Page 105 of Marked By the minotaur

Korinnae groaned and rolled her eyes.

Asterion sat down on the crate beside Ria. She leaned her head on his shoulder, and he snaked his arm around her. Above them, the Alindale sky was clear, and somewhere in the distance, he could hear the faint sound of traffic and life carrying on as though nothing had happened.

Korinnae peeked through her fingers. “You’re doing it again.”

“I’m not doing anything,” Asterion said.

“You’re looking at her that way again.”

“What way?”

“Like you wanna kiss her.” She grimaced. “You’re so gross, Uncle Asty.”

Ria tucked her head into his shoulder to smother her laughter. Asterion held her a little tighter.

The first of his kind had been born into a maze, and no minotaur had ever liked being trapped. But sitting here, with Korinnae’s hand in his and Ria’s warmth against his side, he didn’t feel trapped at all.

Epilogue

Asterion

A few days later…

Asterion leaned back in his chair and looked over the report Hektor had dropped onto his desk. He’d made it halfway down the first page before deciding he’d rather hear the explanation.

“What am I looking at?”

“An update from the Naiad territory. The Guard went back after what happened to Korinnae.”

Asterion put the report down. “Why?”

Maldenis was by the window, reading through another copy. “My mother wanted them to take another look at the children we heard about. Korinnae was taken from the middle of Alindale. It made her wonder if we’d been too quick to believe the Naiads when they said their children had wandered off.”

“They believed it themselves,” Hektor pointed out.

“And now they’re not so certain.” Maldenis lowered the papers. “Remember the boy who was supposed to be staying with his aunt?”

“Upstream somewhere.”