The games we play
~
Erisa
~

Erisa slumped against Cole's lean body and slowly turned around to face him, preparing to see the eyes of a lycan rather than a being remotely human.

Cole was dressed handsomely as every other time Erisa had seen him. Black jewellery wrapped around his neck and hooked on his slender fingers, donning a black bomber jacket and different shades of darkness that covered him from head to toe.

His face, that forbidden and deceiving face revealed hollowed cheeks that were striking as ever and eyes that were unmistakably grey, the ruining of an approaching storm.

"How'd you find me so fast?" Erisa played at the question with a gleaming smile, knowing his prying nose led him to her and wanted to kick him for it.

Cheat.

Cole grinned slyly and tapped Erisa's nose shamelessly, an inside joke circling those grey eyes of his. "I told you I'm good at tracking."

"Well, you won," Erisa confessed cheekily and stepped away from him, needing the natural air of the outside.

Cole's eyes dilated and he stepped toward her, backing her into a nearby wall. "Now I get a prize."

Erisa laughed mirthlessly and once again, took a step away from the Alpha. "We didn't speak about prizes."

Cole grinned, his lycan threatening to show and said, "I already have my prize, Moonbeam."

His warm fingers threaded through hers, tugging her into his chest and Erisa felt his chest rumble, suppressing a growl.

"It better be me." Erisa flirted, running her fingertip across his sleeve and it didn't take a genius to figure out that Cole was willing to risk it all, his eyes fading to black with flecks of grey storming through.

"Only you," Cole confirmed fiercely.

Erisa almost choked, not expecting such ferocity from the mouth of an Alpha toward someone like her.

"Do you want to get cotton candy?" Cole asked, eyes twinkling down at Erisa.

Erisa clasped Cole's hand and meshed her body into his side, peering up at him. "As long as you're buying."

They left the exit of the haunted house and were whisked back into the river of people who catered to their desires.

Cole brought them cotton candy at a food truck, not letting Erisa escape him once she was by his side and did everything with one hand, handing her the cloud of sugar.

Erisa thanked him, picking at the candy and feeding it into her mouth, trying to ignore the looks Cole would give to her throughout their stroll that led them nowhere.

Cole popped the candy into his mouth and had Erisa stitched at his hip, nowhere to run or hide.

The silence spoke louder, drilling into suffocation and Erisa took off from him, skipping over to a row of games.

"Wanna play this?" Erisa questioned, pointing to the Down-A-Clown game that had puppet clowns stationed in rows ready to get knocked down.

Cole rolled his eyes and Erisa faked a pout, eyes rounding in lying sadness.

"You said you'd win me a toy," Erisa added and Cole groaned, giving the worker the ticket for them to play.

They were given balls to use on the clowns and Erisa didn't even give Cole a chance to collect one and began taking down the clowns one by one, like arrows shooting into her daily targets of trees back home.

"Erin!" Cole laughed and began throwing, catching up to her at a swift pace.

Out of nowhere, a hand shielded Erisa's eyes and Cole's laugh swivelled around her like a howl.

Erisa smacked his hand away, a smile nearly pulling at her lips and a laugh dared slip out of her throat.

"You're a cheat!" Erisa huffed.

Cole laughed again, the sound bleeding with life and lust and knocked down the last standing clown. It was his for the taking.

"You almost had me, beautiful," Cole smirked and scanned Erisa up and down, eyes narrowing at her. "But I wasn't about to let you win."

The worker gestured to the lineup of teddy bears for Cole to choose from and he pointed at the one closest to the ceiling.

The teddy bear was tossed Cole's way and he immediately passed it to Erisa, snickering at her.

"I won you a toy, happy?" Cole taunted and brushed his face so close to hers she could smell his minted breath.

Erisa scanned the huge teddy bear and grabbed its paw, slapping it across Cole's arm. "Ecstatic."

The Alpha looked satisfied with that and took Erisa off into the madness and mayhem of rides and games.

The roller coaster was a hell of a ride, sending rippling thrills up and down Erisa's body as they tossed and turned. She found herself lost in the carnival maze, more so in the labyrinth of her never-ending thoughts that circled her with no end. Cole found her before she found the exit.

Cole kept Erisa on her toes, in a way of excitement that would sway any girl and perhaps that was his motive.

She couldn't lose herself in him the way he persuaded others. He was a means to an end.

The cherry on top was Cole leading Erisa by the wrist to the merry-go-round. The lights circled the area in a golden halo and rotating horses spun round and round.

Cole hopped on first, not skipping a beat and turned backwards on the horse, facing Erisa who hooked her leg over and clasped the handles.

They stared at each other for a passing minute, a grave stare down that neither looked away from.

"What happened here?" Cole asked, reaching over and clasping Erisa's wrist, the pad of his fingers brushing against her inner skin. "I know you lied to me back at the bar."

His voice took her back.

Erisa didn't want this, not an ounce of it, not an ounce of her true self revealed to this piece of filth in front of her. She couldn't allow it, it was bad enough that he had the touch of her skin in his hold forever, it was worse enough he even had the chance to be around her and view her as a conquest. Erisa couldn't possibly confide in him.

He barely deserved the right to live.

Erisa's sleeve slipped past her wrist and over her hands, hiding the shakiness. "I tried to hurt myself."

