Chapter 45
Precious seconds had already been wasted from her staring at him for longer than she should have and she launched herself into the maze without looking back.
They had never set rules, and she was stupid not to ask since he could easily fly up to catch her. She knew Kaden well enough that it would be too easy for him to try it, and she could hear his footsteps in the distance behind her.
She had never been in such a maze, and with it being dark she was completely out of her element.
Branches scraped her face as she ran down the row of hedges, taking sharp turns and praying she didn’t come to a dead end. It was endless, her lungs starting to burn as she kept running, only having to turn around a few times and was lucky Kaden didn’t get to her.
The air was thick and she could feel him closing in on her, their thread between them vibrating and she could feel a small amount of anxiety coursing through her.
Part of her wanted him to catch her, wanting to know exactly what he wanted to do and make her decision obsolete.
Maybe he wanted to ravish her right here on the grassy ground, or maybe she had misunderstood what was going on between them and he would just make her do some awful training exercise.
It would be the easy way, but she knew what this was truly about and she gave him some credit.
If he caught her, she would have to adapt to her situation without her sword and without her power. This would either prove to herself she could survive, or prove she was a hopeless cause.
Her foot slipped out from under her as she rounded a corner, her hands catching her on the ground and she shot herself up to keep up her speed.
Seconds later she slammed into a wall of green leaves scratching her arms and she looked around for another way, but the only opening was behind her.
The hairs on her skin started to rise as she heard him come around the corner, her eyes landing on the massive shadow a few yards from her.
This time, his eyes were glowing bright, but his face still held the same menacing stare and she realized why so many people were afraid of him. If she didn’t know him, she would think she was facing off with death itself.
“Game over princess,” he growled.
“You haven’t caught me yet.” She shrugged. “Anything off limits?”
“Just don’t kill me.”
He suddenly lunged at her and her instincts kicked in faster than she expected, darting to the side and sliding under his arm with her hair barely grazing it.
Evading him once was all she was going to get, his hand whirling around and catching her leg before she slammed to the ground. Every nerve in her body started to burn and she threw her free leg up at him, her foot colliding with his knee and he buckled from the blow.
She knew this was her only chance, and she hoped he would forgive her later as she connected her fist to his face. Catching him off guard, he fell to the ground and she shot to her feet before bolting back down the hedge row.
A dark chuckle sounded from behind her that made her hair on the back of her neck raise, her own smile forming on her lips as she kept running.
There was a large opening ahead of her after a few more turns and she could see the stone building across the water. She was at least a hundred yards away, a straight stretch until she had officially beat Kaden at his own game and she smiled.
It faded quickly as footsteps sounded behind her, a quick glance over her shoulder confirming he was running straight at her and gaining fast.
She was not going to lose.
Every muscle started to ache but she pushed through it and started to throw everything she could into making her move faster. Pleading to her muscle to carry her just a little farther, her chest burning and body sticky with sweat.
The sound behind her was getting louder but she didn’t dare look back as the end of the hedge was just within reach. She could feel him closing in and with one last push, she leaped into the middle of the maze, Kaden grabbing around her waist and landing with her.
They rolled a few times, his body protecting her from harm and they landed next to each other on the grass a few seconds later.
She was struggling for breath, her chest heaving upward as she laid on her back, Kaden next to her only a few feet away.
“I didn’t think you had it in you.” Kaden chuckled between raspy breaths.
“You didn’t think I could win?” her voice cracking in disappointment.
“I knew you could win, I just didn’t think you would punch me.” He rolled onto his side and reached for her, his arm going across her stomach and pulled her into him.
“Oh.” she smirked. “Yeah I’m not going to apologize for that since you slammed me into the ground.”
“You did good.” His lips curled and he leaned down to pressed a kiss against her forehead. “Now that you won, what is it you want from me?”
She paused, looking up at him and she felt like she couldn’t breathe. His eyes had completely softened and she could see his breathing start to even out as his chest hovered above her.
Swallowing hard once more she pushed on his chest till he fell onto his back and moved to straddle him in one swift movement.
His eyes widened a little but he kept the rest of his face composed as he pushed himself up, gripping her so he was sitting with her legs on either side of him.
His face was less than an inch from hers, their breaths faint on each other’s lips and she felt her heart stop for a moment.
“You asked me what I wanted yesterday and now you are asking again.” she started in a nervous whisper. She placed her hands on his chest as he held her, her eyes looked down between them as anxiety started to twist in her gut. “You,” she whispered. “I want you, Kaden”
One of his arms left her waist and she felt his finger pull at her chin gently as he lifted it to his gaze. His eyes held relief in them, something she didn’t expect and she gripped his shirt tighter when their thread hummed between them.
“I know I’m a little broken still and I don't have my power yet so if you don’t want me like that, then-”
His hand slipped around to the back of her neck and his lips pressed against hers before she could finish her words.
White fire erupted around her, a large crack busting in her power’s wall and she instantly melted into him.
It was a tender kiss, not rough and chaotic but one she felt more emotions from than any other in her life.
He held her as if she was a precious gift, tenderly, and she felt a sob form in her chest as she leaned into his kiss more.
He pulled away, his shoulders tense and when she opened her eyes he was staring at her with his own flame wrapping around both of them to conceal her fire in the darkness.
“Don’t ever think for a second you are not what I want,” he growled and she felt a tear fall down her cheek.
“I want all of you, every inch of you that I can adore and every part of you that's ever been broken or harmed. Nothing about you scares me Alyra and even if you don’t ever get your full power back, I just want you.”
He pulled her into him again, his lips consuming her more intensely than the first time and she could feel the promise he was conveying. That promise of security and adoration she had been wanting her entire life, and she reciprocated it back.
His chest rumbled under her hands and she felt him pull away hesitantly, their breathing ragged against their lips.
“I will spend the rest of our life and the eternity after showing you just how completely and utterly I’m yours.” he nipped her lip playfully and she moaned in response.
“What were you going to do if you won?” she whispered, one hand moving up to his head and pushing some loose strands of hair behind his ear.
“I’ll show you later.” He smirked and leaned to press a kiss on her neck. His lips dragged up to her ear and she let out a small groan in response.
“Why not now?” her voice shuddered.
“I would rather not make you praise my name in this shithole,” he whispered against her ear. “I wanna wait till we are home and maybe see just how bright I can get your flame to glow.”
Her breath shook and her whole body trembled against him. Just the way his voice sounded made her toes want to curl and she felt him shift as he lifted her up with him to his feet.
“Let's go, I need a bath.” He chucked as he guided her feet to the ground.
She wrapped her arms around his neck in preparation for him to fly them back.
“Do I get to join you?” she teased.
“Absolutely not.” He glanced down to her, his wings appearing outstretched behind him. “With the state you’ve put me in, I would probably lose what little control I have and crumble this entire mansion to the ground around us.”
Smirking, she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his neck and felt his arm lift her up under her legs, his body tensing.
“I mean, this place could use a remodel,” she whispered.
“You are definitely trouble, princess.” He groaned and when she felt the air move around them, she felt a whole new part of her brighten inside her chest that she grabbed onto for dear life.