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Several teams would hunt down the creatures, and then the Collectors would teleport the unconscious creatures to a secure location. From there, they would be transported out of the city.
We were all sent away to change into uniforms that were resistant to the acidic substance the cripecs spat at their prey and other predators. After getting dressed and picking a crossbow, I returned to the meeting room and found several gods present, including Rumir. He and his fellow gods were all dressed in gold suits. Ours were black.
Rumir found me in the crowd and winked, but his eyes drifted past me, and his smile vanished. I took a deep breath, inhaling Lucian's scent, and I looked back to find him standing there.
After Rumir had mentioned the hunt to me, I’d asked Lucian about it. He’d told me he wouldn't be involved in it. Just like balls and parties, this hunt wasn’t something he ever took part in.
But clearly, he'd changed his mind.
“There will be teams of three, each with a god!” Braila announced. “Listen for your names, then find your partners.”
Lucian’s name was called first with another supernatural and the Roman goddess of the hunt, Diana. My name was called next, then Brian, who was already standing beside me, and finally Rumir, who would be the god leading our team.
Rehema and I looked at each other, and she hid her laughter behind her hand. "I have a feeling Rumir planned that," she whispered. I narrowed my eyes at him. He did look a little too pleased with himself.
I shook my head and watched as Lucian joined his team. I could see him introducing himself to his teammates, seemingly unbothered or unaware of Rumir’s pettiness.
“How’s everything in the land of love and mates?” Rehema asked low enough so only I could hear while we listened for her name to be called.
“Not as much love as I’d hoped—at least, not between those two. I wish they’d just put an end to this feud. I'm getting to get to know them both, but it's exhausting splitting my time between them and dealing with their hostility towards each other.”
Rehema’s name was called, and she waved to the Norse god of strength, a son of Thor, who would be her team leader. But before she walked over to join him and the fae chosen for her team, she leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Maybe you three should have some drinks and then a tussle between the sheets. It might help them see that they can work well together. I mean, fire and ice? It could be fun, if you know what I mean . . .” She winked, and I grimaced. “Sometimes the simplest solution is the correct one.” Then she chuckled and walked away.
I looked at Brian in shock, but he only laughed and shook his head. "Something is wrong with her," I said.
“That’s part of her charm,” he said, grinning.
“Who are you talking about?” Rumir asked. He’d come over to join us, and while he looked terrific in his uniform, I kept my compliments to myself.
“You made sure we were on the same team, didn’t you? And that Lucian was placed on another.”
“Yes,” he answered without a shred of shame. "We can't both be on the same team with you, and one of us has to be."
“No,” I argued. “I would have been fine on another team with another god.”
Rumir walked away as the doors opened and all the teams began to file out. “Well, it’s too late. Let’s go.”
He placed his hand against his chest, and a helmet materialized over his head. Brian did the same, leaving his face visible behind thin glass. One by one, all the other hunters did the same as we stepped out into the dark, empty city.
I followed suit, and the moment the glass covered my face, a blue light appeared in my line of sight, one for each hunter and gods like a heat signature. And in the distance, I could see red dots quickly approaching.
“Are the red dots the cripecs?” I asked Brian., and he nodded.
He nodded. “Are you ready, Natalie?” He and Rumir bumped their crossbows, then aimed them at the sky.
I watched the red dots get closer, and I found myself stepping forward to meet them. My hold on my crossbow tightened, and I took a deep breath and aimed.
“I was born ready, boys. Just try to keep up.”
