Chapter 15 Maze
MAZE
My limbs felt weighed down and exhausted, like I’d run through battle for days with nothing but adrenaline and fury.
My eyelids opened slowly, dragging focus back to me in pieces.
The first thing I saw was the familiar steel beams against a pale gray ceiling.
Then, I heard the measured tick of the antique clock perched on the dresser near the door.
The click and whirl of time reminded me exactly where I was: home.
My bed felt massive, the sheets tangled around me.
I shifted, wincing as all my muscles protested at once.
Every inch of me screamed exhaustion, but I forced myself upright anyway.
That was when I noticed a man in the chair beside my bed.
Talon sat hunched over with his forearms braced on his thighs and his head in his hands.
As if sensing I was awake, he snapped his head up and locked his eyes on me. Fear and anger swirled in his amber gaze.
Embarrassment hit as the memories of the previous night flooded back in. I’d nearly burned myself out in that shop, spent every bit of authority and magic until only weakness remained. No armor. No mask. I’d collapsed in his arms without the strength to protest.
Shame filtered in. I should have known better than to spend so much power at once, but my only thoughts at the time were protecting my mate.
My pulse jumped, and I prepared for Talon to lay into me about being reckless.
Because that was what it was. But Talon’s gaze didn’t sharpen with judgment.
Instead, his worry rolled over me, threading through the new bond between us.
Steady, primal, relentless. He wasn’t angry. He was terrified he’d lose me again.
Silence clung to the air. I swallowed, throat sore, forcing my voice to work. “How long?”
He didn’t hesitate. “You’ve been out almost eight hours. Your sisters took turns checking on you every hour.”
My chest loosened, just a fraction. My pride flickered stubbornly. “You didn’t have to stay.”
His hand twitched on his knee. The truth in his gaze slapped back any false bravado. “I wanted to.”
For the first time since waking, I scanned the room fully.
Unlike the rest of the penthouse that I shared with my six sisters, my bedroom was stripped down.
Blank walls. No frills, no art except the grid of weapons and the occasional framed tactical diagram.
A single bookshelf ran along the opposite wall, filled with hardbacks on military history, magical theory, and a battered set of grimoires annotated with my mother’s notes.
Above the fireplace, three shadowboxes displayed medals and a few relics—tokens from missions that nearly killed me but didn’t.
The only softness came from a blue glass vase on the window ledge, holding fresh white lilies.
My guess would be Sybil had brought them yesterday.
I shifted, ignoring the way the sheets tangled around my legs.
I hated feeling this exposed, even to my mate.
But Talon didn’t move, didn’t look away from my face.
My hair must have been a disaster. Sweat slicked my temples.
I probably looked like hell. Yet, the absence of pity in his eyes grounded me.
I barely managed a whisper. “Come here.”
He rose instantly. The presence he carried was impossible to ignore as he moved to my side, sinking onto the bed without breaking eye contact. The wolf in him hovered just beneath the surface, wild but restrained.
I reached for him before I could second-guess my actions. I caught the back of his neck and dragged him down until our foreheads touched. His skin felt warm, electricity crackling from the link threading through us.
For a second, neither of us breathed. Emotion tangled up inside me with the way his hand cupped my jaw, thumb brushing beneath my chin.
He kissed me, slow at first. Testing. As soon as my mouth caught his, all the fear and exhaustion threadbare in my veins snapped tight.
I clung to him, needing the press of him more than I’d ever admitted out loud.
Talon tasted like whiskey, heat, and something I’d spent centuries craving.
He slid his hand into my hair, tangling the strands as he deepened the kiss. The ache in my body faded under the fresh fire he lit along my nerves. He pressed a hand to my ribs, his fingers brushing under the hem of the tank top I wore to bed. I shuddered, breath catching, as he touched bare skin.
The bed dipped under his weight. Sheets rustled as he shifted, pinning me so the only things that mattered were his hands and mouth.
Talon didn’t rush. He mapped every inch, exploring with measured passes down my arms, over my sides, down to the curve of my hip.
