity only sharpens my excitement. I can’t control my voice, wordless shouts as he drives me into the mattress. My fingers find my clit, driving myself higher as the world spins around me. Pleasure coils like a spring within me and releases all at once. I clamp down on him as I cum and he seizes up at the sudden tightness, swearing a blue streak into my shoulder. I feel him throb within me, then he grabs my knees, presses them to my chest, and drives in again, as hard and deep as he’s able, leaving me shaking as my oversensitive nerves burn. Finally he pushes in as deep as he can and I feel the heat of his seed spreading inside me.

He stays where he is for a long moment, breathing heavily. There’s sweat on his forehead and his face is flushed. He kisses the hollow of my ankle, my calf, the soft inside of my thigh. Slowly he lets me go. I didn’t realize how tight he was gripping me, the pressure almost bruising. As we both relax, he kisses me again, warm and tender. I kiss him back and catch his lip in my teeth.

“Pull yourself together,” I whisper into his ear. “I’m not done with you yet.”

He grins, squeezing me closer.

We exhaust each other, then limp towards the bathroom and fall into the tub together. I lay in the hot water, my head on his chest, fighting the urge to doze off.

“… Are you sure you’ll win tomorrow?” I ask him.

“Not a doubt in my mind,” he says with complete confidence. He brushes my wet hair back from my face with a gentle hand. I turn into his touch, pressing a kiss to his palm. “This is too important. You’re too important.”

“Then maybe you should let me win,” I suggest, not looking at him. “After all this, you know there’s no chance I’d choose Niko.”

“True,” he says, smiling. “But it’s not just about that. The Provokar aren’t just a fight over property. It’s also about proving yourself. Proving to the girl you love that you deserve her. That you’re strong enough to protect her.”

“You don’t need to prove anything to me,” I tell him, butterflies filling my stomach at the absolute warmth, the adoration, I see in his eyes.

“I want to,” he says. “I want everyone to know how far I’m willing to go to have you. To protect you.”

I’m still not sure, but I can’t fight the love in his eyes, or the soaring affection that rises in my chest in response to it. I think I’m falling in love with him.

“As long as Niko doesn’t win,” I say at last. “I think it’ll work out.”

He laughs and kisses the top of my head.

“We’ll see.”