Chapter 14 - Aric
“Psst,” I hiss at Quaid. “Get over here and get to work. They’re doing it.”
I don’t bother waiting for Quaid to answer me because Declan is committed to the mission and he’s going for it. He walks Star backwards, still kissing her, until she bumps into the wall.
“Damn, that’s kinda hot.” Quaid is beside me now.
“Who cares if it’s hot,” I mutter. “Fix the fucking glasses.”
“Wow this place has really gotten you spooked, hasn’t it?”
I look over my shoulder at him and growl, “Fix. The fucking. Glasses.”
Which makes Quaid chuckle. For a mortal with no power, he’s cocky. Which means he’s got more going for him than Declan and I understand, but whatever. After I get out of here, I’ll never have to see him again.
In the bathroom, having practically pinned her to the wall, Declan is now grinding against Star.
But she’s not objecting. In fact, her hands start wandering.
Reaching around Declan’s bare torso. She scrapes her fingernails across his skin, making his back arch. But still, he never stops kissing her.
“How’s it coming?” I ask Quaid, unable to take my eyes off the show. It’s heating up pretty good. But I would like a progress report.
“Nothing yet.”
I turn and look at Quaid. “What?”
He shrugs. “Nothing.”
“How could there be nothing? They’re practically fucking with their clothes on.” As if to illustrate my point, Star begins to moan. And then I catch her hand moving again. This time, it sneaks around to Declan’s front and then she grabs his dick right through his jeans.
He pulls out of the kiss for a moment, staring down at Star with hooded eyes. “Fuck yeah, grab it again.” But he doesn’t wait for her to do this on his own, his large hand cups her tiny one and he begins rubbing himself using her hand to do it.
“Anything?” I whisper to Quaid.
“Nothing.”
I force myself to look away from Star and Declan. “What?”
He shrugs. “Nothing. It’s doing nothing.”
“How is that possible? Just a few minutes ago she was making all sorts of shit happen and she was just angry. Clearly,” I pan a hand to the show Star and Declan are putting on, “She’s more excited now than she was then. So why isn’t it working?”
Quaid is about to answer when four things happen at once.
First, Declan says, “I wanna fuck you so hard right now,” making Star moan.
Second, the lights go out and room becomes a darkness so vast, I hold my breath.
Third, in this darkness Quaid’s glasses spark and then a sort of electricity shoots out of them.
And fourth, the walls light up with glowing designs. Little symbols, or something. Like an ancient language.
Then three more things happen.
Quaid says, “Stop! You’re making it worse! You’re glitching my glasses!”
Declan and Star break apart, looking up and around at the glowing walls.
And then the lights come back on.
“What the fuck was that?” I ask.
Everyone is talking at once.
Declan is saying, “Did you see the walls? Did you see the fucking walls?”
And Quaid is saying, “They’re fried now! They’re fuckin’ fried!”
And Star is saying, “I saw you.” Except she’s not looking at Declan, she’s looking at me.
A sudden sinking feeling fills my gut. “What?” I ask.
She breaks away from Declan and comes towards me. “I saw you. In here.” She points to the ground.
Instantly, I’m transported back in time.
A time filled with fear. Nothing but absolute fear.
Over the years that fear has faded into embarrassment.
It was shameful to me just how afraid I was back then.
At just how much this place affected me.
How my whole body would quake and shiver every time I woke up from being killed by the monster.
And the dread I felt when I realized I’d have to do it all again.
I blink and suddenly, I’m standing in the maze. At a four-way junction. There is one flaming torch lighting up each choice, making the walls flicker eerily as I pause, unable to make a decision and breathing so hard, I think I might pass out.
A hand touches my shoulder and I almost scream like a girl. But when I turn, it’s not the monster.
It’s Star.
“It’s OK,” she says. She looks exactly like she does back in my room. Wearing the same clothes and everything—a long black dress with little sparkles on it, making her look like a night-sky princess.
“It’s me, Aric. I’m here. You’re not alone.”
I squint. Whispering, “What?”
“You’re not alone.”
