by JA Wren
Not exactly welcoming.
Nor were the faces gawking at her.
A woman with dark blue-black hair and sharp features stood in the center, her elegant, navy pantsuit edged in rich gold. Flanking her was an older man with silvery white hair and deep bronze skin, his clothing colorful and flamboyant, even within the dream-like garden. A much younger woman stood on the other side, her light blonde hair hung down in thick ringlets, almost disappearing into the folds of her white, gossamer dress.
Rayna felt silly held in Asher’s arms, but he was determined to keep her there, so she pushed down her awkwardness and tried for a friendly smile. “Yes?”
The blue-haired woman stepped forward, her sleek, pin-straight bob of midnight hair swaying with her movements. “We’re very pleased you made it to the end of the Labyrinth, however, we have to ask you to leave.”
Asher growled even as Rayna frowned. “Excuse me?”
She was promised answers. Had been invited to this damn place for that specific purpose, and now they were asking her to leave? Before offering a single explanation for the weird shit she’d been going through the last year. Or, you know, having her wrist slit and then stabbed inside their supposed trials.
The woman gave her a patient expression, deep blue eyes softening. “I understand your invitation came from Nyx, but it’s clear she was mistaken—as unfounded as that may be. We cannot permit you entry into the academy.” She turned a dazzling smile at Asher. “Your companion, however, is welcome to stay. It’s been far too long since we’ve had a Phoe—”
“You can go fuck yourselves,” he grunted.
The woman’s face lost all warmth, turning as icy as her cold eyes. “I beg your pardon?”
“I’m here for Rayna and her alone. If she’s not allowed inside your precious academy, then I’ll protect her myself.”
His body heated, and Rayna caught a hint of sulfur in the air, like striking a match, a moment before flames licked at his shoulders. She had an insane urge to reach out and stroke the fire, but what kind of crazy person willingly burned their own skin?
“Protect her?” the woman repeated slowly, curiosity dripping from her tone. “She’s merely human, why would she need protection?”
Asher snorted. “All your tests and you still know nothing. Guess you missed the Winterhounds attacking us inside your maze.”
Her eyes narrowed, turning into thin slits. “It’s a labyrinth. They are not synonymous with mazes.” She squared her bony shoulders, tipping her pointed chin up at him. Rayna had the ridiculous thought that she looked like a peacock, with a pinched face and ruffled blue feathers. “And it’s not possible Winterhounds breached our wards. You’re mistaken, firebird.”
Asher laughed, but Rayna was puzzling over the firebird reference. She squinted at him as she tried to figure out what exactly it all meant, then turned to the flames still flicking from his back like a pair of wings, his shirt blackened and singed where they blazed from his shoulder blades.
Had she hit her head or something and was imagining it all, every minute she’d spent inside the labyrinth with him?
Maybe she was really still lying in her bed, drunk and hallucinating.
But that meant Asher wasn’t real and she desperately wanted him to be. Wanted it more than anything.
He was arguing with the blue-haired woman, when Tink came flying around them, dancing in twirls around each of their heads and leaving trails of glowing red light. She zipped past Rayna, through the flames coming from Asher and back to the blue-haired woman. At a dizzying speed, she spun around the woman’s head, creating a red halo that grew wider with every circle.
The woman’s eyes widened, as though she was witnessing something inside the glowing rings of light, a second before she gasped. “Impossible.”
“Hale?” the man with silvery hair asked. “What is it?”
“Winterhounds,” she whispered, apparently getting a visual-aid from Tink. “The firebird tells the truth. Winterhounds attacked them in the midst of the trials. But I don’t understand how that could be. Nothing should be able to breach the wards.”
Asher snorted, the flames at his back slowly disappearing. “Apparently, the Wisp has its uses after all.”
Rayna wanted to defend Tink, but she was pissed the Wisp had gotten them into shit with the wolves. Bringing the stone wall down hadn’t helped at all. Instead it practically had them falling into the wolves’ laps.
