“And you found that alley?”
“Leo found me in the marketplace, took me home. His dad refused to take me in, though, so Leo showed me the alley behind their house. It was safe and semi-covered when it rained. It wasn’t much, but it was all I had.” My voice cracked at the thought of Leo, my heart aching at the memory.
“I can’t believe you slept outside for all those years.”
“I probably have the back of an eighty-year-old now. My joints were stiff and achy every single morning.”
“I’m sorry, I- I wish there was another way.”
“Why didn’t you take me to Labyrinth City? Why did you leave me in Villam?”
“Villam is where you were born, you weren’t born inside the Labyrinth. In fact, you couldn’t have entered the Labyrinth until you came of age. If you had tried, it wouldn’t have let you pass. You had to mature outside of the magic, one of the idiosyncrasies of a cursebreaker.”
“Where did you find me then?”
“You were born by the river, created there. I felt the magic shift, knew what happened and came for you. I took you to the orphanage with that note. Leaving you was the hardest thing I ever did.”
“But you were watching me all that time?”
“No, I couldn’t visit you. I could only sense you through the magic’s bond. Sensed some things. I knew you were alive, knew you were in pain,” he said, his voice dropping.
“Did you— did you know what I was doing? What I did to survive, did you feel that? Is that how you knew?”
“As I said before, I wish I could have come sooner.”
I swallowed hard. The thought of him knowing this whole time, of him being connected to my pain and suffering and unable to save me from it.
“Why couldn’t you visit?”
“It was too dangerous. My power could have awakened yours, and if your powers came out before you could enter the Labyrinth it would have been a mess. They would have killed you before I could stop them.”
“They wouldn’t have killed me. I would never let them,” I said, instinctively touching my dagger.
“I know that now. You are strong. Stronger than me. Stronger than anyone.”
The way his eyes shone as he said that, the pain and want behind them. The way it felt to hear that he already knew everything and it didn’t matter to him. It all crashed over me like a wave.
I stopped him. We stood in the middle of a long path, purple walls on either side of us.
I grabbed his shirt and pulled him down to me, our lips meeting with a simultaneous rush of our powers colliding.
His arms wrapped around my back, holding me to him, and his lips moved against mine. The sorrow in the kiss, the wish for things we could not have, the wish for time we had lost, the hope for things that lay ahead. All of it moved between us, between our powers and our hearts.
He pulled back softly. His hand coming up to cup my face.
I wanted to tell him what he meant to me. To tell him what bringing me here, out of that town and out of that alley, meant to me. I wanted to say thank you for accepting me, for accepting all of me. I opened my mouth to speak, but a noise sounded overhead. A large squawking of sorts.
Alder’s eyes widened and he grabbed my hand. “RUN!”
Chapter 47
We raced through the Labyrinth, his hand holding mine. The squawking and squealing following close behind. But with every step we took, the noise came closer. I unsheathed my dagger, holding it at the ready for when the monster appeared.
Then we turned and hit a dead end.
We stopped running, turning around and putting our bodies in defensive positions as the screaming came closer.
A creature rounded the corner. A massive snake with wings on its back. Its head was the size of my body. It’s yellow eyes glared at us, its tongue flicking out of its mouth in anticipation of a meal. It opened its massive mouth, fangs glistened with venom and saliva. Its wings were pushed back, helping its massive, winding body fit into the small space.
“A basilisk,” Alder said, his face turned up into fury. He reached an arm out in front of me, pushing me behind him in protection as his spike blade appeared in his right hand. I felt his power rise up in flames. My power surfaced as well, my talons coming out and sharp teeth forming in my mouth. I prepared for battle as we took a cautious step back. I saw the wall out of the corner of my eye, only another step until we were flat against it.
The snake edged closer, hissing still, as he salivated and dripped venom onto the ground.
I took one more step back.
But I did not hit a wall, instead I felt my leg turn cold. I reached my hand out behind me, keeping my eyes glued on the snake. I felt for the wall, but cold air hit my hand.
“Alder, there’s a cave behind us,” I told him in a whisper, maintaining eye contact with the snake.
He opened his mouth to speak, but the snake lunged forward in an attack, its massive head barreling towards us. Alder’s blade lashed out, missing the snake’s neck by a millimeter. I swung my dagger in a wide arch, missing the snake as well. He was too quick, recoiling in a flash.
He struck again, this time his fang nearly grazed my arm before I moved. I slashed out at him with my talons, carving long wounds into his body. The snake wailed out in pain and Alder took the moment of distraction to deliver a devastating stab right below the snake’s head. Blood spilled out, the snake whipping its head and body around in anguish. The heavy spike was still embedded in its body as it fell to the ground. Its large body seized, its tail lashed out in a curve and hit me in the chest. The wind was knocked out of my lungs, and I fell back into the cave.
I could still see the other side, could see Alder walk over to the snake and pull the stake out of its neck. He delivered a final, fatal blow as he lopped the snake’s head off. Its massive body and flapping wings fell over to the side, collapsing as the last of its lifeblood left.