I blink again and I’m back in the present, the room back to normal. No darkness, no glowing walls.
Quaid’s glasses spark and he overreacts, flinging them off his face. They go skittering across the rock floor and end up under the bed. He looks at me “What the fuck was that?”
I shrug. “I have no fucking clue.” But then I take my attention to Star. “You were there.”
She points at herself, her face still very flushed with the desire she was experiencing with Declan. “Me? Was where?”
“Here.” I point to the ground. “I mean, out there.” I point to the walls, indicating the maze. “I was back there for a moment, in the maze. I had four choices and I couldn’t make up my mind. And then you were there and you said I wasn’t alone anymore.”
She smiles here. Like… really fucking smiles at me. “Aww. That was nice of me. Did I help you?”
“I blinked and…” I let out a long breath. “Then I was here again.”
“What did you see, Star?” This is Declan. “When you saw Aric?”
“Oh, well it was here, but not in the maze. You were…” She doesn’t finish. But her eyes glide over to the bed.
“I was what?” I ask. She looks at me with an all-teeth grin, and even though her face is still rosy from being sexually aroused by Declan, they go scarlet now. “What?” I ask. “What did you see?”
She glances at Declan, winces, then shrugs and turns her attention back to me. “You and I were… well, let’s just say it was your turn to get me worked up, I guess.”
My eyebrows shoot up and suddenly, all the fear is gone. I let out a laugh. “Well, finally something is going my way.”
“But did you see the walls?” Declan asks. He’s very annoyed at this latest development. “They were all lit up with symbols.”
“I did,” I say. “I saw them too.
“Well, I didn’t,” Quaid snarls. “I was too busy being shocked my glasses.” Now he glares at Star. “It’s you. You’re doing this on purpose.”
It’s Star’s turn to laugh. She puts up a hand, palm first, like she’s warding him off.
“Trust me when I say this, I’m not doing anything to you.
Or with you. You’re a jerk and I would like you remove this collar from my neck immediately.
” She looks at Declan. “Please.” Begs. “Please make him take it off. I don’t like it. ”
Quaid scoffs. “We already went over this. The moment it went on, it sealed. There’s not even a buckle, Star. You’re the property of Apollo now.”
Those words hang in the air. Declan and I find each other’s gaze and lock eyes. He cocks his head. I cock mine back.
So that’s what he up to. I guess I’m not surprised. Looking back, it’s obvious.
“What does Apollo want with her?” Declan asks.
“Like he’d tell me,” Quaid scoffs.
“I think I understand,” I say. Everyone looks at me. “That’s why your glasses aren’t working. You put that collar on Star and her magic is interfering.”
“No fucking shit,” Quaid says.
“But it’s the collar,” I say. “This place belongs to Ares. Apollo has no magic here.” I look at Declan. “And neither does Hermes.”
“So we’re fucked?” Star says.
“No,” I say. “Not from what I’ve seen. Because somehow, your powers have merged with ours.”
“How?” Star asks. “I don’t have any power.”
“You have lots of powers,” Declan says. “You’re the Eighth Sister of the Pleiades. You have to have powers. It’s just… a thing with those sisters. I think it’s got something to do with the walls and those glowing symbols.” He turns to look at me. “Did the walls always glow when you were here?”
I shake my head. “No. That’s new.”
“See,” Declan says. He’s smiling now. “I’m right. Her power is in those walls and the symbols written on them.”
“So what good is that?” Quaid asks. “Who cares? How do I fix my glasses? Because every time she gets excited, it gets worse, not better.”
“I think I know.” Everyone turns to look at me.
“Think about it. This place is connected to me. When Declan was skipping us out of jail, I was thinking about this place and how I was a prisoner here because obviously, I was a prisoner back there in the jail. My thoughts got mixed up with his transport. Declan and I both brought us here. Then—” I point at Quaid.
“Somehow those magic glasses of yours got mixed up with it too when you put the collar on Star.”
Star sighs. “That’s just great. So I’m stuck with him?”
“We’re all stuck with each other,” I say. “The four of us? We’ve been… merged.”