Chapter 15

Chapter

Fifteen

I want my brother. I want Anthony.

I grip my phone, willing him to get in contact with me.

Anthony isn't always the most reliable, but it isn't like him to leave me hanging. He did say to text him when I came down, and he would find me.

My stomach is in knots, but I try not to panic. It's possible he partied too hard and is passed out somewhere. Or maybe he hooked up with someone and is preoccupied.

"He'll answer," I tell myself.

"Who?" Costin turns at the sound of my voice. He's trying to lead me over the scary bridge, but I don't want to follow him. I'm irritated with him for not telling me about Draakmar.

Okay, sure, it changes nothing and, fine, knowing has given my fears a more distinctive shape, but how can I be expected to fight without all the facts?

"My brother, if you must know," I answer. "Anthony isn't texting me back."

Costin frowns. "You should not be wasting your time with that right now. Anthony is probably in one of the many clubs and can't hear his phone. We don't need him."

"What is wrong with you?" I demand. "You're being more of an ass than usual."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you." I put my hands on my hips. "I'm not going anywhere until you answer my questions. Why are you so pissed at me?"

"I told you to let me handle the troll. Instead, you flirt with him, and now he's sending you into the labyrinth," Costin answers. He keeps his voice soft in deference to those close by, but I can hear the bubbling anger in his tone.

"Flirting?" I gasp at the accusation. I'm not so quiet. "I was doing no such thing!"

Several people stop their conversations and turn to look at us.

"Keep your voice down, Tamara," Costin orders. "And what was all that about beautiful mountains and troll history?"

He cannot be serious. There is no conceivable world where I'm attracted to a troll. For one, it physically would not work. I'm pretty sure Morvok would crush me into nothingness. For second, I'm not in the habit of flirting with rock creatures with dead animals hanging in their hair.

"I'm not even going to dignify that accusation with a response," I say. "But if I was flirting with him, so what? It's not like you own me, vampire. We're not going steady. We fucked. Once. That does not mean I'm your property. I can do whatever I want with whoever I want in any position I want."

In quick hindsight, I realize that is not the appropriate thing to say to an angry vampire while trapped in the supernatural realm beneath a mausoleum. I follow Costin's eyes as he glances around. We are drawing a crowd. Some of that crowd looks very interested in my last declaration.

A hairy beast with wiggly antennas— what the hell would you call a half ant, half dog?— licks his lips and winks at me.

I move closer to Costin and whisper, "Get your jealousy in check. In case you forgot, I have a world to save. How about we focus on that? Now, what exactly is this labyrinth?"

He grabs me by my neck and holds firm, and his eyes swirl with anger. His face distorts, showing hints of the monster he can become. I've never seen him like this before. I feel his fingers working against my throat. With one squeeze, I could be over.

He leans in and growls beneath his breath, "Down here, I am your master. Don't make me enthrall you to prove it to them."

I tremble at the rage I see in his expression. He's never spoken to me like this.

"Keep defying me in front of people, and I will be forced to punish you." His tone lowers, and I feel his words vibrating through me. "I am the ruler of all the North American territories. I cannot be seen as weak. There are a hundred vampires in this place alone who would love to challenge me for the right, and I have no desire to massacre them all because you are having a tantrum about the truth of your mortality."

I don't move. I feel the others watching us. I want to argue, but I force the words to stay inside.

"Do you understand?"

I nod once.

"Good." He withdraws and releases my throat.

I force myself to appear calm. I can't deal with Costin being mad at me right now. If he was to storm off and leave me, then where would I be?

"You made your point," I say, hoping my narrowed eyes let him know how displeased I am by his actions. Never have I seen him angry, not like this. I've seen him irritated, and mocking, and bored, but never this.

"We need to keep moving." Instead of crossing, Costin leads me away from the bridge, cutting into a nearby tunnel where it is more private. A nearby cafe is packed with fairies hosting what appears to be a fashion show. I hear lively music in the distance and see flashes of what look to be disco lights.

"Maybe Anthony is in there." I motion toward the disco. I'm feeling very alone. I look at my phone. Where is my brother? I need him. He'll tell me how to complete this labyrinth, whatever it is. He'll make me feel safe.

"He won't be there," Costin dismisses. I don't ask how he knows.

"I don't want to be here," I whisper more to myself than to him, even though he can hear me. I put the phone back into my pocket. "I'm out of my depth. I just want this to be over."

"I am sorry I had to…" Costin frowns. He still seems irritated with me despite the half-apology.

"We're both tense," I dismiss. I know I'm giving him a pass for his behavior, but I can't deal with more drama right now. I have enough on my plate. "Let's just focus on what we need to accomplish. Tell me about the labyrinth."

"I could have convinced Morvok to find another path before it got this dangerous," Costin says. "You should not be alone in the labyrinth where I can't protect you."

"It's done. I don't think I have a choice." I don't think he understands exactly how much pressure I'm under at the moment. I am completely out of my depth. My entire life I've been told that I'm mortal, delicate, a freaking butterfly. Whoever heard of a butterfly surviving a fight with a monster?

No. Not just any monster. Draakmar, a fire dragon who embodies raw, destructive power.

A fucking fire dragon.

Of course, it's a dragon.