Okay, wrong word choice.
Clutches?
Fangs?
Claws was probably the most accurate.
The silver-haired man approached and Asher edged back, gripping Rayna tighter than ever. “Why did the Winterhounds attack you?” The man’s voice was soft, but curious. Like he was eager to solve a mystery. “They aren’t usually aggressive, nor do they travel to such warm climates. Isolated by nature, they keep to themselves on the fringes of our world.”
Not aggressive? Rayna had to bite the side of her cheek so she didn’t blurt the question. The way the wolves had slavered at them with dripping fangs and murderous, red eyes, she was pretty sure anyone would call them aggressive. Predators. And Rayna and Asher had been the prey of choice.
She had too many questions. About where they were, who these people were, and what the hell a Winterhound even was. Wolf-like for sure, but what had been up with those icy clusters all over them?
But something told her to keep a lid on it. For now. At least until they were allowed entry into the academy. If they were allowed entry. The trio in front of them might be curious right now, but they hadn’t yet said whether they’d allow Rayna past those huge iron gates.
And yeah, she hadn’t missed the fact there was another trio before them. Were they the three hags who’d sliced her wrist and then turned into the little girls inside the labyrinth?
The girls said they had high hopes for her and yet now these three were kicking her out. Had she somehow failed their tests? Asher had helped her out of there, but she’d done her share, too. With Tink’s help.
Okay, so they hadn’t technically completed all three trials—who knew what these people had waiting for them beyond that stone wall—but it wasn’t her fault Frosty and his snow-wolves had attacked.
She shivered at the thought.
Would she even be safe here, inside the walls of the academy if they’d almost killed her to get there?
As if sensing her distress, Asher gripped her tighter. And she had to admit, she felt safe with him. If nothing else, she trusted him. Weird as that might be.
“I’ll tell you,” Asher said softly. “But not in front of Rayna. Nyx’s orders.”
Eleven
Traitor!
“What?” Rayna shrieked instead of the first thing that popped into her head. “You know this mysterious Nyx?”
More importantly, he hadn’t told her he knew the person, even after reading the name on her invitation. And she’d just been thinking she trusted him. Betrayal oozed through her like sludge. Thick and gungy.
Reminiscent of the puddle of unidentifiable goo she’d once stepped in on her way to the subway.
Asher’s face remained stoic, jaw clenched and gaze clearly avoiding her. Good. Maybe he felt as guilty as she did betrayed.
“Excellent,” the blue-haired woman—Hale, the man called her—announced as though Rayna hadn’t even spoken. “If you’ll follow me to my office where we can talk in private, my colleagues will see Rayna inside the waiting area. For now,” she added, as if making it extra clear Rayna was still not permanently invited within their walls.
God, she hoped not everyone inside the academy was as snooty as Hale or she wouldn’t last more than a day even if they let her stay.
Asher wiggled his wrist so the glowing string tying him to Rayna caught the light and moved her arm along with him. “Not possible right now.”
Hale squinted at the binding wrapped around their wrists with a short tether between them. “Is that…Moon Thread?” she asked, voice
somewhat awed, though Rayna had no clue why. It was just a bit of weirdly indestructible string. At his nod, her pert nose crinkled. “That certainly presents a problem.” She turned to the blonde girl behind her. “Lucia, please find the triplets and bring them to my office immediately. Perhaps they’ll be able to remove the binding and we can get some answers without going against Nyx’s wishes.”
Annoyance rolled off of Hale, souring the friendly greeting she’d given them. Rayna had never felt more like a hindrance in her life. And that was saying something considering her mother never failed to point out what a giant mistake she’d been.
Ugh, thoughts of her mother put her in a deeper funk, adding to the heaviness in her chest that was already weighing on her.
Would she ever be truly welcome anywhere?
Warmth brushed her cheek as Tink flew close, kinda like the Wisp was trying to comfort her. After almost getting them eaten by a pack of wolves—uh, Winterhounds, she corrected herself.
