Playing God Read online

  CONTENTS

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Dear Reader

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  About the Author

  Prism Press, Perth Australia.

  Copyright © 2018 Lana Pecherczyk

  All rights reserved.

  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Text copyright © Lana Pecherczyk 2018

  Cover design © Lana Pecherczyk 2018

  Interior design © Lana Pecherczyk 2018

  www.lanapecherczyk.com

  For my middle sis, Nat.

  Dear Reader,

  This is the third novel in the Game of Gods series and returns to the point of view of Roo, the main protagonist of the series. Like the first two books in the series, there’s lots of nefarious plotting, kick-ass action scenes and romance. Unlike the first two books, this one has a sex scene so this book is not suitable for young readers. I hope you enjoy the debacles Roo gets herself into (and out) and seeing the relationship between her and her favorite broody mentor culminate.

  Happy reading,

  Lana Pecherczyk.

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  CHAPTER ONE

  A CUSTOMS OFFICER stared at me.

  I stared back, taking a moment to sense his aura and fish for understanding. It was steady, sharp, and I got the vibe he wasn’t to be trifled with.

  “Business or pleasure, Miss”—he glanced at my passport in his hands—“La Roux Urser?”

  “Roo.” I corrected him, and… good question. I had no clue. Jed, Cash and I were in Sydney to register for the Game. Seeing as humans had no idea gods existed, let alone played a game using them as pawns, I couldn’t exactly say that.

  “Okay, then, Miss Roo, business or pleasure?”

  “Ah…”

  “Business.” Cash nudged me aside and showed his passport. “Here for a convention.”

  “Are you her sponsor?” The Customs Officer asked Cash.

  “Yes.”

  “Please fill out her customs declaration.”

  “I can do that,” I said and went to intercept the card the officer handed to Cash. The officer freaked out. He snatched it back and looked askance at me before handing it to Cash.

  “While you’re filling that out,” he said to Cash, “please give me your license and registration.”

  Was he serious? I could fill out my own card. Sheesh.

  Cash handed over his special license that proved he was, in fact, male and hence immune to witch possession. It also listed me as his female charge.

  The man scanned it, waited for something to flash across his computer screen and then indicated to the black rubber band around my ankle. “The GPS.”

  “Active,” Cash said.

  “Please scan the receiver.”

  The man passed a device to Cash who used it to scan my ankle. Something else flashed on the screen before Cash returned the device.

  “Good,” the officer said. “Do you accept full responsibility for this female and will ensure that she sticks to the Australian protocols against witches?”

  “Yes.”

  “You understand the repercussions of failure to uphold these protocols? Could you please recite the maximum punishment under Australian law to prove your understanding?”

  Cash’s eyebrow lifted. “You did read the occupation on my license, didn’t you?”

  The officer glanced down at the card in his hand. His eyes widened. “Sorry. Please sign here, and here.”

  Cash grunted and then signed the declaration presented to him. I guessed being a government sanctioned witch hunter with diplomatic immunity was good for some things.

  The officer blushed. “Thank you. Have a nice day, sir. Next.”

  Bristling over the complete disregard for my opinion, I followed my two companions through the bustling airport to where our luggage was being unloaded to a conveyor belt. The new laws against women were still hard to swallow.

  “That’s yours, Roo,” Jed said and retrieved my bag.

  “Thanks.” I smiled at my old probation officer, now friend, as he returned it to me. “I owe you one.”

  “You owe me more than one.”

  I dug into my jeans and fished out pocket change. “How about two dollars and fifty cents… and”—I slipped off my baseball cap—“my super comfy hat.”

  “How about I put it on your tab?” He laughed but took the cap and put it on backwards, making his ears stick out more.

  Cash ignored our easy banter and retrieved his luggage from the conveyor. He slung his duffle bag over his shoulder and marched to the exit. Mr. Broody, at it again. He was the only person in the world who could hide his aura from me, which meant I had to guess where this particular flavor of brood originated. Perhaps the twenty-four-hour plane ride, his repetitive lecturing on the Game rules, or maybe, just maybe, it was because he felt bad about lying to me in Houston.

  Jed and I jogged after him, catching him before the exit. When the glass doors whooshed open, the summer air slammed into us, thick and stifling. I squinted into the afternoon sun and checked for the taxi rank. It wasn’t far. A few meters away.

  Cash handed his bag to Jed. “I’ll go hire a vehicle.”

  “I can pay for a cab,” I said and gestured at the taxi rank.

