Chapter 6 Intoxicating

The Enchanted Forest sat in front of them. Its tree line a dark slash across a twilight sky. A void where light didn’t penetrate. The eery silence coming from the darkness setting the contestants on edge. Feet shifting anxiously, voices hushed and whispered while they waited for the signal to begin. The smell of panic and fear permeated the air making some anxious and fueling the predatory nature of others.

Alex scanned the competition, David standing stiffly beside her. Thousands of them waited in the field between the parking lot and the tree line. Eyes were wide and nervous, suddenly afraid to die. There was a mix of species. Most physical differences were subtle, pointed ear here, an odd, shaped pupil there. An odd combination of strength and delicate persuasion.

This was going to be a blood bath.

Shifters would shift once they hit the tree line. Their human bodies would transform into wolves or bears giving them the advantage of sight, speed, and brute strength. Built for the forest wolves would slip through the underbrush unseen and unheard, Bears crashing through like bulldozers.

They only had the night to make it through the forest.

On the other side an impenetrable monstrous door. A slab of ancient stone and metal that would close when the first rays of sunlight hit it. Anyone still inside the forest when dawn broke would be locked out of the Blood Race permanently.

Alex’s breath fogged in the cooling twilight as she scanned the field. The crowd pressed in tight, a living mass of nerves and ambition. David stood like a stone pillar, unmoving, tension rolling off him in waves.

Alex felt something else beneath the surface. A vibration in the air, like the forest itself was holding its breath. Magic pooled at the edges of her senses, brushing against her skin in faint, electric whispers. It made her fingers twitch.

Alex had lived on the edge of the Enchanted Forest her entire life. It had always been just quiet trees, cool moss, and the gentle buzz of insects. They had driven away from their sleepy little down and it was like her ears had popped from a sever change in altitude. Noise that had been muffled in the back of her mind rushed to the front, loud and sudden.

And the forest had recognized her.

The forest was excited. Eager. Hungry

It wasn’t just waiting for them to enter; it was inviting them. Drawing them in with dark ancient anticipation. The air tasted charged, metallic, like the moment before a lightning strike. The branches shivered in the windless dusk, leaves rustling in patterns that felt intentional, almost conversational.

Her dragon purred. The sound vibrating through her. A low thrum building in her chest. Like a cat arching their back for more pets. The vibration deepened, humming through her bones. Her senses sharpened, colors brightening at the edges, sounds separating into layers she wasn’t supposed to hear. She felt the forest’s pulse, its anticipation, it’s hunger for movement and magic.

David brushed her hand with his. “You, ok?”

She nodded, exhaling slowly. “It’s intoxicating.”

David grunted. He couldn’t feel it. Not in the way she could. All he could feel was the anxiety rippling over the crowd. Smell the adrenaline and nervous sweat.

Something shifted in the air. Alex’s dragon perked up. Her attention drawn away from the feel of the forest surrounding her even before they stepped past the tree line. Alex’s gaze drifted across the field. Not really knowing what she was looking for. But looking, nonetheless.

David shifted beside her, his voice low, meant only for her to hear. “What’s wrong?”

Alex hummed softly, “I’m not sure.”

There were people everywhere. But the distinct prickle of awareness that she was the target of someones focus, didn’t fade. It was unmistakable.

When she saw him, electricity sparked through her like she’d been struck by lightning, arcing through her from head to toe. Her pulse stumbled, then raced.

He stood unmoving, entirely focused on her. She couldn’t see his eyes from this distance, but she felt the weight of his attention sweep over her, precise and unyielding, searing her skin. The beat of her heart thundered through her ears, breath quickening.

Jesus he was gorgeous.

The last rays of sun beat down on him like a spotlight, glinting off his dark hair. His strong jaw covered in a day's worth of dark stubble. His forearms and biceps were tense where they crossed over his chest, his posture steady. The corner of his mouth tipped up in the beginning of a smile that sent a warm rush through her.

“Holy fuck,” Alex breathed, reaching behind her she gripped David’s hand. Her eyes stayed locked on the man from her past, her pulse hammering so hard she felt it in her fingertips.

David followed her line of sight and froze. “Damn, he looks just like him.” He murmured, his finger tightening around hers. David eyed the man who was the spitting image of the little boy they’d left with Lou earlier that afternoon. The only man David had ever seen turn Alex into a useless puddle with only his memory.

The silver eyed man didn’t move. Didn’t blink. Then his eyes flicked over Alex’s shoulder to David. His jaw flexed once. A small, controlled movement. But it snapped through the air so sharply David felt it like a punch to the jaw.

“Fucking awesome,” he murmured beside her. “You know, we got enough to worry about surviving this blood bath. Now we gotta worry about your boy toy.”

Alex turned and smacked his arm, scowling up at him. David didn’t flinch, but his mouth twitched like he was fighting a smirk. “I’m serious,” he muttered. “Dude’s got serial killer energy.”

“Yeah, and you’re a barrel of fucking laughs.” Alex rolled her eyes, but she smiled. He wasn’t wrong. The man was intense. His attention a physical thing, like a pressure against her skin. Her dragon pressed forward, curious, eager. Tightening like a coil in recognition.

A breeze swirled around her. Pushing on her back and pulling on the ends of her hair. The forest wanted her attention. Alex looked at the tree line, her breathing shallow. The wind circled her like a hand. Whispering in her ear.

David tossed his arm over her shoulder, anchoring her in place. “Alex…” his voice dropped. “Stop talking to the forest.”

The forest’s pulse throbbed against her skin, warm and insistent. Like a heartbeat syncing with her own. The branches shivered, a ripple running through the tree line like something massive had exhaled.

“I’m not.” Alex murmured, but her voice was breathy. “She’s talking to me.”

David heaved a weary sigh. “Great.”