The Marriage Game

In Which Camila Breaks Things

They ended up stuffing Declan into the laundry room. Camila felt bad about it, but whenever she was in the same room as him, every intelligent thought vanished, leaving her with an empty, obsessive desire to make him hers.

She hadn't tried to shift yet—and didn't plan on it—but her body felt different. She'd devoured the rest of the poorly-cooked eggs, an entire package of cheese bread, a chocolate bar, and her stomach still felt hollow. She kept accidentally breaking things with her newfound strength—the cabinet doors, the alarm clock, the fridge—but her senses were fantastic. When Declan came to, Camila heard the change in his breathing from another room. When Alex cracked open a window, Camila could smell everything on the streets below.

She tried to stay wary of her newfound abilities, but every time something happened, she couldn't help but smile a little.

I'm basically Captain America, but with Daredevil's senses and Wolverine's claws. She'd think, crossing her arms in a hero pose and narrowing her eyes like she was ready to fight crime. Let's see Declan try to kidnap me now.

And then she'd feel guilty. It had only been a couple hours, but she knew Declan was awake. Alex checked in on him from time to time, making sure he was still captive, but Camila didn't want to see him. She didn't know how to feel about him.

But no matter how hungry she got, she didn't touch the chocolate-peanut butter popcorn in the cabinet. It felt wrong to eat it without him.

Alex reached past her and grabbed a thin salt shaker. "Capitalized T means tablespoon, right?"

"Um." Camila frowned. She tugged the cookbook towards her. "Maybe? Just go with it."

"Or we could Google it."

Camila elbowed him. "Where's the fun in that?"

Despite her protests, Alex insisted on Googling the symbol for tablespoon. They were trying to make brigadeiros and, having both grown up in a palace with a team of kitchen servants available twenty-four seven, they were struggling.

Camila eyed the batter. It was a rich chocolate brown, smooth and creamy. She stuck out a finger and tasted it.

"Are you trying to give yourself Salmonella?" Alex snapped, batting her hand away. She laughed. The batter tasted heavenly: sweet and salty in the perfect proportions.

Although it wasn't as if she'd been eating at five-star restaurants lately, so perhaps her judgement was a bit skewed.

"I'm a werewolf princess. I'm not going to get Salmonella."

"That's what they all say," Alex said grimly. "You know Salmonella can kill you."

Camila held up a finger. "Actually," She tapped rapidly at Alex's phone. She'd missed Google dearly. "Webmd says Salmonella is rarely fatal."

Alex sighed and kept stirring, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Camila leaned against the kitchen counter, taking in the moment. After strenuous travel, vampire attacks, and the constant fear gnawing at her stomach, she was safe and happy. Her parents were alive, Alex was with her, and—even though she still needed to take back her kingdom, save her parents, and get Jared across the aisle—she felt grateful.

Things were looking up.

Alex caught her eye. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Nothing." She smiled. "I'm just happy."

Something slammed against the wall of the room next to them—the laundry room. Camila jumped into action, grabbing a hefty kitchen knife, and darting down the hallway to the room where Declan waited. She kicked at the door and-

Shit.

It promptly broke off its hinges. She imagined the hotel staff would be alarmed and angry when they finally worked up the courage to perform room service, but Camila figured the Vindicators were footing the bill. The more damage she could do, the better.

Declan grinned, showing all his teeth. "It's about time you came to visit me. I was getting bored." His restraints were still in place, but he'd managed to slam the side of the chair into the washer, leaving a deep dent in the white plastic.

Then, like a ton of bricks, the mating bond slapped her in the face.

Camila tripped, stumbled forward, struck with an immense desire to touch him-

Alex placed a steadying hand on her back and her mind snapped back to reality. Declan was a ruthless criminal. He wasn't on her side and he never would be. She took a trembling breath in.

"Do you have any more of those knockout darts?" she asked Alex. She kept a firm grip on the knife, ready to use it if necessary.

"Maybe five more? We might want to save them." Alex frowned. "He's kind of annoying though."

"Well-" Camila started, instinctively leaping to her mate's defense. She stopped, reminded herself she was in charge of her own emotions, and reevaluated her stance. "He's an acquired taste."

"You remember when he threatened to kill you? That was a month ago, Camila. And let's not forget that he kidnapped you and was part of a coup to take down the palace. I'm allowed to be annoyed." He glared in Declan's direction, but when he looked back at Camila, his gaze was painfully soft. "It's your choice."

"I'd recommend keeping me awake." Declan smiled expectantly. "Actually, I'd recommend letting me go. We could come to an arrangement, Camila."

For a brief moment of insanity, she considered it. He was her mate, after all, and no matter how much she wanted to hate him, she couldn't. He was an incredible fighter and a powerful werewolf. If he ever actually joined her side, he'd be an incredible asset.

But she couldn't trust him.

"No." She squared her shoulders and looked him dead in the eye. "There's not going to be any bargaining or any more arrangements. You're the prisoner here. And right now, I don't want to worry about you."

She nodded to Alex. "Knock him out."

"You got it." Alex said, striding out of the room to grab another knockout dart.

Declan shook his head, chuckling quietly. "You're going to regret this. Not as much as that vampire will, but you are going to regret this, Camila. Make a deal now, and I might just go easy on the pair of you." He spoke with confidence, like he'd already won.

A shiver ran down her spine, but she ignored it. Instead, she tossed the knife casually from one hand to the other. It spiraled in midair, the pointed tip kissing the ceiling, as Camila did her very best to look intimidating.

"No deal," she said softly. Then, without a backward glance, she left the room.

Thank you for reading! You're a magnificent human being and I'm eternally grateful for your time!

-Harley