Erisa didn't know why she spoke such honesty to someone so brutal. She figured it to be her final goodbye to Cole. Hand him the slightest bit of her true existence to him like a secret, and he would know nothing more.

He would think this is Erin speaking to him, the girl Cole had grown fond, infatuated with as she painted a constant reminder of the lover he killed.

Pale skin, icy eyes and black hair. That was all Erin and Erisa had in common, and Cole would never know the hunter, he would never get the chance.

"I would have never thought ..." Cole bemused, inching closer to Erisa like he was trying to understand her, see beneath the skin.

Erisa smiled through clenched teeth and pried, "What do you mean by that?"

The merry-go-round went around in circles, but Erisa could hardly feel it. She could only feel the domineering and consuming aura of Cole shadowing her.

"You're full of life, Erin. I couldn't imagine you hurting yourself like that. Someone like you deserves more."

Erisa almost wanted to laugh at the lycan, disgusted by his praises and endearing voice that sent nothing but a wave of unease through her.

Erisa had to hand it to him, he almost felt like another human in front of her. She almost wanted to shout at him, spill her heart to him that this mask that was so full of life and heart was a ploy. She wanted him to see her for who she truly was, a hunter undercover to destroy him from the inside out.

But Erisa made sure his words worked a charm on her, making her eyes round with adoration, lips parting and face contorting in absolute appraisal of the man in front of her.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Erisa bit her lip, staring at Cole like he was worth all the time and effort in the world.

Cole nodded, breathing through his nose and swung off the horse in an instant.

Erisa quickly looked at her phone and found a message that was sent minutes ago that read:

Cadence: Time to go. Round the mutt up

Erisa: Heading to the car now.

Erisa wasted no time clasping Cole's hand that encompassed hers in a death grip and walked away from the merry-go-round and back into the craziness of the carnival.

Erisa looked at him and felt the slightest pang of guilt. The look he gave her ... as if she encompassed the foundation of his earth, tipping him over the edge.

"Do you want to be alone with me?" The hunter asked, waiting for the wolf to take the bait.

Cole nodded, following the leash Erisa had him wrapped around. "That's all I've wanted since we first met."

Erisa's stomach churned with discomfort and pondered if he said that to every other girl he had been with. Wolf or human, bitten or dead.

She didn't want to think about it, time was wasting away in the best way possible and she offered Cole a stunning smile as they drew further away from the lights and people.

Erisa's footing faltered and wondered what it would take to stall the Alpha. He was a lycan with senses always heightened, but he showed to be human in her presence, a man wanting to have sex with anyone who resembled his dead lover.

Erisa couldn't read his thoughts, but she could see through the handsome mask and see the devil prowling within, wanting to be let out.

The Jaeger hunter had seen many devils in different shapes and variations. You had the ones with horns, most with human skin and others as lycans.

All had one thing in common: greed.

Greed for all that they could have, gain and claim.

Erisa wouldn't give anyone the chance to claim something from her. Not again. Not after all this time.

Cadence and Rexton came into view from over Cole's shoulder, stalking through the crowd side by side and not letting their gaze falter once.

Erisa's hand tightened in Cole's like she was trying to grapple for something that had no meaning. She needed to distract the Alpha.

Cole would be able to catch onto the huntress and hybrid walking toward him and at the senses his abilities could reach, everything Erisa had done would be lost.

Her uncle stalked along the edge of the carnival, nearing closer and closer, his hand reaching into his pocket ...

And so briefly, a touch as wispy and light as a feather, Erisa brushed her red lips across Cole's in a chilling stroke.

The Alpha's lip sought to catch hers once more, to deepen and inflame what could never be, but his eyes went wide in shock, a flash of pain passing through his features.

Before Cole's body could hit the floor, Rexton caught him by the arm with little effort and strung him to his side, hoisting his limp arm across his shoulders.

Cadence came over and slapped an unconscious Cole on the back, flashing a smile to randoms walking by and taking on the scene.

"Aw, did old champ get sick on the rides? Let's get him home." Cadence gleamed, her mouth stretching so widely that all teeth showed.

Frankie joined them, smoothing over his flannel jacket that concealed the tranquilliser gun and gently hugged Erisa. "Are you alright, Bub?"

Erisa felt her body nearly go as limp as Cole's, falling into her uncle's side as she faintly said, "It's done."

Rexton led them to the car, opened the boot-up and tossed Cole's motionless body in like he weighed nothing.

Erisa watched as the hybrid paused, his nostrils inhaling Cole's scent and he jumped back, closing the door with a slam.

Cadence came to the hybrid, not faking a smile as Erisa noticed it crinkled the creases around those black eyes.

"You did good, hybrid." Cadence bleakly praised, staring at him a little longer than usual.

Rexton didn't get a chance to speak even as his mouth fell ajar and Cadence swayed over to Erisa, bumping her shoulder lightly.

"And you, Erin, I doubt he expected that kiss. You didn't have to do it, you know?"

That name was dead and gone to her. No more masks of makeup, no more clothes that showed her pale skin to the face of the moon and the eyes of man. To hell with the flirty smiles and sweet lies.

Erisa flushed with annoyance and her face went serious. "I did what had to be done."

Cadence smirked. "You sure did."

Everyone piled into the car, not saying a word even if Cole would be out for a couple of hours from the dose he was shot with and they sped out of the carnival like they were never there to begin with.

Erisa tossed the wolf into the den of hunters and silver without a shred of regret.