Page 46 of Rattle the Cage

Her face spread into a wide grin. “That sounds nice coming off of your lips, Trinket.”

I wasn’t sure how I was going to manage the hike back up. But before I could even try to push off of the tree, Blade turned her back, gesturing for me to hop up. “Told you you wouldn’t be able to use your legs. Come on. Let’s get you back to your precious stalker before she gets more jealous.”

I accepted the piggyback ride — on my wobbly legs, it would probably be dark out before we made it back up the hill. But while I was relieved to be spared the hike, the anxiety built in my chest with each step Blade took toward the summit.

Cyrus’ fury might mean nothing to her. But for me, the stakes couldn’t be much higher.

For every infraction I made against her, there was always the next Fright Night, and I knew Cyrus was the type to keep a score. The only question was how high my tally could go before the price was too much for me to pay.

24

TESS

While I was preoccupied with Cyrus’ potential fury, Blade was bounding through the woods like she didn’t have a care in the world. Given her blasé reaction to Cyrus’ peeping, a part of me thought she didn’t.

And it seemed like she was hellbent on chasing away my worry, too.

Sensing the solemnity in my silence, she hefted me higher on her back, picking up the pace as to a gut-clenching job.

“What are you doing?” I tightened my grip around her shoulders. “You’re going to fall and get us killed.”

“You’d better hold on tight, spider-monkey!” And with that, she took off at a full sprint.

My stomach churned with each leap and bound she took. Trees whipped past us at a dizzying pace. Blade bounced over fallen logs and rocks with all the grace of a wild dog.

And I couldn’t help the terrified squeals that escaped my lips. Nor the laughter.

By the time we broke through the treeline and into the clearing, I almost forgot what I was so worried about. Before us, a valley stretched across the horizon. An array of gorgeous warm colors sprayed across the trees that created a canopy over the area below.

The flat slabs of stone at the cliff’s edge made it easy to see where the mountain ended and a lethal tumble down would begin.

When Nash set eyes on us, her brow lifted instantly. “Seems like you two had fun.”

She would have had every right to be annoyed with us for ‘getting lost’ on her special day, but she wasn’t. Rather, the skepticism in her tone seemed to be fueled by curiosity. And the way her lip curved as she spotted the dirt on Blade’s knees told me that the mess of us confirmed her suspicions.

Instead, it was Cyrus who was being a complete and utter weirdo, pacing around at the far edge of the clearing.

“I’m starving,” Blade sighed, setting me down on the picnic table before taking a seat herself.

“You’ve eaten plenty,” Cyrus grumbled, arms crossed.

“Cooler’s over here,” Nash smirked, sliding the bag over to Blade and I. Inside were three wrapped sandwiches and a couple of beers on ice: two for me and Blade, and one that Cyrus seemingly refused to touch.

“Thank you,” I smiled at Nash, taking my pick from the cooler before Blade tore into her own sandwich.

“Fuck, these taste extra good today,” Blade murmured, sucking her finger clean with a wink.

“You’re a pig,” I mouthed, nudging her under the table.

But Nash seemed completely unfazed as she took a sip of her beer. “Enjoy it while it lasts. I’m not sharing when it’s time for dessert.”

I nearly choked on my food, raising a smile to both of my captors’ faces.

Any more orgasms, and these clowns are going to kill me.

Once I collected myself, Blade and Nash set aside their little pissing contest for the sake of my meal. Conversation flowed easily between them. They talked about the hike, Nash’s latest art projects, and Blade’s newest tinkerings around the park.

Despite their competitiveness, there was no bad blood between either of them. It seemed like as long as I was happy, they were happy.