Sweat dripped off Alder’s face. He reached an arm up and wiped it off, still holding the blade. His chest heaved up and down with deep breaths. He slid his blade against the snake’s skin, cleaning it of the blood before it disappeared. I wondered how he could form blades out of thin air. Another thing to ask him.
He turned around and walked toward the wall, into the cave.
As he entered, I turned around to see what awaited us ahead. It was a long, dark tunnel that sloped down.
“Where do you think this goes?” Our eyes searched the darkness.
“Could be a dead end. Could be a hot spring. Could be certain death,” he said, “Guess we will find out.” He shrugged, a smile dancing on his face, illuminated by his soft grey glow.
“What the fuck was that thing?” I questioned as we began walking down the dark path. Black walls surrounded us. There was a faint drip drop sound of water in the background.
“A Basilisk, winged serpents of the Labyrinth. They like this area because, well, because of the caves.” I shuddered.
“It was gross,” I said. His face dropped at my comment.
“What?” I asked, concerned I had offended him somehow.
“Well, you know how I told you Daemion could turn into a dragon?” he said, his voice hesitant.
“Yes…”
“Well, I can turn into a basilisk,” he said in a low tone.
“Oh,” I answered, taking it in. “I’m sure you make a sexy basilisk,” I teased, hoping it would ease his mind and make up for my previous comment.
He laughed. “I’ll show you sometime. I don’t like to use that form much, it’s not my favorite part of myself.”
“What is your favorite part, then?” I prodded, letting my voice carry a hint of seduction.
“Oh, I think you are well aware of my favorite part,” he smirked back at me, his voice dripping with honey.
It made my core flare with a hint of fire, throbbing with desire. The enchantress wished for her fill. I chided her back down.
The slope of the floor became steeper. The darkness
was brightening. We walked further as it opened into a round room with a large glowing body of blue water in the center. Water fell down into the pool from a sloped wall, a miniature waterfall. It felt warm in the cave, a light steam rising off the water.
The warm sapphire glow of the water filled the circular room with its light. I noticed pointing columns of rock sticking up and down in various places throughout.
It looked magical. I gasped as I took it all in.
“I can take a bath!” I sang, my aching joints already rejoicing at the thought.
I ripped off my clothes, not caring about how much further we had to go or how safe the cave was. I just wanted the warm water to wrap around me now.
Alder laughed at me as he assessed the room. It felt safe enough. He began undressing, too.
I stepped into the water. It was warm and decadent. I slid myself into the magic waters, letting out a moan as heat reached the tension in my back and neck. It had a soft bottom and was deep enough that the water came up to my chest. I leaned into it, letting my hair become completely wet. I went under. The hot water against my face was invigorating.
I came up for air, the water dripping off of me as I leaned back against the cool rock.
Through the steam, I saw Alder enter, his hardened body glistening in the soft cerulean glow.
He eased himself in across from me, his head leaning back in pleasure.
I closed my eyes, letting the soothing waters and sound of the waterfall fill my senses.
“Can we stay here forever?” I murmured. Alder chuckled, and the water rippled as he moved closer to me.
“Well, we could, but I doubt forever would last long without food or other necessities.” He laughed, repositioning himself against the edge of the spring next to me.
The steam rose up between us. I looked up as it rose higher, meeting the darkness above. It was just us. We could be the only two people in the world.
A sudden jab of pain hit my heart as Leo’s face came to mind. I pushed it away, pushed away the pain and sadness.
Alder, ever observant and in tune to my emotions, reached his hand out under the water to grasp mine. A comforting touch, letting me know he was there for me as we relaxed.
“Thank you,” I said, and I felt a weight lift off of my shoulders. He leaned up and looked at me, his eyebrow raised quizzically.
“For getting me to leave Villam. Thank you,” I said, suddenly feeling a bit awkward.
“You don’t regret it?” He asked, leaning closer to me, his body almost touching mine in the clear water.
“No, how could I? I would have died there, never knowing what else existed, not knowing how much bigger the world really was,” I said, dropping my face down and looking at my legs as they shone under the water.
“The world is even bigger than this. When we break this curse, I will show you it all. If you want,” he said, his voice sweet and tender.
I looked up at him, our eyes meeting. “I would like that.” My breath caught in my throat as I took in how handsome he looked in the blue glow. The way the water was reflecting against his emerald eyes. The shadows accentuating his jawline and strong shoulders above the water.
I hoped the light was doing me the same justice. Just the tops of my breasts were above the water, my hair wet and messy around my face. The steam stuck to our skin in an enchanting sheen.
His gaze over me filled me with my power. The enchantress in me felt confident, felt beautiful. He leaned closer as he spoke.
“Valeria, I know its only been days for you and I know what you told me in Labyrinth City. But I have been waiting for you for a very long time,” he began. “I’ve been worried about you since the day I left you at the orphanage. It was one of the hardest days of my life. I felt your pain all these years, felt you suffer, and felt you survive. You are the strongest person I’ve ever known. And since I found you… you are all that I can think about. All I want to be around. I want to give you everything. I want to spend the rest of our very long lives making you forget those twenty-one years and every terrible thing that happened to you. I may be a King, but I will forever bow before you.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. My heart was beating out of my chest. I had been so fearful of commitment when it had been Leo asking this from me. But with Alder…
He took my hands in his and brought them to his lips, kissing each one gently. He raised his head and looked deeply into my eyes.
