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The host turned his expectant gaze to me. “Yes, Mr. Rivers?”
“Whatwouldmake things personal for you?”
Von made apfftsound and waved my question away. “At my advanced age, not much truly bothers me. Almost all other beings have such short lifespans that it’s hard to get caught up in things the way you all do. If I took everything you poor creatures did or said personally, my long life would be beyond miserable. I’d have walked into the sun without protection or fallen on a stake by now.”
“Really?” J.D. asked. “It’s that simple for you?”
Von shrugged. “What can I say? I love what I do and the drama I get to witness. Speaking of, I think the fans are going to love what we have coming up this afternoon.”
What we needed was some way to make Von hate his job or do something to lose the fanbase. That prospect looked more difficult than ever, especially after what he’d just said. The guy acted like his entire reason for being was the show itself. Whatever we did, it needed to be aggressive.
Von clapped his hands. “I need you to go get ready for the challenge. The team has placed some outfits for you in your quarters.” He glanced at his watch and huffed. “I suppose I won’t get time for my massage, after all. Damn the luck. Oh, well. I’ll meet all of you down at the back door in thirty minutes.”
The host hopped off the stool and slinked out the door with the rest of the staff, the hovering cameras following along like dejected puppies. Two witches waited outside the door to lead the men back to the alpha den and the ladies back to their suites.
I needed a moment alone with Kira, but the pushy witch rushed her and Chelsey away before I could even try. Instead, I followed the others back to the bunk room. The whole time, I pondered all the ways I could tip Von over the edge, but none of my ideas held up under scrutiny.
The outfit laid out on my bed looked more like a uniform than the tactical outfits we’d worn in past challenges. I couldn’t describe it as anything other than gaudy. I’d never seen anything like the bright golden fabric. When I picked it up, the light caught the outfit and made it shimmer like liquid gold. Weird.
The strange jumpsuit was a little tight once I had it on. Not quite as bad as a leotard or something, but still snug. I felt ridiculous, but I was sure Von would soon enlighten us as to why we were dressed like circus performers.
“What the hell is this?” Tate grumbled as he stood in front of a mirror and gawked at himself. “We look like idiots.”
He was right, but I didn’t want to agree with him. Instead, I headed for the door, ready to get this over with. The others followed a few moments later, their boots thumping along behind me.
At the staircase leading down to the main level, we met Chelsey and Kira coming down. I gaped at Kira. The ladies had similar suits to us, but it seemed that Von wanted to play up the sex appeal. Kira and Chelsey’s outfits were skintight, more like body paint than fabric.
Kira rolled her eyes when she saw me checking her out. “Don’t say shit. I know I look ridiculous.”
“You look great to me,” Gavin said from behind me, and I suppressed the urge to kick him in the balls.
“There you are,” Von called up the stairs. “Come on down. We’ll head outside before we start.”
Von strode to the door and flung it open. As soon as he stepped out, an umbrella materialized and hovered over him to keep the sunlight off his delicate face. The group trundled down the stairs to follow him. I moved to join, but Kira grabbed my hand, forcing me to stop. When I looked back to see what was wrong, she was staring at the back of Mika’s head. She looked at me with wide, insistent eyes and jerked her chin toward Mika.
“Huh?”
Slowly, we descended the stairs. Kira looked at me like I was a dumbass, then jerked her head toward Mika again with more urgency. Suddenly, the pieces fell into place in my mind. I mouthed,Zoe?
Kira nodded and pointed at Mika once more. She’d gotten another message from Zoe. Mika would be our target for rescue during the challenge. That had to be what she wanted to tell me. Cameras and recording equipment were everywhere, and there was no way to say it out loud, but I got the gist. Through the crowd of alphas and staff, I watched Mika as we headed outside. I had to get word to him.
Doing my best not to draw attention, I quickened my stride to catch up to him. I needed to talk to him before Von launched into whatever spiel he planned to give. I touched his shoulder, and Mika turned, raising a questioning eyebrow.
“What’s up?” Mika asked.
I smiled. “Hey, man. I just wanted to say good luck,” I said, raising my voice to make sure everyone could hear. “You’re a great guy, Mika.” I leaned in and hugged him.
“Pansy assholes,” Tate muttered as he walked past us.
Mika stiffened when I hugged him. He knew something was up. Before he could pull away, I put my lips to his ear. “It’s happening. Heads up and be ready to be a guinea pig.”
My lips were right next to his ear. Even then, my voice was so quiet, I wasn’t sure if he could hear me. But when he pulled away, his eyes were blazing with excitement.
“Seriously?” he asked.
“It’s time,” I said with a nod.
Mika took a deep breath. “Okay. All right. I’ll be ready.”
