Slayers by C. J. Hill

thrown in the lake, but she always showered after running. Besides, the water heater must have had a chance to reheat since her first one.
    “Don’t change yet,” Jesse said. “We’ve still got to go up to the Easter grounds. We were waiting for you to show up so we could leave.”
    “Sorry, I already went running.”
    She tried to walk around him, but he shifted, standing in her way. “I told you that we go together every night. It’s a team competition, and you’re on my team.”
    “Yeah, about that …” She took a step sideways. “I’m not really into team camaraderie and camp spirit and all of that. Besides, it’s stupid to run this late. I’d probably sprain an ankle.”
    He moved, blocking her way again. Even in the dark, his eyes looked deep and intense. His pupils were so large, his eyes seemed completely black. “You didn’t have a flashlight on the way down, and you could still see fine.”
    “Yeah, but that’s because it’s not all the way dark yet …” She glanced at her watch. It was almost nine o’clock, well after sunset. She looked at the sky next, expecting the moon to be full and hanging in the sky like a giant night-light. Instead, only a curving sliver sliced through the sky. “Why is it so light still?”
    “Your first night is an initiation into the group,” he said. “You have to come.”
    Her gaze stayed on the moon, trying to understand. True, the stars blazed white and strong, unhindered by city lights, but they weren’t bright enough to light up the forest this way.

    So softly that he must have been speaking to himself, he said, “You are one of us.”
    She didn’t pretend that she hadn’t heard him like she usually would have done. Instead, she turned her attention to him. “And what are you, Jesse?”
    He smiled at her, and the darkness left sinister shadows across his face. “You’ll see up at the Easter grounds.”

CHAPTER 9
    T he panic that Tori had felt during her run began to prickle up her spine again. Casually, she took her phone out of her pocket to see if it got service down here. It didn’t. Why hadn’t she gone to the main camp when she had the chance and insisted on sleeping there?
    Dirk came out of his cabin, pulling on a sweatshirt. His gaze ran over Tori, studying her every bit as intently as Jesse had. “She’s here,” he called over his shoulder, and Kody and Shang followed him out.
    Kody gave her a big smile as he came toward her. Even his walk reminded her of a cowboy. “You ready for a mess of fun?”
    “I already went running, so I’m tired.” She tried to sound apologetic. “I’ll just have to go with you guys tomorrow night.”
    Jesse regarded her evenly. “You can make it up to the Easter grounds. It’s only three miles.”
    As if three miles were nothing. And even though she wasn’t that tired—all of her fear must have dumped a lot of adrenaline into her system—there was no way she was going to run three miles in the dark to a remote place with these people. No way. “I don’t think Dr. B would approve of us running right now.”

    Jesse’s eyes were still locked on hers. “Dr. B is up there waiting for us.”
    He was? Somehow the thought of him up there creeped her out even more. Maybe he was the one who fed random campers to the dragon. No, not random campers. In the medieval lore, they always fed a maiden to the dragons. A virgin.
    Her.
    It was a ridiculous thought, she knew, and yet she couldn’t shake it, couldn’t consign it to the realm of silly phobias. These people were dangerous. She felt it.
    Tori’s mouth went dry. She was so far away from the main camp. If she screamed now, no one would hear her.
    She could try to fight. She knew martial arts. But they outnumbered her, and Jesse and Dirk were both black belts. In order to get away, she’d need the element of surprise and a good head start. She tried to keep her voice even. “Okay. I’ll go, but don’t expect me to be fast.”
    Jesse grunted.