Chapter 48

“What is this strange contraption?” I ask in wonder as I watch the glass slide back up. My finger hovers over the tiny button that seems to be controlling the new and exciting invention I discovered.

“That,” Abel reaches over me and places a hand on my wrist, stopping my movements, “is an automated window.”

“Wow! Do all vehicular transporters have these?” I query as I rip my hand free of Abel’s and press a finger down on the button again. The automated window lowers, and a cold breeze caresses my face. I stick my head farther out the window as I marvel at the lights and sounds of the city we have found ourselves in.

“No fair!” Rion pouts. “He’s allowed to stick his head out the window like a dog, but when I try to do that, you threaten to swerve off the road until my head is crushed by a street lamp.” He folds his arms over his chest and levels all of us with a fierce glare. “Not. Fucking. Fair.”

“The wind feels amazing on my face,” I explain, not wanting to upset my eccentric shifter brother.

Abel, sitting on the opposite side of Rion, grins. “You know what would make it feel even better? If you stick your tongue out and pant.”

“For fuck’s sake…” Cain gripes as I eagerly do what Abel requested of me. My tongue lolls to the side as I release exaggerated panting noises.

“Like this?” I question, my words garbled from how my mouth is opened.

“You can shake your butt too, like it’s a tail,” Abel suggests.

Weird request…

I shift until I am crouched down, my head still hanging out the window, and begin to shake my butt back and forth. I have no idea how the butt shaking aspect will add to the pleasure of the wind on my face, but I do not dare question the demon.

Loud guffaws erupt around me, and I awkwardly join in, my head still hanging out the window and my butt shaking.

The outside world…

It is so different from what I imagined. Not even my wildest fantasies could prepare me for this. I do not know where to rest my eyes, as everything demands my complete attention. There are numerous buildings, each one colored in shades of dark brown, black, and red, as well as trees interspersed throughout.

I breathe deeply, my eyes fluttering shut, as I listen to the hearty laughs of drunken men wandering down the street, the giggles of females, and the music blaring from one of the buildings.

It overwhelms and excites me simultaneously.

“Nick,” Kai snaps, “get your head back inside the SUV. Now.”

“Yes. I will do that.” I smile brightly at him as I reclaim my seat, reluctantly rolling the automated window back up. “Where are we going?”

The burly dragon shifter runs his hand through his shoulder-length dark hair as his fingers tap against the steering wheel.

“For now, we’re going to get a hotel. We’re far enough away from the prison to not raise any red flags. And according to Cain, the prison guards have not been made aware of our escape yet. I imagine Braelyn has played a part in keeping that a secret.”

The sex demon, who has a stolen computer balanced on his knees, nods curtly. “Nothing that I can find online, at least. So unless the prison is being hush-hush about our escape, they don’t know we left yet.”

“That is good.” I nod my head seriously. “I do not wish for those men to find my little one.” As an afterthought, I add, “Or you guys.”

“That makes two of us,” Cain murmurs.

“We confirmed that these vehicles have no trackers on them, but we need to lose them now rather than later,” Kai continues. “Damien will use one of his illusion spells and the fake ID he made in the last town to get us a few rooms. Hopefully, he’ll be able to extend the illusion spell to us when we leave the SUV. I don’t want anyone seeing our faces. We’ll steal a van capable of holding all of us early tomorrow morning before we leave. But for now, we need to shower, change our clothes, and solidify our plan.”

“The Labyrinth made Damien weak,” I agree with a nod. “But he should be strong enough for the spell.”

A wrinkle appears between Abel’s brows. “Aren’t you the Labyrinth?”

“I was.” I shrug my shoulders nonchalantly. “But not anymore.”

Abel immediately whips his head around to address Cain and Rion. “Can we just beat the shit out of him already? He talks like a douche.”

I talk like…a shit?

Is that not the meaning of the word? Or is deuce the correct synonym for shit? Why is it impossible for me to remember?

Do I talk like a deuce? Is that the correct terminology?

Though I did hear prisoners daily refer to each other as douches and pieces of shits. Do those mean the same thing? I make a mental note to ask Abel about it when I have the chance.

