Leo tried to make small talk with me as we walked. He asked me about what parts of the Labyrinth I had seen. He wanted to know details about what had happened while I was gone. I gave him simple answers, not wanting to complicate my lies.
With each answer, he became more dejected.
I wondered if he sensed the change in me, the change I was trying to hide from him. We were back to the beginning. Me hiding myself from him, scared of what he would think if he found out. Terrified that he would leave and I would be completely alone with my thoughts again. Scared of what he would think if I told him about the enchantress or about Alder.
Soon, the talking stopped. An awkward silence grew between us as we walked. I felt that ocean of secrets again, so blatant that I wondered how I had forgotten it was there.
We came upon a large bog. The mud popped and bubbled, steam rising off of it. It smelled of death and I had the feeling if we fell into it, we would never get out. There were some raised rocks that went through it as well as a ledge that went around it.
We debated which path was the safest course of action. I felt the rocks were the safest, but Leo disagreed, saying we should take the ledge with a dismissive tone.
The power inside of me did not like being talked down to. Before I even realized what I was doing, I was hopping across the rocks. The power guided me, wanting to prove Leo wrong.
I hopped from rock to rock, hearing a groan from Leo behind me as I did.
“Take the ledge if you want,” I said to him, not looking back.
He grumbled, and I turned my head to see him stepping forward to the ledge.
I kept hopping the stones and soon found myself safe on the other side. I let out a gasp of success and turned to watch Leo’s progress.
With each step, parts of the ledge fell off and into the mud.
“Hurry! That’s not going to hold you!” I yelled to him, noticing an edge of unintentional smugness in my voice. I chided my inner power. She was getting feisty and it would not help ease the tension growing between us.
He cursed under his breath as he took several more unsteady steps.
I wondered how I would fish Leo out of his mud hole when he inevitably fell. I began looking around for long sticks or ropes. But there was nothing but the amethyst walls. No vines. No sticks.
He only had a few more steps to go. The rocks falling at a faster pace now. He froze.
“Leo, JUMP!?” I yelled at him in frustration. Frustrated that he seemed to not have the basic survival skills that would tell him he needed to jump immediately or fall. Angry that he hadn’t trusted me in the first place with the rocks.
He jumped. And fell face first into the mud.
He did not sink, it appears the mud was not as deep as we suspected.
I giggled, laughing at the absurdity of it all.
Leo raised himself out of the mud, not laughing at all. He gave me a dirty look.
“Oh, come on, it’s funny.” I said to him, smiling.
He wiped the mud off his face and glared at me.
My breath caught in my throat. I had never seen a look like that from Leo. He had always been easygoing and carefree. We would laugh all the time together at home.
What had changed in him?
My palms grew sweaty as he walked past me, not making eye contact.
I felt the ocean grow wider.
“Leo. Stop,” I commanded.
“Why, so you can laugh at me?” he said, turning around to face me. His eyes flamed.
“Leo, I’m sorry but its really not that serious-”
“Not that serious?”
“Its just mud-”
“No, its not just mud. It’s you. You’ve changed and you won’t tell me why.”
“Changed? Because I said we should take the rocks, which was clearly the right choice.”
“Clearly,” he sneered. “Clearly, you aren’t telling me the truth of what happened to you.”
My breath caught in my throat. Why would he question me? Why did he think that?
“Why, why would you say that? I wouldn’t lie to you,” I lied. My heart pounded in my chest.
“Oh, you wouldn’t lie. Just like you didn’t lie to me about your dagger skills?”
“That wasn’t a lie. I just hadn’t told you. Those are two different things.”
“Much like now, when you won’t tell me what happened to you.”
I swallowed and looked at the ground. His gaze bore through me. I didn’t know what to say, didn’t know what to tell him.
“I’m sorry, Leo. I- it was a long few days.”
“I know that, don’t you think I know that? Don’t you realize I’ve thought of nothing but you since you were taken? Do you know what it was like to lose you? To see them take you away while I could barely move? I couldn’t save you.”
I raised my eyes to meet his. They were glistening as he spoke. I stepped closer to him and placed a hand on his cheek.
“Leo, it wasn’t your fault. I would never have left you there. And I would never have left you in that prison. I would have chosen you, I would have stayed in that darkness forever if it meant you lived.”
Pain shot across his face, perhaps from the memory.
“Leo, I love you. I will always love you. I thought of you, too. I-I did what I had to, to get back to you.” It was a version of the truth.
He leaned down and kissed my forehead, his arms wrapping around me. I felt want rising up in him. I couldn’t let that happen. Couldn’t let that mistake happen, not after everything with Alder.
I placed a hand on his chest.
“Come on, we need to get somewhere safe before dark,” I said, tipping my head down and leaning against him.
He nodded and loosened his grip.
Chapter 43
We made camp in a corner of the Labyrinth. It was a small square, but its position would allow us to hear if anyone or anything approached. We couldn’t start a fire, as there was no wood anywhere to be found, but Leo handed me a piece of dried meat. I tried not to think about the fact that it was probably more snake.
I was too hungry to care. I ate it before I thought too much more about its origins.