I arched into him, old instincts from years before taking over. Every inch he touched rebuilt me.
“You should be resting.” He drew away just enough to see my reaction.
I stared back at him, reflected in the amber of his eyes. I didn’t bother to hide the hunger. I didn’t have the energy. My walls were gone. “I’ve rested for eight hours. Now, my only need is you.”
Amber eyes flashed a bright gold at my words.
I watched as concern melted into desire.
Then he moved his hand lower, tracing the wound on my side from the shop.
The long, raw line where I’d torn myself open to force the command.
It has sealed up and healed to a scar while I slept.
He pressed his lips to it as if to replace pain with something better. Desire snapped white-hot in my stomach.
“Talon,” I said, not sure if it was a warning or a plea.
He didn’t answer. He just kissed his way up my ribs to the skin above my heart. The connection between us pulsed, more than physical. All I could think about was him, us, and the heat.
I fisted his shirt, yanking him closer. My thighs parted, inviting him into the cradle of my hips.
He groaned low, the sound vibrating through my bones.
His hands skirted the waistband of my shorts, slipping beneath the elastic to cup me.
Sparks shot across my body, pushing out every shred of exhaustion.
For a wild heartbeat, I wanted to forget the war with Balder and just melt into him and the way he ignited pleasure throughout my body.
He shifted, bracing his forearm beside my head, weight caging me perfectly.
He lowered his mouth to mine again, hungrier now.
I bit his lower lip, scoring it, and he responded by thrusting his tongue into my mouth.
I tangled mine with his and groaned as tingles raced just under my skin, making my flesh sensitive.
His fingers rubbed my clit in circular motions until I gasped out his name. My hips bucked, chasing the pleasure. He swallowed my moan, his tongue demanding more.
His voice rumbled against my throat, raw. “You’re mine.”
“Yes.”
I clung to him, consumed by sensation. The need in my body swamped anything else. Talon’s fingers slid between my folds, circling, pressing exactly where I needed. I arched, head thrown back, shameless in wanting him.
He murmured my name, thick with urgency. I ground against his hand, desperate for the relief he offered. Walls vanished. All that was left was the tangle of our bodies and the way he anchored me.
I wrapped my leg around his hip, drawing him against my core. The hardness of his body made my vision haze. Inside the war of desire and exhaustion, I felt my power stutter—there, but faint, spiking each time he touched me with intent.
He kissed my throat, mapping every inch, memorizing the path. My nails dug into his back, scraping through his shirt. Talon’s breath came rough against my ear. I rocked against his palm, ecstasy building, the edge coming fast and sharp.
And then the twin buzz of electronics shattered the moment.
Both our phones vibrated against the nightstand, insistent as an alarm. The sound cut through my haze like a blade.
Talon growled in frustration. I pressed my hand to his cheek, just to keep him there another heartbeat, but duty pounded harder this time. But neither of us reached for our phones.
“Come for me.” As soon as he spoke the words, an orgasm slammed into me. My body spasmed as I rode the wave of pleasure.
He rolled off me onto his side. The sheets tangled around our waists. For a second, I watched the way his muscles flexed as he moved, the raw strength in every line of his body. He didn’t bother to hide the hunger in his gaze, which was threaded with fury at the interruption.
He grabbed the two phones, handing me mine as he swiped the screen on his. His eyebrows shot up.
I glanced at mine, noting that we’ve been added to a new group chat titled “Valen-Steele Inner Circle.” Winter’s name topped the message.
Emergency meeting in my office. Now.
I met Talon’s gaze, then, without saying a word, we sprang up and quickly dressed.
Minutes later, we stepped out of the elevator onto the lower level of the VPA building.
My body still felt hollowed, nerves raw and muscles slow, but I forced my back straight.
Talon pushed a little of his energy through our bond, giving me a boost of alertness.
I took his hand and gave it a squeeze just as the elevator door opened.
Winter’s office smelled of coffee, and I instantly made my way to the small table against the wall to the right of the doors. As I made myself a cup of coffee, I studied the monitors lining the back wall edge to edge. Each screen was alive with live drone feeds, maps, encrypted comms.