For now, I will go under the assumption that ‘douche’ is another meaning for ‘piece of shit.’

Bringing a finger to my chin, I think of the best way to explain my existence. “I have come from the Labyrinth. I am the Labyrinth. A manifestation of its magic, if you would like to be specific. Just like the monsters who attacked Kai. Just like the green mist. Now that I am gone, I believe that the magic of the Labyrinth will eventually fail as well. Think of me…” I consider my words carefully before turning to Rion. “Do you remember that vibrator you used on Nina and your balls a few months ago?”

His eyes widen comically. “For fuck’s sake, how did you?—”

“Think of me as the batteries that operate the vibrator,” I continue, pleased that I have come up with an analogy that they can all relate to. Rion is still staring at me with his mouth popped open. “Without the batteries, the vibrator fails to work. It still exists, but it cannot do what it was meant to. You can still use it to pleasure yourself—or your balls, as Rion did—but it is no longer as effective for stimulation.”

I rest back in the seat, satisfied with myself.

Silence descends as all of the men stare at me. Even Kai, who is driving. That is dreadfully unsafe. He really should pay attention to the other vehicular transporters on the road.

“You…” Rion tilts his head to the side. “You watched me stick a vibrator into my girl? And on my balls?”

“And in your asshole,” I say with another bright smile. Is this male bonding time? “And in your mouth…though I don’t understand why you would put it in your mouth after you put it in your asshole. Does the…does the douche make it taste better?”

Does Nina like douches? I would have to ask my little mate as soon as we stop for the night.

“Don’t encourage him,” Abel whispers out of the corner of his mouth, and the car is basked in silence.

I smile broadly as I finger the button to the automated window once more. “Maybe once Nina and I get into the stage of our relationship where we are sexually intimate, I can take a douche on her. Would she like that?”

Kai almost causes a vehicular transporter accident.

The “hotel”we arrive at is not actually a hotel. The sign declares it as a motel, whatever that means. When I question Abel about it—he seems the most likely to answer my questions—he tells me “hotel” is a blanket statement. I ask him why statements need blankets, and he tells me, “To keep them warm, of course.”

Strange, strange world.

Damien places an illusion spell on himself and uses his fake ID to procure us three rooms side by side.

Despite that, all of the men pile into the one Nina chooses for herself, hovering around her like besotted puppies.

“You’re such a sweet little cherry sprinkled in sugar and ready for daddy’s mouth, aren’t you?” Rion purrs as he drops a sweet little cherry sprinkled in sugar into his mouth.

The men have all picked up food from a gas station—according to Abel, it is where men go when they have to “let one rip.” Very peculiar—and the beds are now cluttered with a collection of candy, wrapped sandwiches, drinks, and more.

Nina sits at a seat near the window, seemingly far away in thought as she gazes blindly at the drawn curtains. Anxiously licking my upper lip, I move to join her.

“Are you okay, little one?” I question as she whips her head in my direction. My heartbeat picks up speed at being the sole focus of her white gaze. Has there ever been a time where I have captured her complete attention? I cannot recall.

A strange, fluttery sensation swirls the meager contents of my stomach around. I think I might vomit.

Having a physical body is very, very strange. For the first time ever, I have to eat. And drink. And go to the restroom.

A lot.

What else will change now that I am free? Will I lose my powers? Will I grow old and eventually die?

I shove those thoughts to a dark corner of my mind, one that consists of nothing but memories of loneliness, and focus on the girl in front of me.

The girl who has altered my entire life.

“Everything has just happened so…suddenly,” she confesses at last, her long lashes fluttering against her cheekbones. My pulse skitters. “One second, I’m sentenced to a life in prison, and the next, I’m freed.” A huff of dry laughter escapes her. “I’m so grateful to be out of there, but at the same time…” She fiddles with a strand of her long, inky hair and shifts her gaze so it’s on my shoulder. “I accepted my position in that life, the Queen of the Labyrinth, but now I need to find a new future for myself. A new role for me and my baby. And I have this constant fear that we’re going to get captured, that I’m going to be separated from all of you.” Both her hands come to rest on her stomach. “I don’t know if I’m making any sense?—”

“You are making complete sense,” I interrupt, tentatively claiming the seat opposite her. The other guys have stopped their conversations and are listening intently, though they are trying to be nonchalant about it.

