Page 76 of Killer of the Bells
Vale took one of the ropes from me and said, “Oh, for fuck’s sake. It was rats.” He threw it to the floor in disgust. “This is what family bonding gets you.”
“I thought Paris and Gareth were busy being not-quite homoerotic together.”
Vale snorted. “Paris didn’t have to be here to do this. He only had to tell his rats to come and do it for him.”
“Well, fuck.” My lower lip wobbled. “We failed. I’m never going to get the title now, am I?”
“The fuck you won’t,” Vale snarled. “Climb on.”
I got back on Vale’s back and he zipped us over to the Humvee. When I hopped off Vale, I saw that it was still slamming around like two massive men were fucking inside.
Vale didn’t knock like any sane person would; instead, he ripped the door clean off and shouted, “I demand a rematch.”
I peeked inside to see Gareth straining with all his might to get Paris’s hand down one final inch. The interior of the vehicle was in shreds, and none of the animals were around. Maybe Trixie popped them all away into her shadow or something.
Gareth looked up from his labors and said, “Oh, did we win?” He released Paris’s hand and straightened like they’d been engaged in nothing more than a friendly handshake. “Good job, Paris. I knew you could do it.”
“I feel like I’m having a stroke,” I said. “Is this what having a stroke feels like?”
Crazy. Every single person in my new family was completely insane. At least I wasn’t going to be the odd one out.
“It’s a common reaction when spending time among members of the collective. Don’t worry. It will pass.” Vale rubbed my back comfortingly. “Gareth, as the patron, you shouldn’t have been part of the competition at all. You’re disqualified.”
Gareth folded his massive arms over his chest. “There are no rules against it.”
“There should be. I’m bringing this matter to the forum.”
Gareth shrugged. “That will take a long time to sort out. It usually takes months for that group to decide anything. If you want to have a rematch with only Paris, it probably won’t be possible until next December. Are you really willing to suffer through another season of the bells?”
“It’s a price I’m willing to pay to keep a cheating bastard like you from taking the final title.”
“You tell him, sweetie!” I cheered.
“So, you want me to have the bells repaired for next December?” Gareth wasn’t smiling, but he still managed to give the impression that he was delighted by the outcome.
“I want you to have the bells repaired for next December.” Vale was openly seething, and I stroked his arm.
Gareth held out a hand to Vale, and they shook on it. The air tingled with magic, which told me that they’d made it binding. How much did Gareth know about magic? Did he know he’d made an unbreakable pact with Vale?
“Until next year, then. You’d better bring your A-game,” Gareth said.
“You’re not going to be a part of it, so it shouldn’t matter to you,” Vale said confidently.
“Only if the forum agrees with you.” Gareth casually smoothed a wrinkle from his shirt.
“Don’t you dare try to compete next year, you bastard,” Vale hissed, all confidence shattered as he transformed into the catty bitch I loved.
“I think I’ll have Baz on my team next time,” Gareth said, completely ignoring Vale.
“Yay! That means I get Paris! We’re gonna win for sure, right?” Vix looked up at his massive fiancé with excitement in his eyes.
“Anything you want, bunny.” Paris patted Vix’s head.
“How is it that everyone I know is so disgusting?” Baz threw up his hands, then turned on Gareth. “I need a fuck that’s twisted and unwholesome to wash the pureness from my soul. Are you game?”
Gareth looked at his watch. “I can give you thirty minutes.”
“I can work with that.” Baz grabbed Gareth's arm and dragged him into the woods. I wasn’t going to judge. I’d had a few unwholesome moments in the woods recently, and they’d been a blast.
