22
MAX
“Ido not wish to speak to you,” I call out, eyes closed.
Silence only greets me.
A chill washes over my spine with tiny pricks of apprehension. After witnessing my mate dispatch someone so carelessly, I’m painfully aware that I am out here alone. The Hadeon is in the woods hunting, the Moorgate siblings are inside and Mal is with them. No one knows I am here.
I’m too aggravated to be scared. Standing, I hold my red fingers aloft, and center myself. The bond flares for a moment before darkening, and the smallest thump pounds through my ears.
Then, it’s gone.
Opening my eyes, I listen to the rhythmic sounds of cricket chirping and the softest hoot of an owl. The breeze tickles the overhead leaves and I wait, with bated breath, for another thump of a heart.
Nothing.
“If you’re here, I will find you,” I say, crumpling the fabric of my skirt. My heels sink into the waterlogged grass, but I ready myself to run.
I don’t bother to wait for a response, going further into thegarden. Lush and tropical, with the sweetest scents, I find myself drawn into the thickest part. I come upon a maze. Crafted from holly bushes, these kinds grow tall and large, towering over me.
At the entrance, a sharp bramble protrudes, like a crooked finger. I touch it and my blood wells.
Sucking it into my mouth, I continue on. Whoever is out there won’t find me in the maze. I’ll make sure to hide until the festival concludes. I’ll wait here all night, if it avoids my mate and his ridiculousness.
I don’t know what Aoife said to convince him, but she’s nothing but trouble. Nothing is more important than returning home, defeating Griffin, and protecting our people. Are there many Humans to our numbers? Yes. But we do not need to cater to this queen for reinforcements.
It is unlike him. Kaden might be dark, but he owns his responsibilities.
My hand falls to my stomach tiredly. Did she say something to turn him away? What happened to the promises of a future together? A life, a family, the future we never dared to dream of until now? Does he still want it?
Has Aoife poisoned him, so now he only wants to be here?
A drum in the distance alerts me to someone coming. It’s faint, barely there. Either my magic is not strong, or the individual is doing a great job of hiding it from me. Not that I think it’s possible.
Feet crush grass and I hurry further onto the twisting path. Left, right, then left again, I go deeper. The brambles scratch at my legs, snag at my locks. But I keep going.
Eventually, I find the center. A white fountain bubbles beside two large red-cherry trees in bloom and they take my breath away with their beauty. The pink blossoms, their fragrance are exquisite. A bench sits under the flowers, cool to the touch.
The drum is picking up speed, stomping just under my skin, looking for a way to break loose. My magic swirls in my gut, hungry, searching for its next victim.
Then, it stops again.
“Enough already!” I shout, spinning about. No one is in the middle with me, but I feel it—their gaze, their presence.They’re here.
How is it I can hear their heart, but then it stops? Is it magic?
Movement in the bushes pulls my attention to the far back black corner. A ripple in the shadows appears before a man steps forward. As if born fromSeti’sHell, he’s covered in blackness that twists and warps his face.
Inky masses hang all over his cheeks and chin, while his eyes are endless seas of black. No sound, no whisper, just the absence of life and I shudder.
I’m not sure what he is—but I will not be helpless.
Raising my hand, he throws me back, his magic moving quicker than I can see. My back presses to the maze walls and he materializes there, one hand wrapped around my leg, the other my thigh. He pulls it high, parting the slit so my pale skin glows against the moonlight.
“Let me go,” I growl, finally hearing his heart.
I don’t let him answer, as I control the blood in his veins to push him away. He goes with barely a gasp, body knocking into the fountain. The porcelain breaks, cutting into his skin.
