Dark Alpha's Fury, page 10
Xaneth took a deep breath and released it as he rolled his head back. As Aisling slept, he took stock of his body. After the battle with the hound, he’d wanted to do nothing but sleep. Now, however, he felt fine. Better than fine, actually. He’d wanted to keep walking, but one look at Aisling had told him that she needed to rest.
His gaze was drawn to her again as if some invisible line connected them. She was constantly in his thoughts, even his dreams. He thought about the kiss she had given him. Should he mention it? She hadn’t touched him after the battle. Did that mean she regretted it? Despite her being a Reaper, he couldn’t imagine how he had looked. Maybe he had repulsed her.
Xaneth glanced down at his bare chest. The cuts from the hound’s claws and the punctures from its teeth had healed, but dirt and blood covered him, and his jeans were still damp from the wetness that seemed to coat everything in the labyrinth. As he sat, his mind went over and over the brief touch of their lips. He imagined kissing her…deeply, thoroughly. It was the first time. He had yearned to taste her since she’d sassed him when they first met.
The memory of that encounter brought a smile to his lips. Nothing seemed to bring her down. She didn’t care what stood before her, she met it with a straight back and a lifted chin, daring it to stop her. She was more than capable of handling herself. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be a Reaper. Yet he couldn’t seem to halt the protectiveness he felt for her.
He looked at the wadded remains of the shirt in his hands. Xaneth silently climbed to his feet and tied it around his waist by the sleeves. He wouldn’t leave anything behind to alert Lena that he had been there. It disturbed him how intent the Dark was on getting Aisling—to get to him.
Xaneth’s head turned as he looked at the Reaper. He recalled the dread and horror when he’d seen her injured on Skye. Had Lena seen him leave with Aisling? Did she know that he… Xaneth paused. That he what? That he respected Aisling?
Aye. He did. But he respected all the Reapers.
Admit how you feel about her.
He couldn’t. To do so would require opening himself to something he didn’t dare. That didn’t mean someone else hadn’t seen what he couldn’t name—someone like Lena.
Xaneth closed his eyes and shook his head. That would explain why Lena had doubled the bounty on Aisling’s head. Lena wanted Aisling because she knew that he’d come for her. Apparently, it didn’t matter what he might or might not admit to himself. Lena had connected the dots.
He blew out a breath and walked to the entrance. Xaneth leaned a shoulder against the cool, damp stones as his gaze slowly moved around the dim corridors and the many doorways. Only the sound of water dripping broke the quiet. At least there weren’t any more screams from dying Fae as there had been near the entrance.
If just anyone could take a Fae’s magic, then it would happen all the time. It took an immense amount of power. Xaneth had heard rumors that Usaeil had begun to take magic from Druids before her death, but not even his aunt had turned to the Fae. Things would be vastly different if she’d been able to do that.
Lena hadn’t just stolen others’ magic to grow hers, she’d learned how. Where had Lena learned such magic? While the Fae were made of magic, some things took knowledge and study. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t know to what extent her command had grown until he faced her. That would happen soon. He felt it in his gut. Everything was leading him to that point.
He pushed away from the door to explore. It was easy to get turned around and backtrack in a maze without knowing it’d happened. He didn’t go far before he retraced his steps to return to Aisling.
As he walked to the alcove, something on the wall snagged his attention. He halted and searched the area where he thought he’d seen it. He narrowed his eyes and moved his head from side to side before lifting and then lowering it. Still nothing. He must have imagined it. Then he took a step and saw it again. This time, he walked to the wall and stared at the area. Finally, he pressed his cheek against the stone and spotted the red arrow.
Xaneth whirled around and raced to Aisling. He touched her shoulder, and she came instantly awake. When she looked up at him, he said, “I found something.”
“What?” she asked as she got to her feet.
He should’ve held out his hand to her as before. Would she have taken it? Perhaps it was better if he didn’t know. After the kiss, he’d be crushed if she didn’t want anything to do with him. She hadn’t touched him since his fight with the hound. And for some reason, that really bothered him.
The irony wasn’t lost on him. After all the times he’d pushed her away, making sure he didn’t touch her, now it was all he thought about.
He motioned for her to follow him. “Come.”
Xaneth walked to the red arrow. Now that he’d found it, he couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen it earlier. He grinned at Aisling, waiting for her to acknowledge it.
After a moment, she shrugged. “What am I supposed to look at?”
“You don’t see it?”
She shook her head, a small frown marring her forehead. “I see lots of the same things we’ve seen since entering this bloody maze.”
“You don’t see this?” he asked and pointed at the arrow.
Aisling looked at the stone and then him. “I see a stone. Like all the others.”
“There’s a red arrow. Put your face against the wall. That’s how I saw it.”
She did as he requested, then stepped back and threw up her hands in defeat. “Still nothing.”
He returned his finger to the arrow. “Right here.”
“I don’t see it,” she said with a sigh.
Xaneth dropped his arm to his side. “There’s an arrow. And it’s pointing this way.”
“I wish I could see it. Maybe it’s because of something Lena did.”