Except for Rion. He has silently moved onto the table during the course of our conversation and is now perched like an eagle directly in front of an oblivious Nina.

“But is it wrong to think that your place…is with us?” I continue. “We can figure out everything as long as we are together.” I blow out a breath and run my hand over my buzzed head. “And that is another thing I have been meaning to talk to you about…”

“Guys?” She twists her head to stare in the direction of her other mates. “Can you give us a second?”

Warning growls and rumbles echo throughout the room, and her shoulders sag in annoyance.

“Seriously? You all know he’d never hurt me. Stop being ridiculous and wait in one of the other rooms,” she snaps fiercely, and Abel whistles.

“Damn, girl,” he purrs, crawling off the bed and sauntering towards her. He presses his lips to her forehead, a twinkle in his eyes. “I love it when you get all feisty. Really makes my cock hard.”

“Come on, Casanova,” Cain grumbles as he pulls on Abel’s shirt collar, tugging him out of the room. “We’ll be right outside,” he assures Nina.

The rest of the guys slowly, reluctantly, follow after him.

Logan stops directly in front of Nina, and in a move that surprises me, claims her lips in a fiery, passionate kiss.

Joy blooms inside of me, and I smile widely. I am proud of my brother for claiming his mate.

Finally.

He has been so lonely, so despondent, that I am grateful he found a light in the darkness.

Soon, it is just me and Nina…and Rion.

“Babe?” Nina quirks an eyebrow in the shifter’s general direction. “You do realize that I know you’re there, right?”

Rion, for his part, simply grabs a grocery bag and holds it in front of his face in an attempt to hide from us.

Ridiculous.

He should know that I am able to still see his legs with how he is crouched on the table. He should really practice hide-and-seek in his spare time.

“Rion…” Nina’s voice holds a note of warning.

His face wrinkles with his displeasure, and with a heavy sigh, he does a backflip off the table and army crawls out of the room, muttering under his breath, “I’m a ninja.”

I make a mental note to whisper “I am a ninja” whenever I leave a room.

Rion is probably a good subject to study for societal norms.

Once the door closes behind him, I turn my attention back to Nina. Her pouty lips are pursed slightly, the color more red than pink, and are so plush and kissable that I have to physically restrain myself from leaning in.

It would be my first kiss.

“I understand your trepidation—” I begin, but she interrupts.

“I don’t know you. Not truly.” Her long, slender fingers tap against the wooden table. “All I know is that you’re the man of my dreams.”

My brows furrow in confusion. “Is that not what most females wish for? The man of their dreams to be real?”

Her own face creases. “Well, yes…”

“I am afraid I am confused.” I mimic her posture, tapping my fingers against the table in tandem to hers.

A giggle escapes her, seemingly unbidden if her shocked face is any indication. “I think that makes two of us.”

“We can…what is the word…date if you so desire? Get to know each other.” A hint of vulnerability creeps into my voice. “But I have no past, really, to speak of. My days were spent asleep, my magic fueling the powers of the Labyrinth. And even when I was awake, I spent my time watching you.”

“You said that before, and I don’t?—”

“You are my mate,” I state simply. “Do you want to hear the exact moment I knew I was in love with you?” I wait for her tiny nod of acquisition before continuing. “When you were fighting that female in the ring. You were bruised and broken and bloody…and I cannot remember ever seeing anyone more beautiful. You fought for what you believed in, what you thought was just, and you emerged stronger because of it. How could I not love you?” My throat closes as I recall that day.

All I could do was observe, my powers not yet strong enough to reach her. Helplessness like I had never felt before coursed through me before that quickly transitioned into blinding anger.

One of the prison guards got lost in the Labyrinth that day and was killed by the monsters, though I cannot find it within me to have any remorse.

