Page 26 of Of Monsters and Mazes

“Sure.” He replied without eye contact.

Then I started down the first twisting corridor, tensing my hold on his hand whenever my feet would start to slip and slide.

The turns and corners were no longer hidden by illusions, but the icy tunnel went on forever, and I never knew if I was going the right way or not. Theron offered no opinions on what way was right or what way was wrong, and I led us both to several dead ends, yet he just kept holding my hand, letting me lead him around while sharing his warmth. I suppose I couldn’t complain too much. I didn’t know that I would be functioning at all without that little concession.

One slippery turn led to another and another. More dead ends, more forks in the road.

Though he talked about this section like it was daunting and scary, all I was finding was low temperatures and a mildly annoying lack of traction. That was hardly a world ending terror. I had this.

Chapter 11

I glanced down at the small woman slipping and sliding around the corridor, looking so determined between her pursed lips, furrowed brow, and those tiny squeezes of my palm every time she started to lose balance.

I wasn’t interested in human women beyond tasting their nightmares, but this little butterfly was a bit of an amusing contradiction. She was weaker and more emotional than she’d ever admit, being a classically frail human and all. In other ways, she was tougher than she’d ever realize with the way she was so stubbornly charging through the Labyrinth, more worried about solving puzzles than the potential pitfalls ahead. I’d never seen a human attack each sector with more spite than fear, and I pondered if she subtly got off on the thought of new challenges.

Granted it hadn’t gotten difficult yet, but she gave me the impression that she was naively tenacious. That attitude was so comically dangerous it was almost precious.

It’s not that I liked cute things or anything like that—it’s also not that I was trying to imply, internally or otherwise, that I found her cute—but she was a spicy gumdrop of a person, and at least she kept me entertained. I’d been tasked with endangering and misleading less interesting characters.

What am I saying. Stop psycho-analyzing her. She’s just a tribute.

“This isn’t so bad,” Butterfly said in her blissful naiveté, fractions of a second before she lost her footing completely and fell back into me with a yelp.

I dug in my heels, but I’d been caught completely off guard, and not even I had enough traction to keep from slipping on the ice slickened floor. The back of her head smacked against my chin, and my otherworldly balance didn’t do jack shit to stop us both from toppling over. My boots flew out from under me, and my back hit hard against the ice. Her body landed with just as much force against my chest, knocking the wind clear out of me. I choked out air, then drew in a steadying breath, filled with the aroma of whatever sweet, fruity oils were masking the natural scent of her hair. Why didn’t we have anything in the realm that smelled that good?

Why the hell do I keep having these weird thoughts?

“By the devil, woman.” I groaned as I stared up at the Twilight Clock in the sky, ticking away like an idle threat. I rolled my head back, scraping my horns against the ice in the process. She was lucky I didn’t get a concussion from that hit. “Maybe you should start mentally preparing to give your cat to Jericho, because you’re unobservant, your brain is a bleak and disturbing death trap, and you even suck at walking. I don’t see how you’re planning to actually make it to the castle in less than sixty hours.”

Staying on top of me, Butterfly dug her elbow into my gut to leverage herself up to turn over. I made my best effort not to flinch, but that pressure point was more unpleasant than it should have been. She flipped onto her knees, straddled my hips, and supported herself at arm’s length with her hands on my chest. Those blue eyes of hers really popped in this corridor. Even if they were filled with an impressive amount of irritation.

“Do you know how many times in my life I’ve had to walk on ice while living in Southern California?” She shook her head, clearly offended.

“I don’t even know what a Southern California is.” I responded flatly.

“Of course you don’t.” She released a heavy sigh, but still made no effort to get off of me. Maybe she was just enjoying the extra warmth. She stayed in position for several moments, and I, admittedly, didn’t make any effort to remove her either. It’s not like I was in any hurry to go anywhere. I was perfectly content laying on the ice right here, just like this. The view of a beautiful woman on top of me, with her legs spread to each side of my pelvis, wearing a short skirt, squeezing her breasts between her biceps, and with hard nipples poking through her blouse, leaving nothing and just enough to the imagination, certainly wasn’t the worst thing I’d ever seen in the Labyrinth. It wouldn’t even rank in the top two-million-five-hundred-eighty-thousand-and-twelve worst things.

Plus, if she couldn’t figure out the maze on her own, then that was her problem, not mine. On the contrary, if she did figure it out on her own, that was my problem. So, we just laid there in a stalemate as she figured out what to do next. Her expression was filled with restrained anxiety, and I couldn’t help but think she was stalling for time and composure.

“Are you going to move, or are you hoping for a ride while you’re up there?” I finally said, not at all because she was in such a good position to do so, nor because I was picturing any such thing, and absolutely not because she was pressing her whole pussy against my jeans, just a little too close to where she shouldn’t be. It would be prudent for her to move sooner than later if I wanted both of us to believe the last three lies I’d just told myself.

“R-right.” She stuttered. All of a sudden, her body was noticeably warmer than it had been before, and her cheeks even looked a bit red.

If she had the power to heat herself, what was she using me for? Weird ass humans.

She backed off of me, scooching away a ridiculous, unnecessary distance, and I sat up on the ice. I was about to say something else, when a loud bang, followed by an ear shattering crack, echoed off the Labyrinth walls.

Oh that’s not good.

The floor shook as clean breaks in the ice ravaged the frosted surface beneath us. Another bang, then another, and the weak support that separated us from the frigid water below splintered to near oblivion.

Fuck fuck fuck—

“Grab onto me!” I heard myself yell, while my body reacted on pure instinct. I was on my knees and scrambling to get to her, digging in the balls of my feet to find traction on the slick surface. I was a few feet away, just getting to my feet, when a hand burst through the ice and grasped her ankle.

“Theron—“ her yelp was cut off as it yanked her downward, splitting the floor, and pushing up a large frozen sheet between us. She flailed her arms like she was trying to outswim a current as the powerful arm pulled her into the water below. Through the ice, I watched as another hand took hold of her, then another and another.

Our eyes locked and bubbles characterized her soundless scream for help, as she was plunged into the icy depths of the blue hole.