“Maybe.” But Xaneth couldn’t help but wonder if it had something to do with that other half of him that he had fought for so long. “I think we should follow it.”
Aisling nodded in agreement. “Let’s go.”
“It could be another trap.”
“It could be a way out,” she argued.
Still, he hesitated.
Aisling took his hand and tugged him to follow her. “Keep an eye out for more of the arrows. If there’s a chance we can get out, I say we take it.”
The joy that burst within him at her touch was heady. But as soon as she had him walking, she released him. Xaneth missed her hold. He almost reached for her again but held himself in check. He was a half step behind her, his eyes searching for more of the arrows. They didn’t walk long before he spotted one telling them to go left. He didn’t have to hunt hard for the indicators now. He could see them as if they glowed, but Aisling still couldn’t make them out.
Their steps quickened as they followed arrow after arrow, taking them this way and that. Not once did they hit a dead end. The longer that went on, the surer Xaneth was that this could be the way out. The maker of the labyrinth would need to have an exit, something that only they could find.
Once more, they traversed a long distance, but the hope within them kept them going when they otherwise would’ve stopped. He was conscious of how Aisling’s feet had begun to drag, though she didn’t complain or ask for a break. Just as he was about to say they should rest, he saw it. Xaneth grabbed her shoulder to get her attention.
“What is it?” she asked.
He looked up into nothing but darkness. “The arrow points up.”
“Then up we go.”
He glanced over to see her grinning. Her exhaustion was evident, but neither of them would quit now. “I’ll lift you.”
“Look at the stones here. They aren’t as smooth as the other walls. I can climb them,” she said.
Xaneth nodded. It would be better if he remained behind in case she lost her grip. That way, he could catch her. “The arrow is right here. Climb up.”
Their eyes briefly met before she popped her knuckles and set her foot on a slightly protruding rock, then straightened her leg to reach her hand for another. Her hold was solid as she began to climb. Xaneth didn’t take his eyes off her.
When she got far enough above him, he followed. It seemed the wall went on forever, but suddenly, Aisling grunted.
“I hit something,” she said.
He heard hinges squeal in protest. Then sunlight spilled in and over them.
Chapter Fifteen
Aisling closed her eyes and relished the fresh, clean air for a moment before hurrying out into it. Her fingers sank into the cool blades of grass, and it brought tears to her eyes. She had begun to believe that she would die in the maze. She took in great lungsful of air and lifted her face to the sun.
The warmth that fell on her made all the dampness she had endured during her confinement in the labyrinth fade away. Her hunger, however, did not dissipate.
Aisling opened her eyes to see Xaneth standing on the other side of the opening. Her gaze ran over his bare chest, seeing him in all his glory now. She marveled at his hard body, the defined sinew creating ridges and valleys she longed to explore. She didn’t see the dirt or blood, she only saw his chiseled abs, muscular arms, thick chest, and broad shoulders. His narrow hips where jeans hung just low enough for her to spot the sexy V of muscles that made her swallow suddenly.
How had she missed all of this? But she knew. The hunger and dread of the maze had her focusing her attention on other things, which was probably a good thing. Perhaps she should stop ogling something she could never have. Her gaze lifted to his face to see it set in hard lines, his lips flattened in concern. She climbed to her feet and turned her head to see what had agitated him. That was when she saw that they were on a tiny island, no more than ten square feet, surrounded by nothing but water from horizon to horizon. Yet they weren’t the only things here. Four Fae doorways surrounded them, forming a square.
“I don’t like this,” Xaneth said.
Aisling glanced down into the hole they had emerged from. She tugged it shut, liking the firm thud she heard. Once closed, she couldn’t make out that there was an opening there at all. After dusting off her hands, she asked, “Do you recognize this place?”
“Nay. You?”
She shook her head. “We have to be in Ireland, right? There’s no way the maze could’ve extended anywhere else.”
Xaneth’s silver eyes met hers. “We did walk quite a ways.”
“Scotland, maybe?”
“That’s assuming we’re still on Earth.”
She scoffed at his words. Then, she immediately sobered. “Should we teleport or use one of the doorways?”
“My concern is the doorways. Why are they here? If the exit is for Lena, then she could teleport anywhere she wanted to go. Why have these?” he asked and motioned to the four doorways.
After the labyrinth, Aisling was scared to use her magic. Though they were free of the maze’s confines, they were still very much in the world Lena had fashioned. “We have to do something. I need water.”
Xaneth walked between two doorways to the water’s edge. He knelt and put his finger in it before tasting it. He frowned and faced her. “Saltwater.”
Which meant she still had nothing to drink. Or eat. Whenever Aisling got free, she would happily find Lena and make her suffer her own maze. Only Aisling would block the exit so Lena didn’t have a way out.
“So.” Aisling faced one of the doorways. “Looks like we’re trying one of these.”
“We don’t know where they lead,” Xaneth cautioned.
She jerked her gaze to him. “We can’t stay here.”
“We teleport, then.”
It was an easy solution. Why, then, couldn’t she do it? Because she was terrified now. Lena had done that to her. Just one more reason to hate her.
Xaneth’s brows briefly drew together as he faced her. “We’re out of the maze.”
