A few years passed with no communication. Like any teen, my heart broke when I realized he wasn’t coming back and tried to heal by moving on, but I never forgot him. Then the day came that he returned and caught me and my boyfriend making out in the same secluded spot in the woods where we’d made our vow. My cheeks flushed at the embarrassing memory, and they stayed flush as the anger set in. That boy became a goblin and lost his life in Astaroth’s twisted game.
We had promised each other forever. What Astaroth failed to tell me was where it would take place… beyond the portal at his home. I had my entire life ahead of me, and I didn’t want to leave the people I loved. The idea of entering a new world terrified me. Astaroth took Kaiden out of revenge to force me into the labyrinth.
A mix of pain and relief cycled through our connection. Astaroth’s face returned to normal as the tears cascaded down my cheeks. I could see him peering out at me, the younger version of him I knew so intimately. That wound was just as raw as the day it ripped wide open. It never got a chance to heal.
“Cali,—”
“Don’t.” My heart wrenched. “You don’t get to call me that.”
His frustration rushed through me. “We can make this work.”
“How?”
“Give us time.”
A hysterical laugh caught in my throat. “Now you believe in time. Time will not fix all you’ve done!”
“Perhaps not.” His voice softened. “But our love will.”
“Love doesn’t manipulate, Astaroth. It doesn’t lie or steal. And it damn sure doesn’t murder others.” I swallowed the knot in my throat. “Their blood is on my hands now, too.”
“You don’t have to remember it.” He inched around the table, and I retreated.
The thought of him tinkering with my brain and stealing more of my memories set me on edge. “And have their deaths be in vain? I’d rather suffer the memory a million years than no one honor them.”
Rage simmered between us. “If that is what you wish, so be it.”
“I didn’t wish for any of this!” My arms spread wide before I pointed at him. “You did.”
I made a break for it when I reached the other side. The hilt of my special knife poked out from the junk on the floor. I pretended to trip and snatched it up, hiding it next to my leg. “You’re delusional.”
“And you’re a liar.” He blipped in front of me, and I staggered back. “But I still want you.”
My heart raced when my back hit the wall. I had nowhere to run and no way to exit the room. I squeezed my eyes shut as he caged me in.
“Look at me.”
I shook my head. “I want to go home.”
His hand covered the pendant. It heated through my t-shirt and built that electrical surge between us. This was how he took my memories the first time. I would not allow him to fuck with my head ever again.
I brought the blade to the edge of his jaw, the tip indenting his flesh. One swift motion. That’s all I needed to do to bring this nightmare to an end.
Astaroth froze. “I’d think thrice before trying to kill me.”
Magic tickled my palm. I squeezed the handle to steady my hand. Bitter rage fueled me. I was nearing the end of my burned and frayed rope. The knife sang for blood just as those damn bloodsuckles did. I wanted to give it what it required.
“Why is that?”
“The realm will retaliate.”
Shit. I forgot about the ward. With us being linked, I didn’t think it would attack me. “Would it though?”
Astaroth didn’t hesitate. “You would be trapped in this room forever.”
The blade nicked his skin as he spoke and the knife absorbed it, satisfied with the offering. I wasn’t though. I wanted to offer it more.
He twirled my hair around his finger. “Slowly withering away until you become but a husk of your beautiful self.”
