Changeling Winds: Episode Two (The Bachelor Battles Book 2) Read Free Page B

the contestants were allowed to give a short statement, and I made sure mine would be remembered.
    “I'm so happy to be here. I'm sure it'll be a learning experience. Thanks soooo much to the Network!”
    I'd memorized the exact tones of those who'd come before me, so much that it was perfectly eerie. “I just love the complex and I can't wait to meet all the bachelors!”
    My sarcasm was holding them still and silent and I snorted, making those in the front row jump. My hand pointed at the camera, and my gravelly voice dropped low, into dangerous. “I’m a Pruett. Don't bet against me.”
    I spun toward the curtains, pulling the string on my cloak as I left the Block, revealing netted cloth that outlined my lean body in thin black strips. It was designed in a spider web, like Candy’s had been for her match, except my covering material was formfitting and the color of skin. In the camera glare, I appeared naked.
    Chaos erupted, catcalls and yells exploding from the drugged Bachelors. The stunned announcer tried to recapture the moment, to control the disorder with laughter.
    “Well, that is a Pruett butt, for sure!”
    Another round of yells came in response and I stepped slowly from The Block to found the waiting area empty. Damn! Candy had been ambushed as she moved off the stage. Why not me?
    I sighed in disappointment, taking my starless ID from the console before heading down the hall. Maybe there would be an assassin in my room.
     
    3
    My room was a mirror of Candy’s during her stay - a long green couch, a green kitchenette, and a washroom with a single green towel and bar of soap. The Network didn’t care for comfort or cleanliness, and I brushed the dust from the counter before setting my pack there. It appeared these rooms weren’t cleaned very often, but at least there were no bloodstains on the walls… yet.
    The small apartment was far from the digs I was used to. It was partially my family's wealth and skills that had brought me here. The entry fees were exorbitant and my parents hadn’t given their support. I’d had to use my part of the bounties I’d collected over the last two years. If I had been caught on the payroll before I was 18, we would have all been killed, but I hadn’t been. Instead, I’d helped bring in a number of high-profile targets and earned my place, but it hadn’t mattered to my parents. Despite all the successes over the last two years, my parents still worried, doubted I would survive here. Because before the Change, I hadn't been rebellious like Candice or even outspoken like my sister. I'd been nice .
    They didn't understand that part of my life was only a vague blur. All I could see, all I could feel now, was Need . And there was only one cure.
    My dreams the first night were vague, shifting worries that were interrupted by wakeful periods when I sent pink eyes around the darkness, poised to react. I did this for hours, savoring every 30 minutes I was able to steal and when the chime signaled sunrise, I was rested. Being a family tracker had toughened me up . I'd soon see if it was enough.
     
    4
    I woke in time to hear the view-screen in my room click on, signaling the start of the episode. All over this floor, other Changelings were being brought to alertness the same way and their growls pleased me. I didn’t mind rude awakenings. It was all part of the job.
    “We will now choose the Luck of the Draw contestant who will have three battles in a row to begin the episode. Viewers will vote on her match-ups as soon as we have a name. As usual, the Network will pick a replacement if our Luck of the Draw winner is defeated. No other official fights are held during this time, but attacks and assassination attempts are, as always, encouraged.”
    In the corner of the room, a platform rose from the floor and a thin control device slid out of the grungy, puke-green wall.
    “Please step onto the scanner and remain motionless.”
    As I did, rain began to drum against the