Page 59 of Of Monsters and Mazes

No, I knew it wasn’t.

I turned on my heel, took a deep breath, and I pressed my palm to the clear glass to make my choice. The other cubbies closed, and the barrier faded away.

Then it was just me, Alessi, and a pile of nails.

I swallowed down my fear, then I reached inside and retrieved one of many long, metal spikes. I closed my eyes, touched the point to my wrist, and I spun it around one of the marks that Theron had left on me.

Chapter 30

Warmth built deep in my core, and the sensation spread through me. With the same vivid draw as being summoned by Jericho himself, I could feel the prick of pain as something sharp penetrated Butterfly’s marking.

Was that from Alessi? He wouldn’t hurt her. I knew he wouldn’t. Not when she had those scars on her arms. I didn’t trust him for much, but I trusted him to respect that claim I had on her. Though there had been a number of strange sensations spiking through our bond these last couple hours, and it was hard to tell what was actually going on with her since I’d distanced myself from the situation.

The heat flared beneath my skin, and now I was certain she was bleeding.

The sensations were vague and only translated to me in the event something was in physical contact with my marks, but the surges had been getting stronger and stronger lately.

Butterfly should be in the Yellow Sector by now—probably half way through—answering simple trivia and riddles. At worst, maybe she’d have to tell a secret or two or perform some mildly demented tests of her fear threshold. I’d admit it was my least favorite sector by a long shot, but there was no reason it was a particularly dangerous one. I’d only failed out of it once, and that was Alessi’s fault.

I was fairly certain it was Jericho who manipulated Rai to add a “love test” challenge. Having the option to kill the spy or let him fuck me for an audience was exactly the kind of shit the king would come up with.

Then again, Rai was always questioning my loyalty to the crown, as if betraying Jericho had ever been an option for me. If only he fucking knew.

I shoved my hand through my hair as that prickling sensation intensified.

Why was she bleeding anyway? Had she already breeched Orange? Did she get captured by Cronus? I needed to catch up if so. I promised Jericho I’d interfere with anything that might result in her immediate death, which I had every intention of doing, but she shouldn’t need me to any time soon. I swear to the ninth circle, if she died in the Orange Sector before I made it back by her side, I’d take Alessi’s fucking head for failing me.

I stood and turned toward the Yellow Sector, brushing away a green vine that had started getting entirely too friendly with my right shoulder.

There was no harm in checking on her, I determined. Not for her wellbeing or anything, but because, as always, I had a job to do. That was the only reason.

Chapter 31

She picked the nails?

Who in their right mind or their wrong one would ever pick nails for an unknown task in Rai’s Labyrinth?

Sela would, of course.

Because they had something to do with Theron. Some inside secret between just the two of them. She thought she was tiptoeing around it, as if in any universe I wouldn’t pick up on that fact.

It was with great discipline that I managed to hide the wicked grin from my lips. My old friend wanted to keep his distance, and I’d never seen a more perfect opportunity to force his hand. Her fondness for him was nothing short of precious, if a task tailored around nails and a hammer was a risk she was willing to take in hopes of seeing him again.

I’d already been thrown off by the fact that he’d marked her, which was far beyond his obligations to simply track the tribute. I might have chocked it up to a strange accident and assumed he only let the mating bond remain because he’d expected her to die without needing to perform a barbaric rejection ritual, but this didn’t feel that one sided and impersonal anymore. Listening to Sela subtly pine for the Dream Weaver in his absence was as nauseating as listening to Theron lie about his feelings.

But I most certainly had the advantage here.

If I knew anything about those scars—which, considering they were typically reserved for my kind, I knew quite a bit—it was the fact that he could feel every little thing I did to her so long as I was directly touching them.

How convenient that he put them on her wrists.

I would assume touching the sharp point to her marks would be enough to summon him, but just in case he chose to be difficult, I had a feeling I knew what kind of call he wouldn’t be able to ignore. The maze’s challenges had been well synced with my own best interests this time around, so whatever deviant demand Rai manifested this round would likely be the perfect opportunity to test it.

This was nice. Pleasant even. Getting to play with Sela was surprisingly delightful, both for her spirit and her deviance. It was only icing on the cake that Theron and I could bond over something again, and I could get out a lifetime of frustration, all in one fell swoop. This sweet little tribute would be the perfect chance to work out some of my old wounds while letting her create some new ones on me all her own.

Though I had to say, I’d never seen the Yellow Sector demand such sexual options, but perhaps even Rai had needs. The repressed devil couldn’t possibly be attracted to Sela, I wouldn’t think, but whatever had put him in such knots that his subconscious was playing with a tribute’s pleasure instead of her pain must have been an interesting story, indeed.

“Why the nails?” I asked, approaching her on silent, catlike steps. I no longer bothered to rein in my predatory instincts. “That seems risky.”