“Then why the doorways? You asked that very question. It makes no sense. It’s either another trap, or we’re on another realm.”
He looked at each of the doorways. “Or it’s just another game. If anyone happened to make it out, Lena would want them confused and frozen in fear.”
“I’m not frozen,” Aisling snapped.
Silver eyes watched her carefully. “I didn’t say you were.”
“You implied it.” It had been a lifetime since she had felt such trepidation, but still, she recognized it. Loathed it. It churned like a swirling ball of black goo in her gut, moving faster and faster as it grew. She had sworn she would never feel anything like it again—being a Reaper meant that she never would.
And yet, here she was.
“I’ll teleport first,” Xaneth began.
“Nay!” she all but shouted. At his confused look, she turned to the side and crossed her arms around her middle. In a calmer voice she said, “I don’t want to be left alone.”
A beat of silence passed, then, “We have to do something. We can’t remain undecided. That’s what she wants. If we try a doorway, we might end up right back in the maze.”
“Or free.”
“Aye. Maybe. It could also lead us to her.”
Aisling’s head swung to the side to spear him with a look. “That’s exactly what we want.”
“Not now, it isn’t.”
“Because you think I’m weak.”
“Because you’re angry.”
She barked in laughter. “Oh, that’s rich. Need I remind you about that dog thing? I saw your rage.”
“That’s different.”
Her brows rose. “Really?” She snorted and put her hands on her hips. “How, exactly?”
“It’s how I fight. It isn’t how you go into battle. You’re calm. Tranquil, even.”
That brought her up short. “How would you know?”
“I’ve seen you.”
Three words. But they hit her square in the chest.
Xaneth took two steps toward her. “When you go into battle, you size everything up in one glance. You know where you need to be in a split second. You move with grace and speed that leaves others unable to keep up. Your body and mind calculate not only your positions, magic, and moves, but also your opponents. Within seconds. It’s riveting to watch. Even better to be fighting beside you.”
She swallowed, unsure what to say or if she should reply. What did one say to such beautiful words? Thanks?
“You don’t let emotion get in the way,” Xaneth continued. “I don’t want to test that theory. Not with Lena.”
Aisling could only nod.
Xaneth lowered his gaze and looked away as if he regretted everything he’d said. He raked a hand through his hair. “If you aren’t ready to teleport, and I don’t want to go through one of the doorways, let’s try something different.”
“Like what?”
The words were barely out of her mouth before a water bottle appeared in his hand. She gaped at him. Had she known what he intended, she would’ve stopped him. He must have known that, which was why he hadn’t told her.
Aisling didn’t hesitate to call her own water. Except she created an entire gallon of it. She lifted it to her lips and drank deeply, pausing often to let it settle. When she drank it all down, she lay on the ground and looked up at the sky. She felt better with every second that passed. How long had they been in the labyrinth?
She glanced at Xaneth. He was still shirtless, and she considered asking him to remain that way. She doubted he would even understand why she wanted to look. After all, he hadn’t mentioned the kiss. That wasn’t to say she wanted to have a long discussion about it, but he acted as if it hadn’t happened. Like it didn’t affect him.
When she had to force herself not to linger.
It had been a split-second decision—something she regretted now. Though it wasn’t as if she could take it back. It had felt as if death hovered next to them, and she had given in to her desire to know what his mouth felt like against hers. Maybe it was beneficial that he hadn’t mentioned it. What would she say if he did?
“I didn’t want to die without kissing you.”
Or… “Since I know you don’t want me, I took advantage of the moment.”
Not exactly things she wanted to say aloud. And the more she tried to come up with decent replies, the more she realized how impulsive her actions had been. A kiss! With someone who had no interest in her. Men did that to women all the time and didn’t think they did anything wrong. She shouldn’t get a pass simply because she’d thought she was going to die. She owed him an apology. However, that meant bringing up the kiss. And, honestly, she’d be happy if he completely forgot about it.
For her, it was imprinted on her mind—the softness of his lips, the way he had stilled at the contact.
She hadn’t given him time to push her away, but she wondered what it might be like for him to drag her against him, to slant his mouth over hers and really kiss her. And not just a brush of the lips. A true kiss. Passionate, hot, and deep.
Aisling sat up and bent her knees so her legs lay against the ground. She glanced down at her clothes and grimaced.
“Aye. I know,” Xaneth said.
She looked over to find him clean and clothed once more.
“I couldn’t stand my smell,” he said.
His crooked smile nearly did her in. She flicked her hair over her shoulder. “Is that your way of telling me I stink?”
His face went slack. “Nay. I…I–”
“I’m teasing,” she told him with a laugh. “But you’re right. It’s time to get out of these clothes.”
She hesitated for only a fraction of a second before she called to her magic to clean herself and replace her clothes. She instantly felt better. She touched her hair, happy to have it dry and clean once more.
It was hard not to notice the way Xaneth’s eyes followed her hand as she ran it through her tresses. She liked the way his face softened as he watched her. What she wouldn’t give to discover what thoughts ran through his mind. Suddenly, his eyes met hers before he hastily looked away, the moment broken.
“Ready to leave?” he asked.
