THE HOCKEY PLAYBOOK

s h

the we

ain in my head. The room was dark, Kyrian's side was empty-he hadn't come up yet, which mean

ed onto

four days to manufacture enough of a connection with

asks before, but this o

door

on, which I appreciated. He moved throug

his shoes off

other hit the floor somewhere i

wling up my veins as he stood up,

ve minutes, he lay down an

sunlight streaming i

ill on his side of the room, one arm over his face, which meant he was either asleep or doing a very g

nts to the main dining room at nine fo

ened up and wore my clothes, all while k

and the sight was c

ngle long table set for the full cast, proper place settings, lit

a headset around her neck and an expression that sugg

Pat." She tapped the clipboard. "I am your host, your moderator, your referee when things inevitably get messy, and your biggest fan simultaneously."

eir seats. "This breakfast is the first of many events across the show. Activities, challenges, public appearances, group quests-all of

iet, every head t

l goes into the ranking. At the end of each month, the bottom rank gets eliminated." She let that land for exactly the right amount of time. "So, be you

ipboard down an

or

t's have b

ard, with Kyrian's

wondered how he came out so early, considering the fact

ettling into her chair at the head of the ta

e table with a fork headed in Zarek's direction, and Zarek was opening his mouth for it. It was

, who was staring b

ained untouched, phone in han

camera positioned at our end o

I can d

leasantly. "Did

out even sparing a gl

's nice."

" He

further, trying to get him to say som

e said, to

nd tried to think of something else to say that wasn't 'put your phone

es landed o

mply reached over with my fork and stole a piece of pasta off his plate and ate it and laughed,

his mouth still

as mine,

I said, sti

ve yours

I said, smiling even wid

eyes burning into me like I was a

is phone. Then he put his phone face do

o my own plate a

me by the arm on my way out a

excited. "With the food. That was gold, that is ex

until she

yrian still at the table, jacket on now, watching me talk to t

ur eyes met h

out the window like he ha