Chapter 44

Much to my surprise, as we carefully and peacefully navigated our way towards the end of the Orange Sector, the men of the Labyrinth were all getting along fairly well. As well as anyone could hope for, anyway.

I couldn't say if it helped or it hurt that they'd all known each other for thousands of years. I suppose at that point in anyone's relationship, you would either be irrevocably bonded, or irreparably hateful. But as noted, these men had the same emotional intelligence as normal human men, considering how much they struggled to admit their own feelings for each other, so how could I expect them to have sorted out their differences when all they've had to work with was a literal eternity?

Despite Theron's ability to delve into minds and parse out someone's deepest fears and insecurities, he was still impressively oblivious to the idea that he, and everyone around him, had emotions .

Alessi seemed to enjoy playing games too much to be mature for ten minutes. He'd obviously long since forgiven every mistake Theron ever made, but god forbid he just communicate that.

And Rai over here could literally cut his hand, give someone a high five, and emotionally connect on an impossibly deep level with anyone he wanted. Yet, instead of enjoying his first ever human connection, he saw it as unbearable torture that I hadn't allowed him to remain cold and dead inside.

In my thirty five years of life, working in an industry of permanently immature nerds no less, I was somehow the wisest and most observant of them all, and I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

Regardless, things were boding well for my quest to save my cat. With the literal soul of the maze at my side, I didn't see how this could possibly be a challenge from here on out. There was only one sector to go, and I was basically free and in the clear.

Stupendous. No problem. What's the worst that could happen!

I sighed, wanting to tell Tartarus that I was mocking myself and not issuing a challenge, but there was no point. The damage was already done. I was about to be big time fucked, no doubt.

"It's been ages since you've graced me with your presence. How lucky that my sweet Bijou could bring us all together." Alessi made small talk as we walked the squishy orange pathway.

"This is temporary, I promise." Rai wouldn't make eye contact with Alessi, and I had no clue why.

"Will it be more permanent if I let you scratch me behind the ears again?" His catlike grin and the twitch of his partially shifted ears instantly turned Rai's whole face a shade of red.

"Th-that was one time—"

"Wait, when the hell did that happen?" Theron piped into the conversation with his jaw hanging open in pure offense.

"You sound like a jealous boyfriend." I said with a roll of my eyes. These guys were as cute as they were idiots.

"I do not." Theron huffed. "I just wanted to know when the last time Jericho let his dog out of his kennel long enough to cuddle with someone else."

"I'm not a prisoner." Rai scoffed. "Just because you're not allowed in the castle anymore, doesn't mean it's a cage."

"Really, puppy dog?" Theron tugged at the top of his scarf, noting the collar around Rai's neck, and I looked between the two of them with confusion. "Does he just use the paralysis features while he's fucking you then? Or do you keep that on to look more edgy."

A paralysis collar?

I wanted to ask, but Rai smirked at that question, unexpectedly unbothered. "You really do sound jealous." He chuckled. "When's the last time you had sex in the real world, Dream Weaver? Or better question, when's the last time the thought of someone taking your dick was a dream instead of a nightmare?"

Damn .

"Gods, you two are precious." Alessi stepped in between them, draping an arm around each of their shoulders, and pulling them involuntarily closer together. Both men glared at each other despite the interloper. "We should do this more often."

"You guys are all ridiculous." I shook my head as we arrived at a massive red door. I stopped in my tracks and stared at the blood colored barrier of heavy metal.

The door was massive, covered in straight lines of rivets that sewed together steel panels. A pattern of blood spatter and streams colored each panel in a different shade of dark copper.

"So this is the Red Sector. Does anyone want to give me any hints as to what to expect from this one?"

I turned to my companions, but suddenly no one had anything to say. Funny how that works.

With a sigh, I turned back to the door, and I grabbed the handle. The door was heavy, and even putting my whole body into it, it barely budged. I butted my shoulder against the wall, and I pushed off the ground for leverage. The mud gave under the pressure, and I was slipping back more than the heavy barrier was moving forward. At best, I was making headway by millimeters at a time. I huffed and puffed and pushed and huffed some more. The clock kept ticking, and I was starting to worry I'd run out of time just trying to get this door open.

"Want some help with that." Rai's voice, so low and gravelly in my ear, made me jump, while his suddenly too close body heat made me blush. He placed a single hand on the face of the steel panel, and his forearm muscles tensed and flexed as he nudged the whole thing open effortlessly.

I guess I was an arm person now, because goddamn that did something for me.

"Thanks." We shared a small smile between us, and I was so glad he was helping me.

We stepped through the gateway and entered the final sector of the Labyrinth. This one wouldn't end at a simple door, but it would take us to a staircase that led to the castle.

And then it would just be me and Jericho and my Pumpkin.

But I couldn't get ahead of myself. I still had this challenge to overcome.

The Red Sector was back to tight corridors and cobblestone, but the walls appeared to belong to concrete homes, and the red wasn't as vivid as the colors were in the other segments. Similar to the door, the tone was more a dark copper, and the color was inconsistent—some spots being darker and some being lighter. Near windows, there were often corners of the concrete where it looked like the painters had missed some spots.

"My mother's blood paints every wall of this sector." Rai informed me when he saw me glancing around. "A splash of every tribute that came before you fills in the gaps."

"I see." I skimmed my fingers over the wall, then examined my fingertips. It was about ten seconds before I gasped, realizing I'd just touched a wall painted in dried blood like it was fascinating and not vile.

This place has ruined me.

"It's so empty and quiet." I said as we rounded a corner and came upon a fork in the pathway .

"Is it?" Alessi had his Fox ears flattened against his head and his brow furrowed. "I suppose it would be for you."

When I glanced at Rai, he was covering his ears with his whole hands, and he looked like he was in agony. Theron seemed fine enough by comparison.

"What are you guys hearing?" As always, I was the only one who didn't have the extra special something that let me understand.

"The voices of the dead." Theron said as he took his place by my side. He set a hand on my shoulder, sharing both warmth and a sense of calm and reassurance. "Though their souls have moved on, this sector emits what's essentially a recording of the last screams, words, or sobs of each person who makes up the paint on the walls. But the only people who can hear those cries are the ones who killed them." A gentle smile painted his lips. "You're too innocent to hear anything here." He tipped his chin towards Rai. "But the Red Sector is deafening when you're the Minotaur."

"You don't look bothered though." I met his eyes.

Theron chuckled. "That's because my victims all died in their sleep."

Alessi pawed at his ears in irritation, before he shifted to human ears so he could better cover them. Rai dug his fingers into his head like his skull was splitting apart. Feeling bad for him, I slipped out of Theron's hold and jogged over to Rai's side. I stroked his back with massaging pressure, and he stilled to let me, leaning into my hand like I was his only salvation. I did the same for Alessi, eliciting a catlike purr from deep in his chest.

I couldn't help but giggle at the way they both felt like pets enjoying a quick scratch.

"If this is the worst of the Red Sector, it shouldn't be too hard." I called to Theron over my shoulder with a grin.

He said nothing. Just nodded back to me in confirmation.

The clock was always ticking in the sky, but for once, I felt like I had more than enough time.