Greek yogurt. A tub of butter. A dried-out wedge of cantaloupe she didn’t remember buying. With a grimace, she tossed it into the trash. Reaching for her phone, she opened her food-delivery app and scrolled past options she normally liked. Nothing appealed.
With a sigh, she looked around her orderly apartment. She couldn’t even pass the time cleaning.
“What now?” she asked softly.
One of her rare evenings off, and she had nothing to do. No place to go. No one expecting her.
“Shower,” she said aloud because at least it was something.
Steam fogged the mirror within minutes, the warm water giving her a brief, welcome focus. She stayed longer than necessary as the heat unwound the muscles in her shoulders and back, and the sound of rushing water crowded out her thoughts.
When she stepped out, they were still waiting for her.
“This is ridiculous.”
She pulled on jeans and an oversized T-shirt and gathered her still-damp hair into a ponytail. It would be a frizzy disaster if she didn’t take care of it now, but she didn’t care. She grabbed her keys and headed out the door for a walk.
Despite dusk settling in, the heat of the day lingered. She walked without direction, the rhythm of her steps carrying heraway from the apartment, away from the silence and the restless energy she couldn’t shake.
Nearly an hour later, it hadn’t helped. It was also full dark.
She turned down a side street and slowed as a small park appeared ahead. The fountain in the center—tiered stone, water spilling steadily from one level to the next—drew her closer.
It wasn’t the sight. It was the sound.
Julia stopped at a bench and sat, listening. The city noise faded behind her, leaving only the steady spill of water and the faint rustle of leaves overhead.
A prickle of unease brushed the nape of her neck. She turned, her gaze sweeping over the lawn and into the shadowy stand of trees that loomed behind it. The faint crunch of footsteps sounded from the opposite side of the park as a couple strolled by, their indistinct murmur barely audible. She relaxed against the bench, feeling a bit foolish. Was her edginess the result of too little sleep or too much thinking?
It had to be the latter because when she glanced once more at the fountain, the splashing wasn’t merely sound. It was a memory.
Leland appeared in front of her, dressed in all black. His freshly shaven head sharpened already-rugged features. His relaxed stance exuded a quiet confidence that made her pulse quicken.
“Walk with me,” he said, offering his hand.
Without a second thought, she took it and followed him through the arbor into the labyrinth. Inside the hedges, everything felt separate and private.
“Up for a challenge? First one to the center chooses what happens next,” he said, a hint of playfulness in his tone.
“That’s not fair. The dominants all know the layout.”
“Dev has it changed regularly,” he said. “The landscapers finished this afternoon. So, it’s new to me too.”
She looked at him, uncertain.
He stepped closer, lowering his voice. “You trust me, don’t you?”
She did. Completely.
“Go,” he said softly. No ready or set. Then he turned and disappeared into the shadows.
For a moment, Julia stood there uncertainly. The path split. Did she follow or choose the opposite route? She listened for footsteps or snapping twigs, but the sounds of the club drifting over the walls, music pulsing from the main house, and the occasional burst of laughter from the patio all got jumbled.
She chose the opposite. The farther she walked into the shadows, hedges rising on either side of her, dense enough to block the view of anything beyond the next turn, the more muted the sounds became. At the first turn, she came to a bench with a flickering solar lamp. Moving on, she reached another fork and simply guessed this time. Not long after, she paused, picking up that faint burble of water. She smiled, convinced she was heading in the right direction.
She rounded one last corner, and the maze opened into a small clearing, a tiered stone fountain with a circular bench curving around it at the center. Leland was already there.
He reclined on an elbow as if he’d been waiting for a while. He didn’t speak at first—or gloat—simply smiled as he watched her approach. Another lantern illuminated the fountain, but Leland held her attention.