At least Tink had saved their butts with Hale, whom she was starting to think must be the headmistress of this fancy academy or something. Definitely in a major authority role. Maybe she was just head of admissions.
Please let her be head of admissions and not in charge of the entire damn place!
If that was the case, Rayna could kiss her answers goodbye.
“Thanks,” she mumbled to Tink, still not entirely sure if the Wisp was a friend or foe. Fitting, considering her namesake was a tricky little fairy who liked to get up to no good.
The flame of Tink’s head brightened, glowing intense red before she zipped back into the raw crystal of Rayna’s necklace, leaving the pendant radiating deep crimson light.
“Curious,” Hale said. Rayna hadn’t even realized she was being watched until the woman stepped closer, thin brows scrunched together. “Have you had much interaction with WillowWisps?”
Rayna shrugged one shoulder. “Not before today.”
Hale tilted her head in a very bird-like action, and she half expected her to squawk like an animated chicken. “Really?”
She shifted under Hale’s scrutiny, wishing Asher would set her down because conversing with the odd woman while held in his grip was making the whole thing so much more awkward. She tried to wriggle free, but he tightened his arms.
Probably for the best. Her head was still fuzzy and, honestly, she wasn’t convinced she wouldn’t collapse on her wobbly legs.
As pissed off with him as she was, she needed the support. For now, she thought, mirroring Hale’s ominous words.
“I’ve never met a WillowWisp,” Rayna mumbled, her irritation showing in her tone.
Hale’s expression went from curiosity to complete astonishment. “How is that possible?” she murmured, almost to herself.
“Uh, I didn’t even know they existed?” Rayna unintentionally phrased it like a question, her voice lilting up at the end because she was as confused by the conversation as Hale seemed to be.
The woman shook her head as though to clear it. “No, I mean how is it possible you bonded with the WillowWisp when you’ve never interacted with them before today? They’re infamously unaligned and serve no one without personal gain. The only reason they participate in the trials is because they enjoy leading folks astray. They’re not meant to help within the labyrinth, but to hinder. To mislead those foolish enough to trust them.”
Whoops.
Apparently, she should’ve listened to Asher when he said Tink wasn’t trustworthy. Which was obviously why the Wisp had pointed Rayna toward the symbol that brought the stone wall crashing down around them. “Well, technically Tink did mislead us—”
“Tink?” Hale asked.
Rayna pointed to her glowing necklace where the Wisp was currently hanging out, little sparks emitting from the crystal. “I gave her a nickname.”
Hale’s lips parted and her eyes narrowed even further, which Rayna hadn’t thought possible. “You—named the WillowWisp?”
“Maybe?” Rayna couldn’t help feeling like she’d made some huge faux pas and was reluctant to admit the truth. It wasn’t like she needed to give the woman any more reasons to send her packing before she even reached their big black gates. “Was I not supposed to do that?”
Hale snorted out a laugh. “Would you name an insect?”
Clearly she’d never heard of a cricket named Jiminy.
“Few even deign to talk to the WillowWisps,” Hale added. “Let alone address them by name.”
“Well, maybe that’s part of the problem.” As soon as the words slipped from Rayna’s mouth, she wanted to swallow them back down.
Great, piss off the lady in charge before she even decides to let you inside.
Smart, Knox.
Real smart.
The crystal, however, warmed against her sternum, as if Tink was reaching out to touch Rayna. To say thank you for treating her like any other living being? Or to burn her to ash because it was a sadistic little flame who liked to taunt people?
Asher and Hale would probably think the latter, but Rayna was sure the Wisp was touched. Maybe grateful to be treated with something other than scorn.
Maybe, like Rayna, Tink hadn’t found her place in the world and just wanted to be accepted. Wanted somewhere—or someone—to feel like home.
Like she belonged.
It wasn’t a lot to ask. Didn’t cost anyone more than a drop of common decency. Though to some, that was like asking for the world.
