Page 30 of Lust & Lollipops

But if Kaden possessed even a sliver of the protective instincts Cameron had, my little idea was going to be a huge success.

“Can you what?”

“Never mind. I don’t want to make you a target like Julian,” I said quickly.

“I have allies,” Kaden urged. “We can protect you. What’s the question?”

I hesitated for another minute before finally sighing. “Can I sleep next to you and your friends in the shelter? I hate being close to Kyle, and I don’t want to end up next to Oren or Travis if they can manipulate my mind.”

“Of course. We’ll switch places every night so no one gets particularly suspicious of any of us,” Kaden agreed readily. “We’ll do what we can to keep you safe from them.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course.” He gave me a small smile, and I tried to return it.

My failed smile only supported the game I was playing.

The next two days felt endless.

It was just me, the guys, and the island.

We ate an assload of fish.

My stomach still rumbled frequently.

We wove more palm fronds and kept beefing up the shelter, finally making it big enough for everyone who wanted to sleep beneath it.

Travis, the guy with the compulsion magic, refused to sleep snuggled up with the other guys. Cam played along with that too, so they both made their own little shelters just out of everyone’s sight.

I didn’t talk to him the third or fourth day on the island. I couldn’t get away without making it obvious. He couldn’t either.

So, I stuck with Kaden’s trio and otherwise kept to myself. Everyone knew I “felt betrayed” after the Julian vote, so the lack of friendliness seemed natural.

Halfway through the fifth day, a boat showed up to pick us up. The ride was quiet, and we eventually landed on a small, desert island.

I looked up and down the structure that had been built on it, my eyes widening as I realized what the tall, wooden walls and other strange shapes were.

A maze.

A gigantic maze.

The sound of mechanisms whirring and the sight of shapes moving overhead told me that the walls of it must’ve been able to move or rotate or something.

Cameron whistled from where he stood a few guys back from me.

Chris muttered a curse.

Rhett grabbed a sheet of instructions off a wooden bench to the side of the maze. I walked to the bench, assuming it was for me, and sat down as he cleared his throat.

“Today’s challenge is simple. Get through the maze. The last two guys through lose their votes in tonight’s council. The first two spend the rest of the day and tonight on a private beach with Molly. There will be shade, sustenance, and a bed big enough to share.”

My eyes widened.

What if the two guys on the island with me were Kyle and Travis? Or Oren? Or what if they were Cameron’s allies, and he got voted out while I wasn’t there to see him or act like I was all over Kaden? Or?—

“No destroying walls. No magic. No wings. Anyone who breaks any rule or any part of the maze will immediately lose their vote and be removed from the challenge. Are we clear?” Rhett looked out at the group.

All of the men nodded, their wings shimmering for a moment before they disappeared. The men shrank back to their human sizes, their horns vanishing as well.

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