You're a delicate butterfly in a world of fiery dragons. The world needs butterflies, Tamara, as much as it needs dragons. Probably more. We all have our place.

My grandfather's words repeat themselves in my head. It's like he was trying to tell me something, even before he knew the full prophecy for himself. I always took the words as a warning to be careful, but maybe they're more than that. Maybe he was telling me to be brave, that I stood a chance.

Shit. I'm so scared.

My hands are shaking, and I want nothing more than to curl into a ball to hide from everyone and everything. I try not to cry. Heroes aren't supposed to cry, right?

Costin takes a deep breath as if coming to a decision. "You are not going into the labyrinth alone. It's not safe. I'll go with you."

I instantly want to say yes. But that is not what the signs are telling us.

"I don't think you should. I have to do it alone," I counter nervously. "Nothing about my life has been safe for me."

Of course, I would rather have him with me. Who wants to go into a labyrinth alone? I don't even know what this labyrinth thing really is. But it doesn't sound good.

How do you stop a dragon?

In the vision, the lava did not burn me. I have a feeling that's not going to be the case if those events really do come to pass.

I don't want to do this.

I don't have a choice.

The fairies' shouts become louder, and I press my hands against my temples to drown them out. I can't concentrate. It is all too much.

I lost Paul and Diana, but more than that, I lost the dream of a normal life that they represented.

I lost my best friend, Conrad, to betrayal. And now he's haunting me and keeping me from moving on.

I'm being forced to marry Chester. Enough said. Just picturing his face makes me want to throw up. How can they expect me to look at that for the rest of my life?

And then there is this prophecy. With everything else going on in my life, I'm expected to go into a labyrinth by myself to do trials—whatever that means—with absolutely no protection or power, or knowledge for that matter, and save the fucking world from Draakmar, a lava breathing ancient evil monster.

As bad as the first timeline was before the reset, this one is starting to look much worse. And, at the end of all of this, everyone might be dead anyway.

"I can't deal with arguing with you right now. Please, let's just get through this next task." I don't add that the odds are I'm going to fail, and none of the other stuff is going to matter anyway. "What do I need to know about this labyrinth?"

"Have you heard of the Greeks?" Costin asks.

I arch an unamused brow and stare at him.

"Of course." Costin has the good sense to look apologetic. "What I meant to ask is, have you heard of the Greek labyrinth?"

I hug my arms across my chest, wishing I could make myself smaller. "Please tell me I'm not going to have to fight a minotaur."

"Not the minotaur," Costin explains. "But your version of it. I can't tell you what that is. There is no way of knowing what you will face when you accept the challenge."

"Well, this sounds fun," I drawl sarcastically.

He leans in close to me. His look says, I told you so.

I'm getting really tired of that self-righteous expression.

"Do you think…" I glance around to make sure no one is staring at us. "Do you think Draakmar is my minotaur in the labyrinth? Do you think I'm going to have to… fight…?"

My breath catches.

"I don't know what you'll face. Like the labyrinth in Greek mythology, this labyrinth is a test," he explains. "It represents the complexity of your personal journey. It takes the things you fear the most in your life and makes you face them. And this isn't just some metaphorical figure out your feelings type of journey. These things can kill you. There will be confusion, challenges, misdirection, powerful magic. It will be harder than anything you've ever faced. Once you go in, there's no escape button. When you're in, you're in. You either make it out or you don't."

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, willing myself to wake up from the nightmare.

"Are you listening?" Costin touches my arm. "Because this is important. "

I nod and look at him. He's standing so close that I can't see anything else. I stare at his neck, watching his jaw move as he speaks.

"I can't tell you how the trials will manifest for you. Like I said, it's different for everyone. But essentially, you will face three tests that will embody strength, knowledge, and courage."

My eyes move down to his chest. I placed my hand flat over his heart. I feel it beating like he's alive. Alive. Undead. Unalive. As much as he aggravates me at times, I have to admit there's a part of me that appreciates Costin's protective nature.

"What if I can't do it?" I remain focused on his heartbeat, needing to feel close to someone. "What if I fail?"

"Then Draakmar wakes up, and the world as we know it dies."

The words are not exactly comforting. Then again, Costin has never been one to pretty up the harsh truth.

I can't help but hear Astrid's voice in my head, saying, "It can die."

I was five years old, holding a stray puppy that I wanted to keep, but as she said it, I knew she meant me. I'm the one who could die. That one word had become a mantra of sorts, a harsh reminder of my limitations .

I want Costin to tell me I can do it. I want him to tell me that he believes in me.

He doesn't.

"Can we find a restroom?" I ask. "And maybe a water bottle and a protein bar?"

Not that I'm positive I can keep either of those things down, but I'm stalling.

Costin looks around as if to gauge where we are. "The old subway tunnels are on the way to the labyrinth's entrance."

I nod, not knowing the significance.

"Few people dare go down there unless they're entering the labyrinth. You will be safe waiting there while I find you water. It will be easier to get there if I mesmerize you."

For the first time in my life, the idea of being mesmerized doesn't scare me. In fact, the idea of falling into oblivion where I have no control holds great appeal. I nod my head. I'm not sure I could force my legs to make the journey.

Almost instantly, I find myself slipping into that deep vortex inside of Costin. It's beginning to feel familiar, safe. I want to fall into his dream and never come out.