I didn’t see a flash of lightning. It was only the growling moan of thunder that made me aware of its existence. Maybe Macalister really was Zeus, and this thunderstorm was what had pulled him abruptly away. He was on Mount Olympus, hurling lightning bolts down at the mortals below.
Cold raindrops pricked at my skin, but I pressed on.
I’d never actually solved the maze before, but right now I had no desire to do so. As soon as I’d locked myself in amongst the tall hedges and the marble statues, everything outside of this labyrinth ceased to exist. It kept the fissures in my heart from widening and splitting me in two. The hurt of Royce’s betrayal couldn’t find me in here.
The clouds darkened. Rain pelted down, stinging and unforgiving. Lightning burst from the sky in a jagged slash, and more thunder followed right on its heels. Only this time it wasn’t a low rumble, but a sharp, hateful crack. Like the sound of a slap across a face, magnified a million percent.
I shouldn’t be out here, but where the hell was I supposed to go? Back to the house where I couldn’t trust anyone? Calling my family wasn’t an option. Macalister would take back his deal and his money, and then he’d come after us in retribution. I’d be left with even less than I’d started with.
I’d come much too far to turn back.
The wind swirled around me with unease. It propelled me along the path, ushering me toward the exit. Like it knew I shouldn’t stay.
Or . . . perhaps not.
I wiped the rain from my eyes and stared at the decorative urn before me, surrounded by hedges on three sides. A dead end. There were statues at some of the ends, and urns at the others. This one looked like the rest. Even if I wasn’t disoriented, I’d have no idea where I was.
Lightning lit everything in unsettling white light for a sliver of a moment. The booming thunder seemed to anger the wind. It made the hedges come alive and undulate around me. They shook their disapproving branches at me, wagging their fingers at the stupid Northcott girl who’d nearly fallen in love with the prince of lies.
I shuffled along the path as fast as I could. The heavy, frigid rain soaked my clothes and weighed me down. I thought I was headed in the right direction until I turned a corner and lurched into the opening at the center of the maze. It was pouring down so hard now I couldn’t tell if the tiered fountain at the center was even running.
I pressed my lips together to stop my bottom lip from quivering. I’d achieved my goal of losing myself, but I hadn’t expected to feel so scared and alone. I lifted my gaze to the sky, blinking rapidly against the torrents of rain, and winced as another bolt of lightning ripped from the dark clouds. I pushed back a drenched lock of my hair, slinging away water as I stared at the fountain.
A week ago, Royce had knelt there and asked me to marry him. He’d told me the initiation was just the beginning and hinted things were going to get worse, but I hadn’t expected the first hit to come so soon.
Or to come from him.
I turned in place and faced the spot where the hedges parted, choosing to go back the way I’d come. At least the front section of the maze I was more familiar with.
The storm was like Royce’s gaze on me. It didn’t let up, no matter how uncomfortable it made me. Perhaps he clouded my thoughts, but when I found myself facing the same damn urn in the dead end, an angry sigh punched from my lungs. I could tell it was the same one from before. Part of a hedge root curled over the edge of the base.
I was smart, and this maze wasn’t that challenging. What was wrong with me?
A shiver glanced through my shoulders, but a tingle crept up my spine. I was freezing, but this shiver was something . . . else. I turned, and breath caught in my throat.
He had appeared out of nowhere. An oversized black umbrella hovered over Royce’s head, shielding him from the worst of the rain. His white dress shirt was untouched. Only the hem of his blue suit pants was wet. He was probably ruining his expensive shoes, but then again, he had more than enough money to buy new ones, didn’t he? He’d been filthy rich before he’d struck the deal with his father, and tonight he’d added seven zeroes to his portfolio.
The sight of him made my heart beat faster, and the terrifying thing was I had no idea if it was with anger or relief. Lightning strobed in the sky like giant camera flashes. I gazed at the long, slender metal pole in his hand that lifted the umbrella over his head. Did he want to get struck by lightning? Or did he think he was impervious to his father’s wrath?
We stood across from each other, simply staring as the sky was falling around us. God, his eyes. The shadow of the umbrella did nothing to lessen their intensity.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
“Are you fucking stupid?” I raised my voice over the unrelenting rain. “What are you doing with that?”
His answer was to pitch the open umbrella to the side. It dropped, bounced to the path at his feet, and I swallowed hard as he let the rain overtake him. It poured over his body, flattening his dark hair and cascading down his shirt. His white shirt. It molded to him, showing off every curve and muscle on his powerful frame. He was so fucking perfect. The only reason I knew he was real and not a statue was the way his chest moved with his uneven breath.
All the while he stared at me, his lips were silent. But his eyes? Those were loud and desperate. I couldn’t look away or escape, and it broke me. The accusation welled up and burst out, tasting like fire. “How could you?”
His shoulders lifted in a deep breath. “I didn’t want to.”
I shook my head. It was a lie. I couldn’t trust anything he said, no matter how convincing he looked or sounded. The fire flamed out, taking all my strength with it. I repeated my question as a whisper. “How could you?”
“Because no one owns you, Marist. He was stupid enough to buy something from me that’s not mine to give.” He shifted, uneasy, as if it were hard to admit. “And because I couldn’t see another way. I don’t think as quickly on my feet as you do.” His posture solidified. “You’re a hell of a lot smarter than me.”
“Don’t,” I hissed. “We’re alone right now. No lies.”
His face contorted under the rivulets of water. “I’m not fucking lying.”
“Your father told me,” the words were broken and jagged, cutting my tongue, “you’d sell me out the first chance you got, and, fuck, that’s exactly what you did.”
“I know.” He took a cautious step toward me. A brilliant line of white light cracked overhead, but he didn’t flinch. Royce didn’t seem to notice it at all. His focus was only on me. “I’m asking you to trust me. I need a little more time.”
With the rain, it was impossible for him to tell if I was crying. I didn’t know myself. My tone was patronizing. “That’s what you need?” Pain edged into my voice. “I don’t think you’re in any position to ask me for something. I gave you a seat on the board. My virginity. A whole year of my life.” My advance toward him was aggressive and adversarial. “I did what you asked, waited for you. I’ve given you everything.”
Maybe even my heart, but I wasn’t about to tell him that. I did my best to stand tall under the force of the storm and his devastating gaze.
“I’m done,” I said. “You understand me? I’m not waiting anymore, especially for someone who screwed up my entire life.” Not just with the initiation either. “Six years ago, you called me a nobody, and nothing’s ever been the same.”