“Nick…”

“My past is a blank slate, but my future? My future can be yours, if you want it. Perhaps we can learn this strange new world together.”

What if she rejects me?

Then you will continue to do what you have always done.

Watch her from the shadows.

“Nick…” she repeats, seemingly at a loss for words. I can deal with that. I can deal with anything besides an outright rejection. My entire existence revolves around her—quite literally. I would still be lying dormant inside of the maze if she had not awakened me.

“We could go on romantic walks through the park like they do in the movies you like to watch,” I press on, my knee bouncing. “Or we could…” My eyes snag on a strange device I recognize from the Labyrinth’s kitchen. “Go on a coffee date.”

I practically trip over my own two feet in my haste towards it.

How the devil do you work this thing?

I press a button at random before remembering that I need to put the brown drug powder inside of the slot thingy. Where is the brown drug powder?

Nina giggles, the sound instantly calming my frayed nerves.

“Do you even know how to make coffee?” she questions in amusement, and I glance at her over my shoulder.

“I am just looking for the brown drug powder,” I explain, grabbing a squishy cup and turning it over and over in my hands.

“You mean ground coffee?” Another laugh escapes her as she moves to join me.

“Yes,” I say, flustered. “My apologies.”

Ground coffee.

Not brown drug powder.

Noted.

“Don’t apologize,” Nina says, taking the cup from my hand. “And I don’t need any coffee.” Her nose wrinkles adorably, and I have to fight the urge to press a quick kiss to it. “Honestly, I don’t like the taste. It’s sharp and bitter. But,” a smile dances on her pretty face, “if you add a bunch of cream and sugar, it tastes super sweet.”

“Are you talking about my cum again, Buttercup?”

We both jump at the sound, turning in the direction of the voice.

Perched on the ceiling fan—one that is precariously close to collapsing from the ceiling—is Rion. He gives a two-fingered salute.

“Rion,” Nina admonishes with a huff.

“Don’t mind me. I’m just a fan of this conversation.” In the next second, a tiny cat takes the place of a man. He walks in a circle, his whiskered face twitching, before curling into a ball and staring down at us with wide, yellow eyes.

“You’re such a stalker,” Nina says with an amused shake of her head.

Rion simply lifts his little paws before piercing me with an indecipherable stare. And then one of his paws lifts as if he’s mimicking cutting his own throat.

I feel like he is threatening me. But I do not understand why. Or maybe he is asking me to cut his throat for him? That seems strange, but what do I know?

“Ignore him,” Nina says, claiming my attention once more. “I do.”

An irritated hiss echoes from above us.

But not even Rion can alleviate the tension coursing through me. What I am about to ask her…

It is the most important question a man like me could ever ask.

“Nina,” I begin softly, “you were right when you said we do not know each other that well yet.” Though I have been watching you for over a year and have heard all of your deepest, darkest secrets. “But I want to. I want to know everything there is to know about you. I want to wake up with you beside me and fall asleep with you in my arms. I will be the best mate possible, if you give me the chance.”

I don’t breathe as I await her answer. I have to curl my hands into fists to keep them from shaking.

If she says no…

If she turns me away…

I will respect her wishes, though a piece of my soul will perish.

“Yes,” Nina answers at last, a sheepish smile materializing on her face. And I know then that my life has truly begun. It will be riddled with tumultuous storms and deadly traps, but Nina is worth all of that and more. Nothing else matters from this point on. “Nick, you’re my mate. I don’t know what the future will hold, but I want you by my side. I want all of you by my side. Forever.”

A delicate blush stains her cheeks, almost as if she is embarrassed by her candid words, but my heart swells with love for this incredible woman.

We do not kiss as I take her into my arms and hold her tight. I know that this is not an appropriate time and our relationship is not there yet. But soon.

Soon, I will be able to kiss her without fear of her reaction. Without worry of my own worth.

For now, I will prove to her every second of every day that she made the right choice accepting me as her mate.

I will love her until the day I die, and if there is a life after that, I will love her then too.

All of us—me, her, my brothers—are so inextricably tied together that there is no escaping. No running or hiding or leaving.

It is all of us against the world.

Forever.