Chapter 162Vic turned and even through the blood trickling from his nose I could see his smirk. "Prove it, sweetheart. Accidents happen.""Accident?" The word came out sharp. "You sped up into him.""He was in my way.""He'd already won. He'd already crossed the finish line.""So?" Vic pulled off his helmet and spit blood. "He humiliated me. Made me look like a fool in front of everyone.""You ARE a fool," Sarah said, appearing beside me. Her voice was shaking but her eyes were fierce."He got what he deserved," Vic said. "Thinking he's so much better than everyone else, showing off, making the rest of us look bad.""He IS better than you," I said. "He's better than all six of you combined and you can't stand it.""Won't matter if he's dead," Vic shrugged, actually shrugged, like Tristan's life meant nothing.I wanted to kill, to suck the filthy life off him.The violence in my chest exploded outward and I moved toward him, my hands curling into fists, not sure what I was going to do
Chapter 161AthenaTristan jumped over it without losing speed, the bike's front wheel lifting and clearing the obstacle before slamming back down."Jesus," Orion breathed.Behind him, Jensen wasn't as lucky or skilled. He tried to swerve around the pipe, got too aggressive, and clipped it with his back tire. The bike started to wobble, Jensen overcorrected, and suddenly he was sliding sideways. Marc couldn't avoid him, they were too close, moving too fast, and his front wheel hit Jensen's bike.Both riders went down in a spectacular crash of metal and sparks and screaming tires.The crowd gasped as the two bikes tumbled across the track, but both riders were already rolling away, alive if not uninjured.Two down.Four left chasing Tristan.Cole was in front of the pack now, riding recklessly, and the other three were right behind him. They'd lost their careful coordination and gone pure aggressive, no more strategy, just raw speed and determination.The final turn was coming up, the
Chapter 160Vic swerved right, hard and deliberate, but Tristan had already heard the change in Vic's engine, had already sensed what was coming through a dozen tiny signs normal people couldn't process. He braked for maybe half a second, just enough to let Vic's bike sweep past where he'd been, then shot forward into the gap Vic had just created.Fourth position now."He's reading them," Orion said, something like awe in his voice. "He's reading all of them at once.""What do you mean?" Sarah asked confused."Every rider has tells," Derek explained, his eyes never leaving the track. "The way they lean before a turn, how they adjust their grip before speeding up, the sound their engine makes when they're about to shift. Most riders can maybe track one or two opponents at a time. Tristan's tracking all six at once."They went into the next turn and this is where it got really dangerous. The turn was tight, banked wrong, with a concrete wall on the inside that had ended more than one r
Chapter 159Athena"God I still can't believe you got him to race," Sarah said next to me, her voice tight with nerves.I watched Tristan on Derek's bike at the starting line, rolling his shoulders with that smooth, dangerous grace that always made my breath catch. "He wanted to. I could see it in his eyes.""Still," Sarah said, "Tristan never goes back on his words, I never believed he'd race again.""So did I," Orion said, his other arm holding her waist, but there was something almost excited in his tone now. He knew what Tristan could do. We all did.Down at the starting line, Tristan moved with easy precision, testing the bike's weight, checking the tire pressure with his boot. Even from here, I could see the change in him—the way his senses were already taking everything in. Wind direction. Track temperature. The slight shake in one of the other bikes that meant something was loose.Derek stood beside him, probably giving last-minute advice, but Tristan wasn't really listenin
Chapter 158Athena"Or maybe you just haven't found the right dresses yet," Kiara said. "Don't give up."The consultant at the third shop was older and had this knowing look in her eyes when I explained what I was looking for."I think I have exactly what you need," she said, disappearing into the back.She came back with two dresses, one draped over each arm, and the moment I saw them I felt my breath catch."These," I said, pointing. "Can I try these?""Of course," the consultant said with a smile like she'd known all along these would be the ones.I tried on the mating ceremony dress first and the moment I saw myself in the mirror I knew this was it.It was flowy and romantic with delicate lace sleeves and a skirt that moved like water, it felt ethereal and connected to nature and absolutely perfect."Oh my god," Sarah breathed when she saw me. "Athena, that's the one.""You look beautiful," Kiara agreed."Like a fairy princess," Leah added.I turned in front of the mirror, watchin
Chapter 157AthenaI showed the message to Tristan who laughed."You should tell her no," he said."I know," I said, typing back a response.Me: You're stuck with him. Just like I'm stuck with him being best man. We suffer together.Kiara: This is your fault, you know. You're the one who made us work together.Me: I thought it would help!**Kiara:** You thought wrong. The man is insufferable.Me: But you're still doing it?Kiara: Of course I'm still doing it. I'm not going to let him run me off. I just needed to complain for a minute.I smiled at that, at least Kiara wasn't actually going to quit, even if she and Derek drove each other crazy."Crisis averted?" Tristan asked."For now," I said.He pulled me closer and I settled against his side, his hand still on my stomach even though there was no visible sign of the babies yet, I was almost seven weeks now and while I'd had some nausea and fatigue, I wasn't showing at all."How are you feeling?" he asked, like he did multiple times