Winter hunched over her keyboard, fingers dancing. The monitor’s glow painted her face in blue and shadow. Quil sat beside her with his inked arms folded, eyes flicking between the screens. He looked ready for violence, but he offered a slow tilt of his head in greeting.
The rest of our people filled the room. Candra and Nicky came in first. Candra sat next to me, and Nicky took the chair next to her.
Kyley and Sybil were next, followed by Rina.
Trio filled the rest of the chairs around the table in the center of the room.
A few seconds later, Jenson, Larc, Shaw, Griz, Turk, and Ace filed into the office, choosing to stand around the perimeter.
Winter’s large office seemed smaller with all fourteen of us in there.
Winter spun her chair to face us, bringing up the first visual feed. Towering above the table, a 3D model of an abandoned rail station flickered into view. The place looked like a steel superstructure with old train platforms crusted with rust. The image rotated, highlighting subterranean levels.
Winter kept her voice calm as always. “I got a tip from one of my sources that says the severing stone is in an underground vault in this train station. After doing a little digging and tapping into some CCTV feeds in the area.”
Quil tapped another key, switching feeds to blueprints and cross-section overlays. “Two entrances. One is the main platform, and the other is the north tunnels.”
Nicky grunted, arms folded. “Do we know if Balder knows about this yet?”
Winter shook her head. “Not that I can tell. But my view is limited from here.”
Studying the building, I said, “This feels like a trap. Send a drone in to case the place. I want to make sure we aren’t ambushed when we arrive.”
Kyley clicked her tongue, green eyes sharp. “I bet Balder knows the eitrborn he sent after us never came back. We should head to the station and beat Balder’s rejects there if they aren’t already there.”
As much as I want to go in, I still wasn’t at full strength. “We rest today. No one moves until the surveillance says it’s clean. We lost Jessica because we rushed. That doesn’t happen again.”
A hush swallowed the room. Even the shifters looked away, jaws clenched.
Sybil raised her gaze, gentle but clear. “What about Jessica’s body?”
I forced the words through the ache in my throat. “We will hold her burial ritual tonight. At the Steele Clan compound. The ritual starts at sundown—we’ll do it right.”
Turk cleared his throat, voice stripped bare. “We’ll make sure security is tight. No one gets near the grounds unless they’re on your list.”
Nicky gave a quick, approving nod. “Jess deserves the best. She always gave it.”
Winter’s fingers never stopped moving, but her eyes glistened with something raw. “I’ll reach out to the clans and make sure everything is ready.”
For a few seconds, I couldn’t force an answer past the lump in my windpipe. Then I looked up, chin high. “Thank you. All of you.”
I swept my gaze over the screens. Winter had already laid out digital dossiers for every team member: timetables, mission maps, comm protocols, emergency backup plans.
The rail station flickered in a constant loop.
Notes on eitrborn movement, Balder’s escape routes, and the vault security measures layered the displays like a puzzle waiting to be solved.
I catalogued every detail, every risk. Jessica died putting the pieces together—we weren’t going to let her sacrifice slip through our fingers.
“We will meet back here at sunrise tomorrow,” I said, standing.
The meeting melted into personal goodbyes, people breaking off into quiet pairs or small groups.
Candra and Jenson stayed together, planning the details of the breach.
Larc and Nicky swapped gallows humor by the wall, but the undertone was fierce—protective in a way only true warriors achieved.
Sybil linked arms with Rina and Kyley, the three of them already coordinating food and comfort for the ritual.
Shaw exchanged a look with Talon, mutual understanding in the set of their jaws.
Quil caught my hand as I passed. “You good?”
I squeezed his fingers once, hard. “I will be.”
He let me go without comment, eyes hooded.
Talon waited at the door. When I reached him, he pulled me into a tight hug and kissed my forehead. “Let’s stop at my house and finish what we started this morning.”
My body hummed with anticipation. “Lead the way.”