Page 7 of A Sea of Secrets
So, no, I couldn’t give up or give the Masters, the Overseer, my father or that mysterious hooded fuck one freaking inch if I wanted to survive. And I was too stubborn to give up.
I ran, and I ran, and I ran, until my lungs were on fire and my legs throbbed so much it felt like they’d fall off. Still, those pounding steps followed. But I didn’t dare look back; didn’t give myself a second to despair as I ran down a long, hedged corridor and turned… only to find a dead-end.
The thing behind me was groaning heavily now, the sound so utterly wrong that my stomach twisted, my bones turning brittle as the noise raked over my skin. Trapped, I shifted my stance and held my fists up. I didn’t care if I had to beat thatthing bloody or kill it with nails and teeth. I wasn’t fucking dying today. Hell, I’d crawl out of here if it was the last thing I did.
Any second now the creature would turn the corner and find its dinner waiting like a sitting duck…
What horrible creation had the Masters come up with this time? We’d faced bat-like animals with squashed noses, spiders, wasps, lake monsters, and even a freaking dragon. Beyond that, I also had the other Potentials who had it out for me to contend with, and now my sister’s assassin.
Honestly, I was just a girl, standing in front of a world full of monsters, asking them to leave her alone.
I made to step forward, thinking if I got the jump on it first, I stood a better chance. But something clamped around my mouth, stifling my scream as whoever or whatever pulled me back into the spiky branches of that maze’s hedge.
I was helpless as the thorny mouth of the bush opened wide and swallowed me whole.
ItuggedFallontomy chest, pulling her from the monster’s path and ruining the thing’s lunch. If anyone was going to feast on the princess, it would be me.
I’d been minding my own business, working my way through the maze and avoiding any of the shit that was doing its best to scare me. The place was like some haunted ride at a carnival, except instead of being at risk of pissing your pants and getting your shit stolen while distracted by your fear, there were actual threats. Not that I was scared of any of that crap. I was the guy terrorising people and stealing their shit. Nevertheless, this maze was crawling with all kinds of fucked-up things.
Case in point, the monster pursuing Fallon.
I heard hurried footsteps heading my way and hid in the hedge. When the person turned into the dead end, I saw it was the princess. I’d moved on instinct to protect her and now herewe were, tucked into an alcove hidden by overgrown vines in a dead-end of the maze. A statue of a medieval knight stood between us and the monster who’d appeared.
I kept my hand over her mouth as we watched the creature round the corner hedge and step into the opening. Huge eyes protruded from a spotted round head, its tentacle-like limbs stroking the world around it as it searched. It reminded me of snakes writhing in a pit. All the while the most disgusting wet noises filled the air as it searched in vain. I’d seen some shit, but the sight and sounds combined made even me wanna fucking gag.
Thankfully, there was the little distraction currently nestled up against me that helped me keep it together.
Fallon’s back pressed to my chest as she watched the creature, her body fitting perfectly against mine as my arm circled her waist and we crept back around the statue. I directed us, with her focus never straying from the monster sniffing the dead-end in search of its lost meal.
It was a special kind of torture having her close to me like this. The woman had changed so much in my life within such a short time. Because of her, everything had turned on its head.
She wasn’t to blame for any of the crazy shit that was going on at the academy, yet shewasto blame for my shift in moral stance and behaviour.
Fallon pushed my buttons and forced me to face shit I’d usually brush to the side or twist until it suited my worldview. I think she was making me better. I wouldn’t say it aloud, though, and I sure as fuck would never say that a certain merman, blockhead, and nudist had also been involved in this unexpected shift in character.
It was never the plan to enter even the first trial. I was supposed to get in and get out with Cormac’s weapon, whatever the fuck it was, yet here I remained. It was trial three and I hadzero interest in following Cormac’s orders. I was going to get that weapon for my own use, then I’d get my hands on the crown, too. No one could tell me to do shit after that. The world would be mine to do with as I saw fit. I’d finally be free, with everyone else at the mercy ofmywhims—including the princess. She’d look so fucking good leashed for me.
I became aware of my hand still over Fallon’s mouth, those lush lips pressed to my palm. I slid my bionic hand along her waistband, grazing the skin back and forth because, yes, I was a cheeky bastard and there was no point denying it. My lips tugged up at one side as her ass pushed back into me. I released her mouth from the grip of my other hand, wrapping my fingers around her neck and feeling her accelerated heart rate. My bionic hand slipped further south, and she swallowed hard against my touch.
She didn’t shove me away, so I leaned forward, pressing my lips just below her ear and making her shiver. The monster groaned in front of us, its giant green eyes darting around in one last search before a far-off scream caught its attention and it retraced the way it had come.
Or should I say, slithered.
Fallon jumped out of my hold as soon as the coast was clear and spun around with a wry smile on her face. “Opportunistic asshole.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” I replied with a smirk, leaning against the knight statue.
Her face softened as her eyes dragged over me. “You’re okay.”
“Is that genuine concern I hear, Princess?”
“Don’t let it go to your head,” she teased, turning away from me and walking in the only direction we could, which happened to be the way the monster had gone. Her hands fidgeted at hersides, the only sign of her discomfort as I followed. “Did you… did you catch him?”
“The hooded attacker?”
“Yeah.”
“The fucking mist got us first,” I replied, irritated by the turn of events which meant the fucker had avoided capture. We’d been so close.
