There’s a familiar feral possessiveness to his words. My body reacts to hearing him, and a wave of heat hits me again. But it isn’t enough to slow me down. Not when I know what waits for me if I give in.
Not a chance.
I push forward.
Mittens chitters nervously at Leon’s voice, and I whisper, “It’s okay. He’s still far. We can make it.”
We continue, and I notice a bench hidden in an alcove to my left. Chills erupt over my flesh, remembering what Leon and I did there. The bondflares at the memory, and another wave of heat crashes through me. I whimper at the overpowering need that pulses through my veins. My knees go weak, and I stumble but don’t stop running.
Sin hit me with lust when we trained, and I managed to fight him through it. I can fight this.
Leon’s voice echoes out again, only this time it’s closer, “Are you playing hide and seek, Vivian? I warned you. I’ll always find you.”
He must only be a few rows away. The ringing in my head worsens, taking on an even higher, more disorientating pitch.
The bond is not happy with me for running from Leon.
The bond can kiss my ass.
I don’t think about how screwed I am and only run faster. I want to call out to Arianna, but I don’t dare make a sound lest I make it easier for Leon to find me.
More twists and turns, and I’ve completely lost track of where we are going. It’s getting harder to ignore the twisting sensation inside of me, constricting my lungs, insisting that I go to Leon.
“You can run all you want, little mouse, but you know you can’t win this. I can feel you burning for me. You need me.” Leon’s voice is even closer, and I sprint after Mittens. One of my stitches pops, and the pain in my leg is a blissful reprieve from the feeling of my blood turning to magma.
More twists and turns through the maze until, finally, there’s something up ahead, crumpled on the ground. I race towards it.
It’s a person curled into a tight ball. And though they’re facing away, the long silver-blonde hair is a dead giveaway. I screech to a halt when I reach her. “Ari!” I whisper, grabbing at her arm. “Ari, get up! We need to go. We have no time!” I urge, pulling her up.
Arianna turns to me slowly, blinking like she isn’t sure where she is. She looks at me with haunted eyes. “No. No, not again. No more tricks. You’re dead,” she cries, trying to wrench away from me.
She’s deathly pale and so thin I’m worried about pulling her too hard in case I accidentally snap her bones. Instead of trying to force her to follow me, I yank Sin’s necklace from my neck, holding it out to her.
“I’m here, and I’m with them. But unless you get up and start running, we’re both as good as dead,” I plead.
Ari stares hard at the necklace, a spark of recognition passing through her gaze before her eyes snap back to me, clearer than before. “Cassandra?”
“Not quite,” I answer honestly.
“Vivian!” Leon’s voice rings out. It’s way too close for comfort. “You’re trapped in here, little mouse. There’s no escaping our destiny.”
I shudder at the sound.
Mittens must feel the same trepidation because, at the sound, the little creature screeches, dashing into the hedges. My heart sinks as I realize it’s running away.
We’re so screwed.
But rather than dwelling on that little detail, I take Arianna’s hand, and we take off running. I have no idea how to get back to the entrance, so I aim for the opposite direction of the bond’s pull. The action shootswhite-hot pain through me, and the fog creeps in a little closer.
I grit my teeth at the pain, focusing on getting Arianna out.
“Who is that?” Arianna asks. Luckily, there’s no panic in her voice, only cold calculation.
I answer through laboured breaths, “He’s not good.”
Pulling one of my daggers from my thigh, I thrust it into Arianna’s hand without breaking our stride. “If I try to go to him, you need to kill me.”
There’s no way I’m going back to having my thoughts controlled. I refuse.