The tension between us had settled, though I hadn’t given him any further information about my days without him. I knew he would probably ask again or expect me to tell him. I tried to think of a way to word it, a way to tell him the truth without hurting him. But it was impossible.
As I thought back over my days away from Leo, it made me miss Alder and his perpetual smirk. His emerald eyes and warm hands. I missed his laughter. I missed Jinx’s smile. I missed Jubilee’s optimism. I missed Minka’s sarcasm. I missed the sea breeze and the soft bed. I missed Abigail drawing me a bath. I even missed Benci’s brooding. I missed everything I had in those days. I would do anything to get them back.
Though Leo was sitting right here next to me, I suddenly felt more alone that I ever had.
Leo looked up at me, perhaps seeing the sadness on my face. The tears I was holding back.
“I’m sorry for getting upset,” he said, his face softening as it looked at mine.
He reached his arm around me and pulled me to his chest.
Earlier, the gesture had been so comforting, exactly what I needed. But now, it felt wrong.
“It’s ok, Leo. I think we’ve had a stressful several days.” I said to him, though I felt the words fall flat as they left my mouth.
“Do you remember our first time? In the tall grass?” he said, his voice breaking at the end, as if in pain.
“Of course,” I said, looking up at him.
“I was so nervous that night. I had no idea what I was doing.”
“I noticed,” I said with a laugh. The air lightened around us as he laughed with me.
“I knew that night I would spend the rest of my life trying to make you happy. I promised you I would never leave you, promised you would never be alone.”
“I remember, I-” my voice cracked.
<
br /> His hand reached over to my face, turning me to him and bringing me close.
I felt the power in me raise her head, boil up at the touch. I pushed her back down.
“Leo, I-” I started, “I don’t know, I don’t know how to tell you this. How to tell you any of this but, there’s just… I just…” I stammered.
He leaned forward and kissed me on the lips, cutting me off. The power within smiled greedily.
This kiss filled me with warmth, filled me with love and heat for him. I kissed back. I had missed him so much. I had been so worried about him.
But then there was Alder. I placed my hand on his chest and lightly pushed him away. It was time to be honest. It was too cruel of me to keep this up.
I had to cross this ocean, no matter the cost.
“Leo, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” I said, tears welling up in my eyes as my breath caught in my throat.
“For what, Val?”
“I’m sorry that— that I can’t do this with you anymore. I’m sorry I brought you here. I’m sorry that I’ve led you on. I love you, I love you so much, but this isn’t— it still isn’t enough.” I blurted out, feeling my tongue stumble over the words as they spewed out.
Leo withdrew from me. He looked like I had smacked him. Our eyes met. The pain in his felt like a knife in my heart.
“It’s him, isn’t it? It’s that fucking Labyrinth King,” he said, his voice breaking and anger pouring out of him.
“No, its—”
“No IT IS him. Don’t fucking lie to me, Valeria. Please? Just tell me the truth. It’s him? He’s why you won’t choose me, he’s the reason for all of this. He’s turned you against me,” he yelled, standing up and pacing the corner.
I felt the enchantress inside pop up, ready to defend me. She was scared. I was scared. I had never heard him raise his voice like this. I had never—
It dawned on me then. What he had said.
He called Alder the Labyrinth King.
How had he known that? How could he have possibly known that?
My blood ran cold. Sweat formed on my skin. My stomach turned to knots.
He was still ranting, but I wasn’t listening. He was still upset, so upset. There was something wrong. Something very, very wrong. I glanced over at his knapsack lying on the ground next to me.
He wasn’t facing me as he paced, still cursing and ranting. I slid my hand over and grabbed the bag.
I reached in and felt around.
My fingers touched cloth, a few coins, some softer materials.
And then it hit something metal. And sharp.
I kept my eyes on him as he kept pacing, not paying any attention to me. I slowly pulled out what my hand had felt.
A metal dragon sigil.
The sting of his betrayal lit inside of me, lit me on fire. In an instant I was on my feet, the enchantress fully out.
I reached him in less than a second, pushing him hard against the wall. A glow around me had formed and was a deep crimson.
His face turned pale, his eyes widening in horror.
I growled at him and showed him the dragon sigil brooch that was still in my hand.
He looked at it and then back at me.
“Val— I can explain, just let me—” he stammered.
A roar came out of me, my teeth sharp, my mouth wide and cruel as I screamed, releasing my pain. Releasing the pain he had caused me. Tears streamed down my face.
I took the pin and shoved it into his chest. He winced, a sheen of sweat forming on his brow.
“You betrayed me. It was you all along. It’s why you came here with me. You led me to him to make that bargain. You found me here because you knew they had taken me. You’re one of them.” I shouted, my talons digging into his skin as I kept him pressed against the wall. My heart was on fire.
I saw him reach for the knife in his pocket. I hissed louder then grabbed his shirt. I threw him against the opposite wall. He clattered to the ground, his face frozen, stunned.
Then tears fell down his cheeks. My anger stuttered, just slightly. I saw Leo’s face, his sweet face. The only friend I ever had. The only person who had ever loved me. The boy who had saved me, had found me a safe place to live. The man I had given myself to, what little of myself I could. I saw it all now.
