Evalyn

I’ve been working as the team doctor for five days, and I’ve been hiding in my office the entire time. But in my defense, there’s actually a lot to do to get set up here. The team’s nurse, Kiki, and I have been ordering supplies all morning.

Kiki intimidated the hell out of me for the first hour that I worked with her. She’s loud and no-nonsense and doesn’t seem to have a filter. But I quickly learned why everyone on the team loves her. She’s compassionate and funny and good at her job. And I’ve never met anyone more ready to be friends with everyone she meets.

It’s almost lunchtime, so I want to finish with our order before then. I look down at the inventory sheet. “Are you sure we can order all of this?” I ask. “It’s so much.”

Kiki grins at me and tucks a lock of her bright orange hair behind her ear. (The rest of her hair is piled high in a messy bun.) “Girl, I know. Before this, I was working at a rural clinic where we were using Band-Aids from the Reagan administration.”

I laugh. “Same! I’m so used to making supplies last as long as possible, and now we’re over here ordering KT tape in every color.”

Kiki elbows me playfully. “Well, it seems Blake is very invested in your work as the new team doctor.”

I try not to blush. I’m pretty sure Blake and I are just friends, but I’m not used to the attention he gives me. I’ve never had a boss believe in me like he seems to. His generosity is almost overwhelming sometimes. I don’t know how to deal with it.

“Afternoon, team,” a voice calls out. I look up to see Blake himself striding into the office. He holds up a bag. “I brought burgers,” he says.

I sigh internally. My peanut butter and jelly sandwich is waiting for me in the office fridge. I may be making more money nowadays, but it takes a while for those paychecks to catch up to my working hours. And even when I do get those paychecks, my student loans will take a huge chunk out of them. Blake kept trying to buy lunch for all of us when I first started here, but I couldn’t bring myself to accept it.

Kiki, however, has no problem with getting free food. “Thanks, Blake!” she says, taking the burger he offers her.

Blake sits at a nearby table and unwraps his own burger. “This might be way too much food for me,” he says. He pulls out a plastic knife and cuts his burger in half. “Evie? Want half?”

“I’m okay,” I say. “I’ve got a sandwich. I don’t want to take your food.”

Blake raises his eyebrows at me. “It’s not my food,” he says. “I told you it was too much for me.” When I hesitate, he adds, “If you don’t take it, it will just go in the trash.”

I give him a small smile and hold out my hand. He hands me the half burger, and my heart swells with gratitude.

“So,” he says, “are you ready for your first game?”

I nod. “I’m a little nervous,” I admit. “But mostly excited.”

Kiki smiles at me. “I’m excited for you! These games are exciting as hell.”

I’m reminded that I’ve never seen this type of hockey before. Of course, I hope nothing happens that requires my services. But if something does, I can only hope that I live up to Blake’s expectations.

***

The game defies my expectations. Kiki and I are sitting in a special area in the stands, near the entrance to the locker room. And the game is…brutal.

The Blood Moon Bashers are facing off with a team that’s half human, half werewolf. I was worried that the game would be unfair—a full team of wolves has so much more strength. But the other team, the Eclipse Chasers, are vicious.

When I was a figure skater, I often crossed paths with hockey players. We shared rinks, and I saw enough of their practices to have a basic understanding of the game. But I have never seen anything like this before.

One half of the crowd groans and the other cheers when the Eclipse Chasers block a goal. The player who attempted the shot punches the wall before moving back to the center.

“That’s Roman,” Kiki says. “He’s a big-headed hotshot, but he deserves it.” She points to another player. “He’s good friends with Levi, right wing. He’s the class clown.”

I nod. I’ve learned the players’ names, but I still don’t quite have the right names to the right faces yet.

Granted, their faces are currently covered with protective gear, but it’s helpful to get Kiki’s insights on their personalities. I lean closer. “Which is the one you said was the sweetheart?”

“Cody,” Kiki answers. She scans the ice, then points him out. “He plays defense, and he’s literally the sweetest boy.”

“And he’s close with…?”

“Xavier,” she replies. “Strong, silent type. Also defense.”

“And Preston is the asshole goalie,” I say.

“Yep. And then Axel. Left wing. Enforcer. Star of the team. Obviously.”

I nod but don’t say anything.

If I’m being completely honest with myself, I’ve been watching Axel most of the game. My eyes can’t help but be drawn to his movements. He’s violent and powerful. He owns the ice.

I kind of hate that I’m watching him so closely. But his confidence is undeniable, and I can’t deny his charisma in the rink.

“Evie?”

“Huh?” I say.

“I asked what you think of the game so far,” Kiki says.

“It’s…intense,” I reply.

Axel has the puck and is making his way toward the goal, his skates slicing across the ice. One of the other team’s members, a human player, steps into his path. Axel starts to dodge, but suddenly the player raises his stick and slams it into Axel’s face.

I jump to my feet. Axel falls on his side, leaving a bright red smear of blood behind on the ice. He sits up and whips his helmet off. He raises his forearm to his head. Blood is gushing from a cut on his temple.

I start to run toward Coach Walsh. “Where are you going?” Kiki calls, running after me.

“We’ve got to get him off the ice,” I say.

Kiki grabs my arm. “Wait,” she says. “He might be okay.”

We both turn back to the rink. Axel is struggling to get to his feet, putting his helmet back on. The front of his jersey is soaked with blood. I shake my head and make my way to the coach.

“Coach Walsh, we need to get Axel off the ice,” I yell, working to make myself heard over the shouts of the crowd.

He looks at me strangely. “He’s fine,” he replies.

My mouth falls open. “He’s bleeding,” I say. “A lot.”

But Coach Walsh waves me off and turns his attention back to the game. Kiki grabs my arm and pulls me away.

“You can’t just interrupt Coach Walsh like that,” she whispers. “You’re just the team doctor.”

“Isn’t this my job?” I snap. “As the team doctor, I’m supposed to take care of the players!”

“Evie—”

“How is Axel supposed to keep playing with an actively bleeding head wound?!”

Kiki shakes her head. “Do you not know how extreme hockey works? You only need to treat the players who want to be treated. Or the ones who can’t get up.”

I stare at her. What kind of hockey is this? When Blake said it was more intense, I somehow didn’t think he meant more dangerous. “How is this even allowed?” I ask.

“How much did Blake tell you about the rules?” Kiki asks.

“Apparently not enough,” I reply. “He just said it was a more pure form of the sport, where wolves could play to their fullest.”

“Right,” Kiki says. “It’s raw. It’s violent. Human players use sticks infused with silver to even the odds. It’s actually more fair to allow them hits like that one.”

I stare out at the ice. The red stain of blood is still bright against the white of the ice where Axel fell, but he’s skating across the rink, blocking another player from getting the puck. The player who hit him is still nearby. He didn’t even get a red card.

I had no idea what I was signing up for when I took this job. Blake seems to have my best interests at heart, but he wasn’t exactly forthcoming about what I’d be doing. Or not doing, apparently.

My job is to treat team member injuries. But now I realize that I’m expected to just stand by while players purposely hurt each other. As a doctor, I’m supposed to do no harm, and also prevent harm from happening. I can’t do that if I’m just expected to wait around until someone is unconscious or seeking my help.

The money is good, but do I really want to work for a sport as violent as this is?