  Arrogance shadowed the fleeting surprise and hurt on Cash’s face. Not used to being turned down. I didn’t feel bad. An airport full of bustling people was also rife with erratic auras, and they irritated me. I didn’t have time for brood. Also, relying on the man who’d almost quit on me a few days ago was a mistake, and by quit, I meant the kind of quit where you ended your life. He said it was because of his unpredictable, volatile and unsafe nature. Looking at him now, with the tendons in his jaw flexing, shoulder muscles tensed, eyes unreadable, I believed him.

  He was a man people couldn’t help watching. Not because of his incredible manly physique or his handsome face. It was th
e predatory spark in his dual colored eyes as his gaze swept the room. I used to think the coloring was due to his fractured soul. Perhaps his body didn’t know which past life to believe. He remembered thousands of them. Some gave him the instincts of a warrior, honed from infinite battles in lifetimes of war, others gave him nightmares. He was always vigilant. Always ready.

  The unspeakable things he dreamed of haunted his eyes every morning.

  My hand fluttered to my throat when a phantom echo of pain coaxed a memory out. A few weeks ago, I had woken him from a nightmare. His response was to crush the first thing in his path—my neck. Lucky for me I had the supernatural healing of a demi-god otherwise it would have been my life that ended. He wouldn’t speak about his nightmares. I didn’t blame him for that and he didn’t scare me. It was the lies that undid me.

  My heart squeezed. The frozen stalemate we were in felt like a prison. I much rather liked it when we had our arms passionately wrapped around each other. I sighed—fat chance of that happening again—and dragged my luggage in front of Jed whose eyes darted between me and Cash.

  I caught Jed’s gaze. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  The heat of Cash’s stare burned as I returned to the terminal to find a bank teller machine. I found one a few feet from the entrance and joined the line behind a family of four. The two kids, a young boy and a girl, licked their ice-creams and laughed over the chocolate dropping on the boy’s pants. It appeared to be a bathroom mishap. The boy tugged his mother’s shirt and relayed the joke. She tried to wipe the stains away, but smeared them. The little boy said something else, and the entire family laughed. The sound was infectious. I smiled along with them and thought it must be nice to be so innocent and carefree with your loved ones. Something a demi-god like me would never have.

  I was put on this planet for one reason only: to play the Game. I was here, I had the soul of a god, therefore I must play the Game or leave. It was a fact I still tried to grasp.

  Cash had explained for the millionth time while we traveled from America; A god’s soul downloaded from the intergalactic Seraphim Empire into an earthly body produced by mixed breeding between a god and a human. The original Seraphim’s life memories were wiped clean for the start of each Player’s time here on Earth. Most had no clue they were supernatural until their abilities manifested around adulthood. Then they were registered for the Game at a Ludus Institution, trained and tested. Thanks to my witch-like abilities, they all thought I was a witch, not a Player, so they’d ignored me. Now the truth had been discovered, I was one of them, I had to pass the trials within the next six months. Then I could join the rest of the demi-gods as they played amongst the humans, manipulating, plotting, advancing themselves in society all without revealing their powers to the world. There were so many rules my brain ached. I was already forgetting everything. All I knew for sure was that having a family of my own was forbidden. The only time we were allowed to breed was to make new bodies for new Seraphim souls to inhabit. I was still a little hazy on the exact details of the breeding program, but I knew my father wanted me involved. Not if I could help it.

  The gaping hole inside me grew as I watched the perfect family walk away, still laughing. I inserted my card into the machine and emptied my account. I latched onto the money with surprising desperation. It was all I had left.

  My last few dollars.

  The words churned in my mind. My last few dollars. During our two weeks in America, I’d refused to rely on Cash’s millions and had used all my savings from working at The Cauldron for food, clothes, transport and my ticket home to Australia. I did not want to be beholden to anyone. Cash hadn’t been happy. To him, the amount was a drop in his bank account ocean, but to me, it meant everything. It meant I had control of my life.

  A snicker in my mind.

  The Others, the souls I’d absorbed, were slowly making me insane. They had something to say about everything. A snide laugh here, a derogatory comment there.

  Control is an illusion, they said.

  I refused to believe that.

  I shoved the fifty dollars into my pocket and returned to my companions. Jed nodded from where he stood leaning against a bench outside. I smiled briefly and hoped he didn’t catch the worry in my eyes, so averted my gaze and surveyed the busy street.

  “Where’s Cash?” I asked.

  “Hiring a vehicle. Said to stay put.”

  “But I wanted to pay for the taxi.” I sat on the edge of my suitcase and considered ignoring his instructions but decided my rebellion was a little over the top. Despite being completely ridiculous, human law said females had to stay with their male sponsors to avoid possession by a witch. Stupid. Yes, witches only possessed females, and if they wanted to do it, they would find a way. Still, an arrest by the human police was a complication I did not need. I shoved my money back in my pocket and set to waiting.