And judging by the look on Hale’s face, Rayna suspected she was one of those people.
Probably didn’t even stick a quarter into any collection tin that was shoved under her nose.
“In any event,” Hale said in a hard voice. “It’s highly unusual for a student to choose a WillowWisp as their familiar. I’m afraid it just won’t do. If—and that is a very large if—we accept you into the Labyrinth Academy, you will be required to select another familiar.”
“I don’t know what a familiar is.”
Hale looked scandalized, peacock eyes going as wide as a full moon. “You do not—?” She waved a skinny hand through the air, a clunky ring catching the light and glinting. “Further proof you do not truly belong here, but never mind right now. We need to find a way to remove your binding so your companion can explain the situation, and why it is that Nyx invited you into our program with strict instructions to keep you in the dark.”
Frankly, Rayna wanted to know the same thing. But she doubted anyone was willing to part with that information. Especially the man clutching her tight to his hot chest.
Hot in temperature.
Not because being wedged so close to him meant she could feel every hard ridge of tensed muscles pressed against her side.
Nope. It was all in body temp. Nothing more.
Maybe if she thought it enough, she might believe herself.
Hale turned on her crazy-high heels with a sharp twist. “Please follow me, and do not step off the cobble path unless you wish to experience an excruciating death.”
Rayna turned to Asher with raised brows. “Does anyone want to experience an excruciating death?”
He snickered even as Hale called over her slender shoulder, “I heard that.”
Whoops, she mouthed to Asher, earning a flash of his dimple when he smiled.
Tink sent mini lightning bolts from the crystal that weirdly seemed like flamy chuckles. Well, if nothing else, she had one maybe-ally in this place. Even if that ally was potentially trying to kill her and only the size of a candle flame.
Okay. Two allies, if she counted Asher.
She just wasn’t sure yet if she should. Not when he was keeping secrets from her.
Asher walked them toward the cobble path, following Hale and her colleagues. He strode as though it was nothing to carry her, but she was really feeling like a burden now.
And most of the dizziness had faded during the Hale-inquisition, so she couldn’t justify the human-royal-carriage lugging her across the path.
; “You can set me down now.” She patted his shoulder awkwardly. “I think my legs can hold me again.”
He frowned as he glanced down at the cobbles beneath his feet. “What about the threat of excruciating death? This path isn’t very wide. One unsteady topple to the left or right and you’ll step off it. I’m not risking your life because you’re too proud to accept help.”
She glared up at him. Too proud? Okay, it was official. He was edging his way onto her untrustworthy list. Or at the very least, her annoyance list. “I can manage to stay on the yellow brick road, thank you very much.”
He arched his brows at her. “It’s cobblestone. You’re obviously still delirious, so it’s best if I carry you.”
How was it that he got the Tink reference and yet every other one sailed over his gorgeous head?
She sighed and rolled her eyes, which made her head spin anew, proving his point. Thankfully, he didn’t know that. “I wasn’t being literal. It was a reference to—oh, never mind. Just set me down, Mr. Sexy One-Nighter.”
His lip twitched. “While I can’t object to the modifier, I thought we agreed you wouldn’t call me that anymore.”
“We did. Before you decided to part with secrets behind my back.” She crossed her arms over her chest—or, uh, tried to. Stupid string. Moon Thread. Whatever. “Or did you think I wouldn’t notice the ‘not in front of Rayna’ condition when you said you’d explain everything? Don’t you think I have a right to know what’s going on? Especially after finding you naked in my bed this morning, tied to me, and now you seem to know this Nyx person. But you won’t tell me a damn thing.”
Everything about him tightened, body going tense and face hardening. He was still unbelievably hot, but she wasn’t sure she liked the edge to him when he was like that.
Not because he scared her. Not even a tiny little bit, despite the secrecy. No. The edge bothered her on a deeper level, sending weird twinges through her she couldn’t quite describe.
Almost…painful.
Which made zero sense even as the thought flitted through her head.
