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ChapterTen
Ava
The vibe has clearly changed from jovial to serious as we’re divided into two groups and given time to plan our strategy and choose a captain.Roman and I are with Tessa and Luke, Rose and Jake, Rebecca and Emmett, and Carly and Michael.
“This sucks,” Michael grumbles.“They have Karl, who’s the best shot, while we’ve got Jake, who’s clearly the worst.Whoever is our captain is obviously leaving the show after today.”
“Not necessarily,” Roman says calmly.“Although there’s certainly a measure of skill involved, strategy can be just as effective.It makes sense for a submissive to be the captain so all the Doms can attack or defend.”
Everyone agrees with that, but for obvious reasons, no one wants to be the captain.
“It should be whoever’s lowest in the rankings,” Rebecca says.“They’re probably going home soon anyway.There’s no point in jeopardizing a couple that actually has a chance of winning.”
Tessa rolls her eyes at me, and I suppress a smile.
“You just want to decide that way because you’re in first place,” Tessa says scornfully.
“We should draw straws,” Emmett suggests.“That’s the fairest way.”
We all agree, and Luke pulls five small twigs from a nearby tree, which Roman holds flush in his hand as each of the submissives draws a straw.I don’t want to draw the short straw, but I don’t want to see anyone else get it either.Still, I breathe a sigh of relief when I pull a long stick.I’m almost as relieved when Tessa and Rose do too.Carly goes next, and hers is the short stick.
“All right,” Jake says briskly.“Looks like Carly’s the captain.”
She’s standing right next to me, and I can feel her trembling.I grab her hand and squeeze it encouragingly.“Don’t worry,” I whisper.“We’ve got you covered.You’re not going home.”
“You’d better hope you’re not hit,” Michael growls to her under his breath on her other side.“If we’re out of the games because of you, I’ll make damn sure you pay for it tonight.”
Carly pales, her fingers gripping mine like a vise.“You can’t do that,” she breathes.“I’ll use my safe word.”
“Get us eliminated and watch me,” he says with a cold glint in his eye.“Who’s going to know?I’ve invested too much in this to get voted off because some submissive bitch drew the wrong straw.”
I look around, hoping Roman or one of the other Doms has overheard Michael’s threats and will intervene, but I’m the only one close enough to hear his threatening words.
“I’ll be captain,” I volunteer.
Roman’s gaze slowly rivets to mine.He stares at me for one long moment, and then he nods curtly.“If that’s what you want,” he says, his voice cool.
We’re taken to our base by a member of the crew, and I stand still as my ankle is tied to a thick pine tree with a fifteen-foot length of rope.
“We aren’t going to let you get hit,” Tessa assures me.“You’re not getting eliminated today.”
Rose comes to stand next to her, her hands on her hips.“No way,” she adds loyally.“We’ve got your back.”She looks pointedly at my clamped nipples.“And your front.”She giggles.
I can’t help but smile.I’m not sure I would have survived this long in the games without the two of them, and I suddenly realize how much I’ve come to appreciate their friendship.If I get hit during this round and have to leave, I’m going to miss them almost as much as I’ll miss Roman.As dominating and cocky as he is, I feel a sharp pang of regret at the thought of not seeing him again.But I couldn’t run the risk of Michael hurting Carly.I don’t know if he would actually do what he threatened or could get away with it, but I can’t stand by and let Carly become a victim, even if it means I get voted off the games.
Our team plans their strategy, and with the exception of Michael, I probably couldn’t have chosen a better team.Not only are Roman and Emmett personally invested in keeping me safe, but they’re also the two most powerful and competent Doms in the games, and Tessa and Rose are as loyal as they come.Even Rebecca, as much as I dislike her, will be an asset.She’s got incredible determination and focus, and she wants to win more than anyone here.Although she may not care for me, she cares about the points.
The air horn sounds, signaling the start of the round, and Emmett, Jake, Luke, Carly, and Rebecca stealthily head out to look for the other team’s base.Roman, Michael, Tessa, and Rose stay behind to guard me.Although the other Doms tried to convince Roman to take the offense, given his skill at marksmanship, he refused to leave me.
Rebecca’s our scout, and she returns to our base about five minutes later to fill us in on the other team.
“We found their base,” she says.“Sabrina’s their captain.They’ve only left two people guarding her—her Dom Shawn and Megan.They’re clearly taking an offensive approach.”She turns her big blue eyes to Roman.“Roman, your shot is so accurate, if you go now, you could take Sabrina out before they even know what happened.”
“I’m not leaving Ava,” Roman says resolutely.“Plus they have Karl, who’s hunting Ava as intently as we’re hunting Sabrina.Our goal is to protect Ava first and foremost.”
“Fine,” she says huffily, and disappears back into the field.
“I don’t trust her,” Tessa mutters.