“Valeria, I love you. I’ve loved you since I saw you sitting by the river, staring up at the stars. I loved you covered in dust and sweat. I loved you when you held that dagger to my throat. I loved you with duck grease on your face. I loved you when you finally came into your power. I loved you covered in blood, and I loved you in that purple dress. I loved you when we danced in the moonlight and when we made love in the middle of the night in my bed. When you were taken from me, I was willing to tear this entire world apart to find you. I love you now and I’ll love you forever.” He paused, “Will you be my Queen?”
My heart stopped. Time froze as I thought back over our journey. Alder showing up, tempting me to enter the Labyrinth. The flirtation in the village and in the first few days of the Labyrinth. The anger I had at him for keeping things from me. The anger I had at him for taking me from Leo. The training on the boat and more flirtation. Our power driven murderous romp in the citadel. How he shown me Labyrinth City and told me the truth of him, and of myself. How we had made love that night in his room. How he had danced with me under the stars. How I had been taken from him and how he had come for me. How he knew of my past and wanted me all the same. How he had saved my life in a thousand ways. And now here we were, alone in this underground hot spring. And he was telling me he loved me and asking me to be his Queen. It felt like a whirlwind.
I realized that if this were a normal circumstance, if we were just two normal people living in a village and going about average lives, then this would be insane. Much too fast. But he stirred up emotions in me, emotions I thought I would never feel. Emotions Leo was never able to pull from me. Love. I had loved Leo in many ways. But this love for Alder was different. Was it just the adrenaline of this journey or was it as he said, that I was made for him? That we were made for each other.
As I looked into his sparkling eyes, I saw the truth of it. The truth of the link between our powers and that draw, the irresistible pull that had changed my entire life. In his eyes I saw it, my destiny.
I swallowed and whispered back to him, “Yes.”
He lunged forward, grabbing me and pulling me to him in an instant. Our lips met and our powers soared. The promise of everything held in our kiss.
Heat between us rose with the steam. Our mouths were hot, our skin sticky and warm. I wrapped my hands around his neck, pulling myself flush to his chest. His arms were tight around me as we kissed and kissed.
His tongue was ravenous against me, his hands gripping my skin as his power twisted with mine. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he held me in the water.
His arms raised me high over him as we kissed, my hands tangled in his hair as the steam around us grew hotter by our breaths. He turned and sat me on the stone ledge of the pool. The cold rock sent a shiver through my body as he pulled back and began making his way down me.
He took my breast in his mouth hungrily, and I let out a moan that echoed through the cave. He raised himself out of the water and met my mouth again. I fell back onto the floor, the mix of heat from his body and the frigid stone sending shock waves through my nerves.
His hand went to my hip as he pulled my leg over him. His body lowered to mine as we kissed. I felt him hard against me. I bit his lip with a groan.
He slid inside me gently, lifting my hips off the ground to him. The feeling that washed over me as he did, the feeling that was radiating off his power. It felt different than before, more free. More passionate. Love.
He shone a deep crimson against my skin, my own power radiating around me with a soft pink. His
power raked through me as he moved, the feeling in him stronger than anything I had felt before. I realized just how much he had been holding back. Just how much of his emotion was tied to that power. Emotion that he had kept down all those times before.
But now it was deep and powerful, washing over me in waves of worship and rapture. His lips grew harder against mine, his beard rough against my skin. His hands wrapped in my hair as he kissed me with every ounce of his power pouring into me.
I felt breathless, blanketed by his love as our powers intertwined into one. I raised my hips to meet each thrust as we collided in together. Becoming one like a collapsing star that withdraws in on itself then explodes in a fury of colors and intensity.
Our powers rose together as we peaked with heavy moans against each other’s mouths. My head extended back as my whole body tensed and released at once, our powers expanding, then shattering.
Our glows sparkled like fireworks around us as we climaxed, sending pink and red twinkling lights out into the dark cave in a fury.
His mouth stayed on mine as we came down, his lips still heavy against me. He was kissing me like he had waited a thousand years for this moment, kissing me like we would never kiss again. Kissing me with both urgency and patience.
“I don’t want to be alone,” I whispered against his lips, letting out my deepest fear to him. My deepest insecurity. I don’t know why I had to tell him now. I just did.
He opened his eyes and looked into mine. They reflected in our lights, the emerald shining back at me as he spoke.
“We have thousands of years ahead of us, and I will always be here with you. You will never be alone again.” He drew his fingers across my cheek, his eyes following his trail like I was the most precious thing in the world to him. His mouth returned to mine with a new rush of emotion washing over me from his power.
Devotion.
Chapter 48
We fell asleep hours later, exhausted, but finally satisfied. When we awoke, we were both sore. I had scratches on my back from the roughness of the stone. The powers within us seemed impossible to satiate, pushing us for more even as our physical bodies weakened and tired.
The Labyrinth King (The Labyrinth Series Book 1) Page 26
