Page 67 of Of Monsters and Mazes

“Are… are you making me a bed?” I blinked in confusion.

“You said you were tired, didn’t you? What else would I be doing?” He raised a brow at me, like it was in any way expected for him to be turning some random palm fronds into a full blown comforter set.

“That’s so sweet.” I said on accident. It must have been the changing hue of the setting Tartarus sun, because a shade of pink colored Theron’s otherwise pale face.

“I’m the Dream Weaver. Quality sleep is important to me.” He muttered under his breath, still meticulously weaving my blanket.

“You could just cuddle with her and keep her warm with that devilish body heat of yours, you know.” Alessi’s grin was purely catlike, and that soft pink on Theron’s face turned red. I glanced up at the sky that was still a shade of orange. I didn’t say anything.

Theron refused to say anything either, much to Alessi’s amusement. He simply finished the blanket, then started shaping a pillow.

In the meantime, Alessi crouched down to start building a fire, with a song in his movements, and oddly in sync with Theron. They seemed to work so well together, if they could just get past their petty squabbles. Their connection to each other was far deeper than it could ever be for me.

I shook my head to dismiss the ridiculous thought. By no stretch was I expecting them to see me as anything more than an entertaining way to pass the time. I was one of so many tributes that they played with every single year—and have for hundreds, if not thousands of years. I wasn’t special. In so many ways, I’d spent my entire life trying to convince other people that I truly wasn’t any different than any other woman in the world. Anyone with a heart or desire could do what I do.

That was what breaking the glass ceiling was all about to me. Normalizing women in positions that the most mediocre men have laid exclusive claim to since the dawn of modern society. And to call myself this special, unique, extraordinary person would imply it wasn’t obtainable to anyone else. I wanted to open doors for more women, not be part of an exclusive club.

Funny.

In a boardroom of men, I came out swinging, ready to prove my worth to anyone who dared question it. In my love life, I was scared to be seen as too much, too masculine, and too intimidating. Where was the balance? How could there ever be one?

I ran a hand through my messy hair, and I did away with the hair tie that wasn’t helping anything anymore. My gaze drifted to the water. A bath would have been wonderful, but I wasn’t about to ignore Theron’s only ground rules. So instead, I finger brushed and attempted to braid the rats nest of my hair. I really did need to get some sleep.

“Who’s taking first shift?” I asked as I took a seat on the bed Theron had so expertly crafted. It was the only bed he’d made. Maybe they didn’t need sleep.

“I will.” Theron volunteered before Alessi could get out the words. “You two should both get a little rest after the last sector. As the master of dreams, I only sleep as a hobby. I don’t actually need it at any point.”

“Fair enough.” Alessi nodded to him. “You guard the camp. I’ll guard the sleeping area.” He sat by the bed, while I settled into the surprisingly pleasant blanket situation. Theron was impressively crafty. Despite being woven entirely of stringy fronds, the blanket wasn’t remotely scratchy. The man was an artist.

“You can trust him.” Theron assured me, before he sat beside the fire pit and lit the logs with a concentration of his power.

Alessi’s expression was distant, but I could tell those words had hit something in his mind. He stared idly at the white haired devil for several moments, before he reached back and placed a hand on my shoulder.

I was already rapidly falling out of consciousness, and my body welcomed the much needed rest. The last thing I heard before I gave myself to my dreams was a simple and honest:

“You can trust him, too, Bijou.”

Chapter 36

The sound of Butterfly’s restful breathing was a beacon of gentleness beneath the darkening sky. The symphony of sleep had always brought me comfort. Everyone, man, devil, angel, or titan still slept at some point or another, and the signature of breathing and movement was as unique to each individual as their very soul.

I liked her sound. She was more pleasant when she was asleep than she ever was while awake.

I ran a hand through my hair, shoving it back between my horns, as I stared listlessly at the camp fire. It was unlikely that she would get much further, really. I wouldn’t have to sink her into another nightmare. I could simply not bother to wake her until the time ran out, or mislead her in the swamp, or distract her with some nonsensical side quest—there were a thousand ways I never had to hurt her again.

Placing my hand beneath my scarf, I traced the scar across my heart. Something I’d done an uncountable number of times. It was a nervous tick at this point.

Jericho was my villain, and no one else deserved to feel his wrath. Yet I’d deliver her just the same, because I always did as he demanded. I always would.

Why would I have rushed to her side, if not out of obligation? I should have let her die in the Labyrinth and spared myself from all of this. The weird pangs in my heart, the unfamiliar churning in my stomach… being around her was making me physically ill in a world without viruses. Maybe she really was more special than I’d admit.

I fisted the back of my hair and slumped forward in my seat on a fallen tree trunk. The gentle flames brought welcome heat, though this was already a warm and humid sector. Hotter never hurt.

“Any death rattles in the distance?” Alessi’s voice caught in my ear, and I lifted my attention to the fox as he took a seat on the log beside me.

“Your hearing is better than mine, kitty cat. You tell me.” I offered a half smile.

Alessi snorted. “You haven’t called me that in three hundred years. Getting soft on me, Theron?” The fire lit up his face with a warm orange glow, and the reflection off his fangs, his soft crimson hair, and in the light of his amber eyes was always dangerously attractive. Alessi was beautiful on a normal day. He was breathtaking beside a flame.