Page 109 of The Hunter's Empire

I shake my head. "You're unbelievable."

"You'll thank me later when you stop pretending you're not keeping score too."

I don't answer. Mostly because he's right.

The hours blur together after that. Every patrol we separate, every ambush we survive, somehow becomes another point on an imaginary scoreboard neither of us ever agrees to, yet both of us keeps updating.

Nico drops another man with terrifying efficiency before glancing over his shoulder. "Two."

"Oh, don't start."

"You sound nervous."

"I sound annoyed."

"There's a difference?"

"There will be when I beat you."

He laughs under his breath. "We'll see."

Not long afterward, another attacker wanders too far from his team. When I rejoin Nico, I don't say a word. I simply wipe my knife clean.

His eyes narrow. "...Three?"

I smile sweetly. "Keeping up already?"

"I was letting you catch up."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

By evening we're tied, and neither of us is willing to admit how invested we've become. Another patrol appears. Another opportunity.

When it's over, Nico strolls back toward me with an annoyingly satisfied expression, cleaning his knife before slipping it back into its sheath.

"Eight." He says, sounding far too pleased with himself.

I glance at the body lying a few yards away and fold my arms. "I distracted him."

"You threw a rock." Nico replies, raising an eyebrow.

"He turned around, didn't he?"

"He turned around because someone threw a rock at his head."

"Exactly. I created the opportunity."

Nico lets out a quiet laugh. "I created the opportunity. I killed him."

I shrug. "Minor details."

"They're very important details."

"Says the man obsessed with keeping score."

He shakes his head, a reluctant smile tugging at his mouth. "You've invented your own scoring system."

"I prefer to think of it as... flexible."