45
EMERSYN
A cold chill sunk into my bones as awareness returned. I blinked awake to find myself in some otherworldly place—the mist shifted and warped the small clearing. Dark entrances to other paths yawned around me.
The maze.
I’d seen the edges of it in passing, but being in it was another experience entirely.
The hedges were so tall they cast shadows that twisted with the fog.
It was eerie. I was naked and leaned up against something hard, but as smooth as glass.
I looked up and gasped. A tall obsidian statue of an angel rose above me.
He was balanced back on one leg, wings outstretched almost the length of the clearing.
He had a spear he was about to throw, and wild hair carved to look like it flowed in a vicious wind.
Over his face was a wolf mask that covered everything but full lips and a strong jaw.
I gaped at it because all it made me think about was my own guardian angel in a wolf mask who’d saved me from Octavius long ago. The longer I looked, the more I saw there really wasn’t a true resemblance, but the wolf mask and the symbolism were there.
I turned onto my knees and the world shifted—they’d sedated me again.
My body felt sluggish and heavy, but as I twisted my wrists, I realized they were only bound with rope.
That was something I could work with. I moved around the edges of the statue to try and find a sharp edge.
I could hear the occasional gunshot, but the sound was muted and warped by the weather and the hedges.
I couldn’t believe we were playing this fucked up game.
All this because those two guards—Griffin and Seven—couldn’t fucking help themselves and had to play savior.
For better or for worse, those two had claimed me. Griffin had even taken a beating for me. Watching him take those hits should have been satisfying—instead, it had caused weird feelings to swirl in my stomach.
Why would he do that?
Anyone who touches you from this point on is going to regret it.
Griffin’s words came to mind. Regardless of how he’d meant them, they only served to confuse me more because neither he nor Seven had touched me yet. When he won, was this when he was going to collect? Was I his prize? Would this finally be when he showed me who he really was?
But, what if he didn’t win?
I frowned. Damnit—I didn’t like the idea of any of the other men winning—especially Marcello. Although, the idea that Griffin would probably end up being just like all the others also made me incredibly irritated. Which, in turn, made me angry because why the fuck did I even care?
Why did a small part of me hope he was different?
I was distracted by those annoying thoughts as the rope finally caught on a sharp bit and I quickly sawed through the rough fibers. The side of my hand caught the edge of the stone, and I hissed as pain flared. I was sloppy with these sedatives. It took me too long to react, and I didn’t like it.
The rope fell away and I rubbed my wrists and looked at the cut. It wasn’t bad, but it was definitely bleeding heavily, and I had nothing to wrap it with. I turned in a slow circle and debated which of the four pathways to head down.
My decision was made for me when two men crept into the clearing.
They looked surprised to have found me first. I leapt towards the nearest path, but forgot about the drugs and stumbled like I was drunk.
The ground lurched and I felt like I was falling.
I scrambled to get my feet under me. I grabbed onto the hedge and a thorn pierced my palm.
At first I thought it was the drugs, but I turned and saw a gaping hole where I’d just stood.
Well, that was close.
I hauled myself to my feet and looked at the several inch long thorn that went straight through my palm. That wasn’t ideal. The good news was the men’s progress was halted by the impassable hole, and I watched them warily as I yanked the thorn out of my palm.
“We’re coming for you.”
I wanted to roll my eyes. Yeah, yeah—fucking what’s new?
I flicked him a bloody middle finger and quickly moved down the path and out of their sight.
I kept the thorn gripped in my hand to use as a weapon and carefully crept up to the next corner.
I heard voices and waited. The men carelessly rounded the corner and I lunged.
I stabbed the thorn through the first one’s neck, but my coordination was sloppy and I couldn’t grab his gun in time to take down the second one.
He slammed the butt of his gun against my temple.
Stars exploded and I fell backward. I scrambled to get away from him but he advanced. I blindly groped for another thorn to tear off the bushes, heedless of the leaves as they sliced into my skin. The man grabbed me, and I sunk the thorn into his arm.
“Fucking bitch.” He grunted in pain and hauled me to my feet.
He threw another punch, but I managed to block it and clocked him between the legs. He released me with a curse, and I crawled through the dirt toward the discarded gun. I reached it just in time.
I rolled over and shot him. He fell at my feet just as the heavens opened and rain poured down.
I needed to gather my breath, but I heard shouts down the path and knew the gunshots had probably been heard.
I checked the mag of the gun I held and climbed to my feet.
I took a step and pain shot up my leg. Fuck—I’d done something to my ankle.
It hurt to put a ton of weight on it, but I could limp if I only put weight on my toes.
The next few corners were clear, but as I rounded another, I immediately stopped.
Ahead, the mist looked—strange. It wasn’t a hugely noticeable difference, but I thought it held a greenish tint.
I tilted my head and wondered if it was just a reflection off the hedges.
But, it also sat lower and heavier than the fog around it did.
My instincts screamed not to take another step.
I was inclined to listen, but when I turned around, I ran straight into a man.
“Gotcha,” he said.
The butt of his gun slammed into my temple and darkness closed in.
The rain increased in volume as I returned to consciousness.
I quickly registered that I was being dragged by the man who had a firm grip on my ankle.
I looked up at the dark grey sky as lightning flashed and thunder rolled.
We were close to the edge of the maze near the forest, and I could see the tree limbs reach out and creak in the wind where they encroached along the top of the hedge line.
I was about to make a move when suddenly, we were both lifted into the air.
He let out a shout as his ankle caught in a trap and he was lifted up, up, up—
He dropped me and I landed with a splat in the mud about eight feet below him. I snickered because he looked comical dangling upside down. He didn’t find it funny and immediately cussed me out. I stood up and stepped back to really admire the view and noticed he’d also dropped his gun.
“Don’t mind if I do.” I checked the mag and shook my head. “Only four bullets left?” I tsked in disapproval.
“Bitch—” The man hauled himself up to reach the knife on his leg.
“Oh that won’t do—damn.” I hadn’t wanted to waste a bullet, but I couldn’t allow him to cut himself free. I aimed, pulled the trigger and he fell limp against the rope. I sighed in disappointment. Unfortunately, he was too high up to go for his extra mag.
“Three it is then,” I grumbled unhappily.
I tried to get my bearings, but there wasn’t much to go on, so I picked a direction that felt instinctively solid and crept away.