Total pages in book: 186
Estimated words: 176552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 883(@200wpm)___ 706(@250wpm)___ 589(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 176552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 883(@200wpm)___ 706(@250wpm)___ 589(@300wpm)
“We really should have paid more attention to this last year. What does capturing entail?” Roxxi asked.
Arianna answered this time. “It varies, but it has to last at least four minutes.”
“That’s not so bad. Four minutes isn’t a long time,” Layla pointed out.
“Yeah, no. We don’t know where or when this would happen, and I’m not keen on someone who will have gone out of their way to scare the shit out of me and make my life hell day after day, holding me captive for any amount of time. I’m sure it would feel like a damn eternity by that point.”
She went quiet for a moment, her appetite clearly gone. “Well, if we’re Marked, there’s nothing we can do about these people in masks. The car thing can’t be okay, though. The Hunt has rules, so there’s no actual harm.”
“Besides mental trauma,” Roxxi confirmed, her eyes trained on her own phone. “But hey, according to this, there’s a way to win for us too. If you last the whole duration without being caught—no capture, no submission—you win instead. Your name gets engraved on a plaque in the theater auditorium.”
“Does it say what happens if we don’t win?”
Roxxi’s brows rose. “Besides the obvious? You’re listed on your Huntsman’s scorecard like a war trophy.”
I tried to think positive thoughts, finding that harder and harder to do as I scrolled through the archived Hunt threads on my phone. “Maybe we should find a bunker and ride this out in there.”
“Good luck with that,” Cloe laughed. “Did you see the post from last year where they flushed a girl out of her cellar with a smoke bomb?”
“Nope, somehow missed that one.”
Roxxi cleared her throat. “According to the FAQ, Marked are determined by an auction system once a list of names makes it through a pre-betting process. Huntsmen can join only by invitation. They then pay to play and put bids on who they want to Mark, or choose to get someone at random. If they win and complete The Hunt, their payout doubles. If they lose?” She shrugged. “Crowsfell keeps the money.”
“That’s exactly how it works,” Ari confirmed. “Monetary amounts are kept private until everything is said and done. We don’t even get to see how much we’re worth.”
“This is all so…” I fished for the correct word.
“Archaic,” Cloe supplied.
“It’s more than just a name on a wall, then? You can actually earn money from this?” Layla questioned. From her tone, it was clear she’d just taken a different kind of interest in this whole ordeal. From her perspective, the money probably meant something more. I was aware enough to know survival looked different when your options weren’t stacked with privilege.
“We’re learning about this right along with you, but it seems like it,” I told her honestly, reaching for my tea again.
Roxxi pushed her plate aside and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table.
“When are we telling the guys about this?”
Layla glanced at me. “You should at least tell Ashton.”
Roxxi peered at her over the rim of her phone. “That was a given. Is he not a guy?”
“They’re already going to know, there’s no way they wouldn’t, but we still need to tell them ourselves outside of a text or the gossip that’s sure to start going around once it is confirmed,” Ari said.
We agreed, and Roxxi straightened in her chair. “Moving on then. We’re getting cameras. As a house full of single women living on our own, we should’ve had them already, but now it seems even more necessary.”
“I’ll handle it tomorrow,” Cloe volunteered. “My dad’s got a vendor for everything. I’ll get the window repair handled too.”
“Thanks for that. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of having it fixed until just now.”
“Because you’re dead on your feet. You look ready to fall asleep at any second,” Roxxi assessed.
“Oh, I’ll be out like a light the second my head hits the pillow.” I smothered a yawn before I added, “I think I should drive myself tomorrow, mix our routine up. See if anything happens.”
Layla’s brows pinched. “Alone?”
“I don’t like that idea, Sanj,” Ari objected.
“I’ll go straight from the house to my car,” I reassured her.
“In that case, I should hide out in your trunk then,” Roxxi suggested.
I couldn’t tell if she was joking or not.
“Rox, no. It’s not like I’m going to get murdered outside our front door. I always ride with someone else. I want to see how closely we’re being watched pre-Hunt.”
“You’re sure?” Ari pressed gently.
“Yeah. I—we need to get a feel of things. Now that I know we’ve been Marked, I have no intention of letting us lose this Hunt. I don’t care if we’re dealing with one Huntsman or four.”
Cloe grinned at me. “I know that’s right.”
“I’m in agreement with that. No way we’re losing,” Roxxi echoed.