Page 56 of Gilded Curses

He didn’t think death was on the table today. Desmond, Sheree, and all these other Elites were still having too much fun screwing with them. Death would come eventually, but until then, the mind fucks would build until the devastating conclusion.

They still had time to find a way out of this… or at least he hoped so.

If he didn’t play along with them, they would use Sahira against him. They were doing so now by separating them, and Desmond was very aware of it.

Orin refused to let the man see how much not knowing if Sahira was safe bothered him. When Desmond called a halt to the ride at the edge of the woods, he plastered on a grin and dismounted his steed. He patted the beautiful horse on its neck before handing his reins to the immortal who scampered toward him.

“Beautiful land,” Orin said as he studied the fiery trees. “I’ve been through many realms, but this might be one of the loveliest I’ve seen.”

Inwardly, he rolled his eyes at himself. Had he really used the word loveliest?

But that was the kind of thing Desmond would say, and when surrounded by freaks, it was best to act like them.

“Oh yes,” Desmond said. “We’re very blessed here in Epoch.”

“Very blessed,” he agreed.

When Loth snorted his disagreement, Orin almost shoved the brownie off his shoulder but decided against it. The little rodents had grown on him, but they had to play the game too. It was the only chance they had of all of them surviving.

“What are we hunting?” Zeth asked.

Desmond beamed so widely that all his teeth were on display. “I’m glad you asked.”

Orin immediately disliked that smile. It told him he was going to loathe whatever was coming.

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

“Technically, it’s not going to be a we hunt; it’s going to be a you hunt,” Desmond said. “As in, the four of you will hunt while the rest of us take bets to see who wins. We’ve never played this game, so I’m curious to see how it turns out, especially since you’ll be hunting the most dangerous game.”

Oh fuck.

Orin had seen much of what this realm had to throw at them and couldn’t imagine anything worse than those spiders or beetles, but obviously, something worse lurked within the shadows of these gigantic trees. None of them spoke, as none of them were willing to ask what they were hunting.

“Aren’t you curious about what you’ll be hunting?” a sweet voice asked.

Orin had never seen her arrive, and she hadn’t left the castle with them, but the crowd parted to let Sheree pass through them. She wore a dazzling red dress and serene smile as she glided through the group.

Desmond’s smile grew as he threw his arms wide. “There’s my lovely bride! We couldn’t let this glorious event start without you.”

Sheree stopped only a few inches away from him. She opened her arms too, but they didn’t embrace as they each air kissed the other’s cheeks.

He’d never met such pompous, immoral assholes before, and he was a dark fae. They lived pompous and immoral.

While they were putting on their show, Orin pictured smashing their heads together to make them kiss. He’d keep bashing until their foreheads cracked and their brains oozed out; it would be lovely.

It would probably be one of the last things he did, but it would feel so good. The only problem was, he’d leave Sahira vulnerable to what remained of these assholes.

“What took you so long, love?” Desmond inquired as they stepped away from each other.

“It took me some time to decide who else got to play,” Sheree said.

Orin stiffened as the crowd parted again. His breath caught in his lungs as he waited for Sahira to walk through the group next. There was no way he was hunting her or anyone else.

Instead of the three women they’d left behind, they led two dagadon men through the crowd. The guards had chained their hands before them and bound their ankles with manacles. Dirt caked their faces and tattered clothes.

“And who have you chosen?” Desmond inquired.

“Two criminals from the dungeons,” Sheree replied.