  Twenty minutes later, I’d counted fifteen taxis depart. My foot tapped on the sidewalk.

  Jed noticed. “He said it was important. We have to wait.”

  “You might be sworn to serve him, but I’m not. I say we leave.” Sweat ran down my chest and dampened my bra. I plucked my collar and pumped it to cool my skin. Summer in Australia was hot. Sweltering. Awesome. Perfect beach weather.

  Take the taxi and head down to the beach, The Others teased. You don’t need the Ludus.

  I snorted. And miss my registration?

  “What’s the rush?” Jed asked.

  “I just…” I paused, wondering if I should say something. I felt silly contemplating it. “I’m keen to get going and meet my brother.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “You mean the other contender Bruce Urser sired?”

  I slumped. “I know it’s stupid, and I know he’s not really my brother, but until a few weeks ago, I didn’t know the Game existed. I thought Bruce was my real father. He acted like one for the first half of my life and then he left me alone with a half-sister who feared me because of my gifts. Finding out I have a brother who is like me is… well, it feels like the chance for a real family.”

  Jed scowled. “You’ve never met him and you think he’s your family.”

  “I know it’s dumb. I’ve lucked out in the family department my whole life. Surely I’m bound to get some good news soon, right?”

  “Family is a waste of time,” Jed said and then replaced his scowl with a mask of indifference. “Anyway, you have to do what Cash says because he’s your mentor. Have you forgotten you’re his progeny?”

  I studied Jed, wondering where the anti-family animosity came from. He never spoke much about his past, and I’d assumed it was a Player thing so never pushed it. Maybe there was something more to it. When he didn’t return to the subject, I answered his question. “No, I haven’t forgotten, but that doesn’t mean I have to do what he says.”

  “Yes it does.”

  “No it doesn’t.”

  “Roo, you swore an oath, remember? You may not be registered, but you swore an oath.”

  My mind raced back to when I stood in front of Cash in the burning restaurant I used to work in. It had all been so new then. I’d just discovered I wasn’t a witch, but one of them—Nephilim. I was half god, half human, and full of abilities I didn’t understand. Cash had been my anchor, and a sexy one at that. Like every other woman in his life, I found him irresistible. Driven, loyal, unwavering. Never mind the intangible connection I felt between us every time we kissed. So, when he’d taken a knife and sliced our palms, flattening them together, I let him. He made a blood oath and promised to be truthful, protect me and instruct me in the matters of the Game. But he’d lied. He failed one of those pledges when he planned to leave. He wasn’t even going to say goodbye!

  As if hearing my thoughts, Jed repeated my side of the oath.

  “You pledged to let him be your teacher and confidant until you complete the trials and are released into the Game—”

  “Ah-huh!” I jumped, triumphant, and pointed in his face. “
Sucked in. That doesn’t say I have to do what he says.”

  He rolled his eyes.

  “He’s my teacher and I have to confide in him…” I sat on my suitcase and bit my nails.

  Confidant, The Others laughed. You simper and whine about his lies, yet you haven’t told him about us. You know it’s because he’ll see you for the monster you are and then there will be no ifs, he’ll leave for good.

  An approaching roar brought my attention to the congested airport street, and I peered into the traffic. A figure on a black motorcycle darted in and out of traffic until it purred to a stop in front of us.

  Pulling his aviator sunglasses off, Cash lifted the black ball helmet off and hung it on the handlebars, leaving his ruffled blond hair sticking up on end. His hair and stubble had grown in the past few weeks and he’d taken no steps to return it to its former anally retentive style. I liked it.

  No I didn’t, damn it, I was angry at him.

  But that bike… sex on wheels.

  I knew what he was trying to do—butter me up. Make the past two weeks disappear. Well, it wouldn’t work. I pulled out my fifty dollars and took my bag before heading toward the taxi rank.

  Cash got off the bike to intercept me, his hand shooting out to take hold of my shoulder.

  “Roo, come on. Don’t be stubborn.” He smiled and my heart stopped while my mind scrambled to catch up. I scowled. He widened his grin, clearly liking the effect he had on me.

  I hated when he did that—smiled. This new Cash was something to get used to. The untamed animal within him had vanished, replaced by wicked delight. Now and then, proof of his healing soul slipped through the cracks of his fractured demeanor. A wink here, a chuckle there, but this was by far the biggest display of genuine happiness I’d seen, and it was directed at me. It took my breath away.

  “Come on, Roo.” He squeezed my shoulder and dipped to catch my eyes. “I meant it when I said I was going to stay. I’m not leaving you when you need me the most. You can’t be mad at me forever. Especially when you can drive.”