Chapter 26 · The Contract Bites Back

The dying hunter's fingers dig into my ankle. Her lips move around that name—the one I buried with my last life.

I drop to my knees. Fast. My hand clamps over her mouth before the second syllable gets out.

"Wrong person," I whisper. My fingers press hard enough that her chapped lips split against her teeth. "You're confused. Blood loss does that."

Her eyes are already glazing. She tries to shake her head but there's no strength left. The grip on my ankle goes slack.

I pull back. Stand up. My leg's smeared with her blood.

Cain's still on the ground a few feet away, clutching his shoulder. The knife went deep. There's too much red spreading through his shirt. His face is pale but his eyes are locked on me.

"What did she say?" His voice comes out rough.

"Nothing." I keep my tone flat. "Gibberish. She's gone."

The other hunters are backing off now. The prey-and-predator dynamic flipped the second people started dying for real. This was supposed to be a game.