But it didn’t change what he did. I saw him for what he was, a beautiful liar.
Something in me had known it all along, something that had kept me from falling too deeply. Protecting me, sensing that it wasn’t right. I thought of the years, the years we had spent together. I thought of every late night in the alley. Every time we stared up at the stars by the river. Every time we had been intimate, every kiss, every hug, every time he had held my hand.
And he had betrayed me despite it all. He had been lying to me this entire time.
My heart clenched and tore in my chest. The pain left me breathless, the sadness wrapped around me. The feeling of truly being alone hit me as I stared down at him.
I turned and walked off into the Labyrinth, leaving him sobbing on the ground.
Chapter 44
My sorrow drove me for hours before I stopped, collapsing against the Labyrinth wall and crying my eyes out for another few hours.
The pain of his betrayal hurt worse than anything I could imagine. Losing a limb would have been less painful. I had never suspected, never once thought Leo was capable of anything but loving me. I thought back to that sweet eight-year-old boy who would sneak me pieces of bread. Sneak me into his house while his father was passed out drunk.
He was so kind and always listened to me. He loved me. I thought he had loved me.
I cried till my eyes were puffy, my face in physical pain as the muscles grew sore. A headache was forming.
I wished to wake up, would give anything, to wake up from this nightmare. All this time I had felt guilty for not giving him enough, for being unable to be content with him.
When it was him all along who was lying to me, betraying me.
The tears stopped coming, my face drying out. I felt dehydrated. Once again I had nothing, no canister for water, no food. I should have been smarter, should have taken his knapsack, but in my agony I hadn’t thought of it.
I pushed myself up to my feet and wandered on.
I couldn’t believe my eyes. The most magnificent oasis. A garden with hundreds of trees. Thousands of pastel flowers were blooming all around. The moon was high in the sky, casting a warm violet on the ground. I strolled into the flowers. I noticed they were releasing a soft pink mist from them. It circled in the air around me as I walked. It was beautiful.
I reached my hand out to play with the pink mist, watching it wrap around me. I continued on further, toward the nearest fruit tree. The air smelled sweet, like vanilla.
I noticed the world was softening. The tree seemed farther away with each step. My feet stumbled as I walked. I felt a gradual ecstasy coursing through my veins. The power within me disappearing.
The flowers, they were putting off something, some sort of—
There was Alder. He stood naked by the tree. His body was outlined in the violet moonlight. His abs met his lower half in a sculpted V, making me drool. The world behind him seemed fuzzy, distant.
His golden green eyes met mine with curiosity. He reached up a finger and made a come hither motion to me. I smiled and did a turn in the flowers, showing him the mist as it flew around me in the air. It sparkled and glowed in the moonlight, casting the world in the warm pink.
He grinned, beckoning me to him again.
I danced my way to him, the multicolor flowers swaying with me. The stars above doing their nightly waltz as well. The colors swam around me, twisting around me like butterflies taking flight. I twisted and turned, stepping lightly, twirling my body through the flowers and their mist. The colors swarmed my vision, mesmerizing me with their beauty and sparkle.
I reached for Alder. He pulled me into his arms. His hands touched my body softly. The graze of his fi
ngers against me was oh so sweet. I looked down to where our bodies met. I too was naked now. I reached my hand up to his face and ran it down his warm skin.
He felt like velvet under my fingertips. I longed for his kiss. I breathed him in deeply, his sweet vanilla musk filling me and making me feel drunk.
I looked back up at him, and our lips met. His kiss pulsating through my body. Echoing through me like a drum. I felt the sweet taste of his tongue on my lips, like a sweet apple.
I heard a soft music playing in the background, coming from somewhere nearby. It was slow and deep, with high notes singing through it like a melody from another world. I looked up at the swaying of the green leaves above me. They were illuminated by the moon and the stars, glistening with a dew that reflected the bright colors above. I felt the sudden urge to make love to Alder under the pretty lights.
I brought my face back to his kiss. It deepened as our hands roamed each other’s bodies. The texture of his body was smooth, igniting the nerves on my fingers as I traced him. I felt his fingers on me, each stroke an electric current lighting me on fire. His dark beard tickling my face with each kiss.
I pulled away, looking at his gorgeous face. Those beautiful eyes staring back at me. I walked away, keeping his hand in mine, pulling him along with me.
I led him back to the flowers, laying myself down in their soft embrace. I saw their petals swaying in the midnight breeze as I waited for him. The petals seemed to bloom around me, opening and shutting, releasing more and more of that beautiful pink mist. I inhaled deeply, letting the sweet vanilla fill my nostrils, fill my lungs. The world swam and swam. The pleasure coursed through my body. I felt the flower’s soft embrace against me, teasing me.
The multicolored stars shot across the sky, turning and twisting, forming shapes and circles. I reached my hand out to touch them. I grabbed one, pulling it down and watching as it danced around my hand and then fluttered off back into the sky. It left a trail of blue and green star dust that fell over me, falling on my face. I opened my mouth, letting the stardust in. It tasted like an indescribable sweetness, the purest honey.
The Labyrinth King (The Labyrinth Series Book 1) Page 24
