His smile was genuine as he looked down at her. “You are correct.” There was a brief pause, then he said, “You don’t tend to remember much about others, do you?”
“Not unless it is necessary. People are not my strength, which is a large reason why I partnered with Naomi. She has all of the skills I lack, and I have all of the skills to make sure that things get done.”
“Ah,” he nodded knowingly, but the look he was giving her set Maya on edge. Then his choice of words proved she was right to be wary. “Are you sure you didn’t partner with her so that you had someone to mistreat?”
“I donot mistreatNaomi. She has a few weaknesses that cause—”
Apollo shook his head. “Justifying your cruelty does not change the nature of the words, Maya. She has no need of your criticism if you cannot do it without being constructive.”
Feeling defensive, Maya picked up her pace as she shot back, “What do you know of our relationship?”
He easily caught up to her, as his strides were markedly longer. “I know that in the short amount of time I’ve seen you interact, you have been short, rude, and downright vicious towards her. Do you have any idea—”
Cutting him off, Maya stopped in front of Apollo and looked up at him. “The more you talk, the more inclined I am to believe that Cosmo is either an idiot or a liar.”
Apollo frowned. “Perhaps he is both. But I notice that you did not disagree with my assessment.”
“What’s the point?” Maya asked, her tone edged with bitterness. “You’ve made up your mind about me. That’ll teach me to ever listen to morons or to give anyone a chance. Unlike the last couple of times, though, I’ll make surethistime that fucking lesson sticks.”
Turning on her heel, she headed away from the shifter she would now only think of asthatblond.
“Wait!” His tone was completely different, and there was a strangeness to it, as if he was speaking through an unfamiliaremotion. While that resonated with something in Maya, she wasn’t about to continue conversing with him. Not after he had repeatedly insulted her.
Maya sped up, turning at the first bend. She heard the pebbles behind her moving in a way that sounded like he was running to catch up to her. Holding up her hand, Maya used one of her least favorite abilities. She created a portal, then walked through it without hesitating, and the resulting headache started forming in both temples before she had finished stepping out on the other side. However, it did exactly what she had wanted it to as she was on the other side of the maze, far from the house, the couple, and most importantly, all of the guys who might inflict further pain on her.
Stumbling a little, Maya tried to get her headache under control as she walked quickly across the field on the other side of the maze. The bed and breakfast was at the dead end of a road, leading to a little village she never wanted to visit. The field was expansive, but she thought she heard the sound of lapping water, suggesting there was a body of water not too far away. There would be people there, she had no doubt, so she wanted to be gone before reaching it. All she needed was to prevent the headache from getting worse, then Maya felt that she could escape without having to talk to another soul.
To her horror, Maya heard someone shouting behind her.Nope. I don’t care who is trying to catch me, I will not stay here a moment longer. I don’t care what I have to do to get away.
For the first time in a long time, she focused on shifting. The excruciating pain was immediate, and the scar on her stomach stretched and burned as she willed her body to change. It was never easy because the pain made her body want to recoil and snap back into a safer form; the mental block didn’t help either. That was why she hadn’t even tried to shift since her adolescence. This was a last resort. She stumbled a little as shefelt her feet become heavy, and her hands turned iridescent and scales formed on them.
When she fell forward, Maya knew that she was over halfway through the transition. All she needed to do was to will her body to finish the change, ignoring the pain. Soon she felt the wings painfully sprouting out of her back, and she moved them feebly, hoping they would work when she needed them.
“Wait! Please, Maya, you can’t—”
Maya’s long neck snaked around, and she immediately spottedthat blondrunning toward her. Before he could finish whatever he was saying, she snapped her long, dark tail. It struck him in the side, sending the blond shifter flying off to the side across the field, like a ball hit by a bat. Turning her attention in front of her, Maya began to run. It felt unnatural and she had no connection with her body in this form, but she did not care. Lumbering forward, she flapped her wings and jumped in an effort to get off the ground. The jarring sensation that went through her when her body thudded against the soft moss and soil was annoying, but she pushed herself harder, willing her body to pick up speed. She remembered the freeing sensation and what it felt like when the wind whipped around her, and she implored her body to listen as she moved forward.
Behind her, she could hear a voice, muffled and pained, but Maya ignored it as she finally started to pick up speed. Her limbs moved more in unison and her wings flapped with smoother motions. She could hear something heavy moving behind her. Her senses were telling her that it was another dragon, someone who would have no trouble stopping her if they were to reach her before she got off the ground.
Trying to remember what she had learned as a child, Maya attempted to calculate the winds and how they may affect her. Turning a little, she thought she was running into the wind, although she couldn’t honestly say for certain. It all just felt likeair moving around her. Lowering her head and trying to make herself more aerodynamic, she jumped as she made a powerful downstroke with her wings.
Her body felt lighter, and Maya noticed that the ground was getting farther beneath her. A feeling of ecstasy pulsed through her for a second, quickly followed by fear. She had no idea how to fly for any distance, and her wings were already starting to feel tired.
As she pulled her legs up and tried to keep going, Maya worked to make her body more aerodynamic. She quickly realized that the movement was too much for her body, and pain ripped through her stomach. The rush of being in the air was replaced by the feel of gravity dragging her down. Unable to keep control over her form, Maya’s body shifted back to her human form. Balling up as she fell, it was all she could do to try to keep the pain from consuming her.
I guess this is one way to go. Rhys will finally have competition as the cautionary tale for those who end up here but don’t work for it. This would be humiliating if I actually cared what anyone thought of me. So maybe Rhys has it worse because he still has to live down his choices. I just have to live with my choice for a few seconds, then my corpse will be someone else’s problem.
Instead of thinking about what was coming, Maya retreated into her memories, seeking comfort in what she was sure were the last moments of her life.
Chapter 5
A Visceral Reaction
Maya hit something solid but surprisingly soft. Before she could register the fact that she was still alive, her body rolled, then it spun, as if she had been launched off of something. Confused, she opened one eye and saw a lot of yellow and gold colors moving around her. Then she was once again airborne, and she found it impossible to surmise what was happening. The sunny colors moved around her again, this time wrapping around her and creating a sense of warmth and comfort.
No, this isn’t real.The thought was quickly quieted as Maya decided it didn’t really matter. If her last moments felt comforting, she wasn’t going to destroy the illusion.
With a jolt, she knew that she had hit the ground, but it felt far softer than she had expected. Then the ground beneath her felt strange and it moved in a way that didnotfeel flat. The next thing she knew, Maya rolled to the actual ground as a low groan sounded from where she had just been. She squeezed her knees tighter as the pain in her stomach intensified. Digging her nails into her legs, Maya tried to focus on the sensations her nails created. Anything to draw her mind away from the feeling that her insides were being shredded.
