Page 65 of Of Monsters and Mazes

She bit into her lip, like she was trying to hate it, then fidgeted like she was trying to force it out of position, but I knew it had been well secured in a too perfect spot. The devil was in the details, and Rai was very passionate about his details.

Her cheeks flushed, and she held onto me despite herself. “S-stop.” She muttered, and the whimper in her voice was too charming to ignore.

“Anything you wish.” I snapped and transported the toy to my palm. Her heart was beating rapidly, but her breathing started to slow. She held onto me as she came back down from that forced high.

Sela squeezed her eyes shut, as if trying to black out her reality, bringing out the small creases in the corner of her eyes that followed the lines of her cheekbones.

Beautiful. I was so completely taken with her. Every line in her brow, her eyes, and around her mouth told a different story of a struggle or a triumph, and the way they accented her every expression gave her face such life and character. A woman with a little life experience, who was stronger and more mature and had built her confidence over decades, was so much more fun to shatter.

She parted her lovely lips as she inhaled, then she opened her azure doe eyes. When she noticed how sweetly she’d been clinging to my shirt, she jerked back. A pointless effort, as I still had a hand secure around her waist, and I wouldn’t be relenting. I’d give her anything she wanted, except freedom from my grasp.

“I’m not giving up, you know. I’m going to make it through these last two sectors, and I’m going to get Pumpkin back.” Always so determined.

I brushed a hand through her messy, post-coital hair, smoothing it out affectionately. “Of course you are.” I shared my sweetest, most patronizing smile with the woman before I added, “because nothing holds you back, does it.” That wasn’t a question, because I’d never questioned her resolve. That fight was exactly what I counted on when I chose her. “How many barriers have you smashed through in your life, Fraulein? How many walls have you broken down, and doubts and fears have you spited by keeping your eyes up and on the prize?”

She stared at me in surprise, as if she hadn’t expected the compliments. She was utterly speechless.

I shook my head, because that reaction was absurd. “The reason I picked you as a tribute is because you are a force to be reckoned with. Even when you’re tired, scared, and feeling at your weakest, you don’t quit, because the goal is always more important than temporary inconvenience. Isn’t that magnificent?”

I loosened my grip, but she didn’t try to pull away again. She stayed there, our gazes locked, and confusion painted in every shining light in her eyes.

“That’s unexpectedly sweet for a man who’s been actively trying to kill and humiliate me in a torture maze.” Sela’s lips were only pursed to fight the obvious smile.

“The devil never gives you more than you can handle, my dear.”

She snorted and shook her head. “At least if I’m going to hell for laughing at that, you already made the commute easy.”

Positively charming. The corners of my lips upticked, then I took a step back and let her stand on her own two feet.

“I’m always happy to aid in your journey towards corruption.” I said as I took a bow.

The Twilight Clock ticked quietly overhead, and I couldn’t help but think I’d underestimated her with a full seventy-two hours to get through the Labyrinth. It turned out that, when aided by my very own treacherous devil, and his very own untrustworthy angel, monumental tasks became a quick and easy breeze. But then again, their willingness to partner with her was ultimately a testament to her own worthiness. I considered robbing her of a few hours just to rattle her cute little constitution, but I was much too curious to see how this game would play out, and I was planning to savor the spectacle until the very end.

I held that brilliant soul connection between us for another extended moment, before I at last willed myself to leave.

“See you soon, Sela.” I offered with one last snap of my fingers to open a new portal. I flashed back to the castle, and I settled into my throne room, where I enjoyed the theatrics of her holding her chest and straightening out her hair and clothing again. The physical confirmation that I’d rattled her sent a zip of joy through my heart.

Her attention shifted towards the large, imposing Orange door, and she took the first step forward.

My how I love this time of year.

Chapter 35

Jericho was still the worst person in the world, but I felt oddly tough, filled with the resolve that I could conquer anything the Labyrinth could throw at me, as I opened the door to the Orange Sector. Right on the other side, Alessi and Theron had been waiting for me like dutiful knights outside a Queen’s bedchamber, and I felt a little special having their unexplainable devotion.

“Everything okay?” Alessi asked first, and I gave him a nod. Theron said nothing, but he seemed to be analyzing my expression, as if he was verifying I was telling the truth. Though he’d made it very clear we weren’t friends using his words, as always, his actions betrayed his claims.

Not wanting to think on that further, I turned my attention to the new challenge before me. The Orange Sector was far removed from the confined and limited Yellow Sector that had only given me one clear path. The whole maze opened up, and the usual tight corridors were replaced by a large space filled by tropical jungle. Instead of walls of orange stone, the path itself was orange, made of colored mud surrounded by dark water swamps and marshes. Reeds and vibrant, matching flowers sprung from the vast wetlands, while the fern leaves were colored with the essence of a beautiful fall day.

I already liked this sector better than the others. The openness was a small comfort for my otherwise constantly peaking anxiety.

I allowed myself a quiet smile before the chirp of nighttime insects and the distant sound of a waterfall immediately had me yawning. The sun never seemed to set here—though in Tartarus’ defense, I had no idea how long a day in this realm might be—but that didn’t change the fact that I’d been awake for well over thirty hours now by Earth time.

The exhaustion caught up with me like a sledge hammer through a window, and without the whirlwind of stress, pain, adrenaline, fear, and orgasms, I was ready to collapse in the mud.

I glanced up at the clock overhead, where I only had forty-two hours left now. Considering most sectors had been cleared in just over a handful of hours, I was honestly confused by the fact that he’d been so generous with time. He could have rolled the clock down to a handful of hours any time he wanted, but he decided to give me multiple days and plenty of room for error. I’d never been a procrastinator, and that was serving me as well here as it had in the corporate world.

But in that same vein, having nearly two full days still at my disposal gave me more than adequate time to take a rest, which would be wise if I wanted to be half way functional by the time we reached the castle. It would likely only take a small fraction of the clock to clear the last segment with the two very capable men I had helping me. I wouldn’t have gotten so far so fast without them, and I was grateful for their continued support.