“I can see why he’s so intrigued by you,” Brody says, instead of answering my question. He takes another sip of his drink before leaning in close so his mouth is at my ear. “My brother will find you tonight, and when he introduces himself, don’t be afraid.”
I step back. My eyes lock on his before I answer, “I don’t fear anything.” Even though my words are spit with fire, the look on Brody’s face tells me I’m certainly not ready to meet Creed.
A languid smile tilts his perfect lips. “I’m sure you believe it,” he tells me. “But I know my brother.”
“What is his fascination with me?” I can feel all three girls’ eyes locked on our exchange, watching as I take on one of the brothers they’re most certainly fearful of.
Brody reaches for a curl of my red hair and twists it around his finger before tugging just enough to elicit a whimper from me. “Perhaps it’s your fiery red hair, or . . .”
“Brody,” a male voice calls to my tormentor, catching his attention. His eyes sweep to the familiar face making his way toward us. Keirin.
“What?” Brody’s annoyance is etched in the way he looks at his brother. He was enjoying himself. A bully with the face of an angel.
“It’s time.” Keirin glances at me through the sharp, glossy mask that reminds me of a raven’s head. “My brother would like to play a game. If you’re able to get to the center of the maze, he’ll find you and tell you the truth about why you’re here.”
“Why wouldn’t he just come here and tell me himself?” A smile passes over Keirin’s face, and awareness holds me hostage. It’s not a friendly grin, so it makes me pause for a moment. “Fine.” Twisting on my heel, I head to the maze in question. It’s quieter on this side of the garden, but I have a feeling that’s why Creed chose it as the place he finally shows me his face.
The high hedges are made of fake grass. And with every turn I take, I feel less sure of myself. While I was around my friends and the two Haven brothers, I felt confident I could do this, but now, not so much.
It doesn’t take long for me to be completely confused as to where I’m going. But then I hear it, music coming from inside the maze. Classical music. I follow it even though I’m scared. I can’t deny it. Fear has taken hold of me, and in the dimly lit part of the garden, I can’t stop the way my body trembles.
Suddenly, something appears in the shadows, and a scream is ripped from my chest. I spin on my heel and race for the music. But it’s not the music of the party that leads me deeper into the confusing hedges. It’s the sad, melancholic piano echoing around me.
I’m running, taking corners and racing down short corridors. My lungs are struggling, and my heart is beating a rhythm in my ears that’s deafening, but strangely, I still hear the music.
I dash forward and realize my mistake too late. The blackness in front of me is not the high, fake sides of the maze; it’s a wall I can’t penetrate.
And suddenly, a gate slams shut behind me.
8
Creed
Her shiver is dick-hardening. There’s something so erotic and sensual about a woman’s body when it’s prickling with anxious energy. Her smooth, porcelain skin has a gentle glow, and the fire in her eyes makes me smile.
“Let me out of here,” she barks once more, her voice bouncing in the night air, hovering between us. “Do you even know who I am?” I want her to tell me who she is, but I know she won’t. Her dad made sure she’s here, hidden from some asshole who wants to steal her. But I’m the one taking her now, and that’s all she needs to worry about.
Her fingers are wrapped around the cool, steel bars. Her face is streaked with raven-black mascara. She thought she was safe, walking through the maze like a tough girl, but she’s nothing more than a scared mouse.
“Are you even listening to me?” I take a step toward her, closer to the cage, but not so much she can reach for me. “My friends are—”
“You don’t have any friends here, little mouse,” I tell her, reaching into my pocket for my smokes. I don’t partake in this habit often, but every now and then, when satisfaction begs to be soothed by a cigarette, I enjoy it.
Once the cherry is burning bright, I shove my lighter into my pocket and blow four smoke rings into the darkness. Here in the corner of the maze, right where the gate is waiting for us to disappear through, I watch her for a moment longer before I speak.
“You’ve come into town and captured my attention. Not many girls who walk in or pass through here do that.”
“I don’t want your attention. And I certainly don’t give a shit what you want,” she spits, anger dripping from every syllable. If I knew she would be so sexy, I would’ve done this days ago.
“If you continue to act like a hissing snake, I may have to gag you,” I warn her. “And I wouldn’t like to do that, but it seems you may not leave me with any other option.”
“Would you like being shut in a fucking cage by some psychopath?” Her words only fuel me further. Fuck, I’d love to shove my dick down her throat to show her just what I’d like her to do.
“I would like to talk to you, and if you persist on being a rude little girl,
