Page 12 of Mochas and Minotaurs

“All done. Your words won’t leave this circle.”

I didn’t know what circle she referred to, but I trusted her. I’d probably be able to see it if I could see magic like Declan, but I couldn’t.

“I guess I should start at the beginning,” I said, rolling the amber liquid in the glass. “Whenever the hell that was. I don’t know when this all started, but it was many generations ago. Back in the day, there weren’t many options for known monsters. It was either hide and hope the mob didn’t find you, become so powerful they can’t hurt you, or hide under the wings of someone who was.”

“What about The Wall?” she asked. “Didn’t it hide you guys from regular humans?”

“The Wall hid what we were, but some people knew anyway. And once enough people saw through the veil, there was no coming back. At least not with my family. A dragon masquerading as a merchant made a deal with my forefather. He’d protect and care for his mate and offspring if my many-times great-grandfather guarded his hoard.”

Her eyes grew wide. “A dragon!”

“Yes. And my family has been guarding his hoard ever since. The firstborn son of the last guardian must take his place.” I couldn’tstop my anger and irritation at the situation from oozing out and coloring my words.

“And you don’t want to continue this tradition,” she said perceptively.

“No. I do not. I have my own life to live, and I do not want to give it up so I can lose my mind roaming a maze for the rest of my existence, guarding something I don’t give a fuck about.”

“Did you just say a maze? Like the labyrinth at Knossos?”

“Yeah, the dragon has a sense of humor. He built a replica of the labyrinth over the entrance of his treasure hoard.”

“So you ran off to avoid being stuck in this labyrinth.”

“Yes. It’s a goddamn prison sentence for the crime of being born me. That’s why I left the old world and came here. Darlington is under the protection of another dragon, and I hoped that would be enough of a deterrent. Plus, there are plenty of other monsters here. Even other minotaurs. And since a lot of monsters show up here with no IDs, I was able to craft a new identity and start fresh. I hid in plain sight for years.”

“And I’m guessing you can’t just say no to a dragon.”

“No. The only way I figured I could get out of this was to find a loophole in the contract. The problem is I didn’t sign the original contract. I’ve never even read it. I’m not sure it really exists. So, I ran.

“Once we’re in the maze, we aren’t allowed out until we’re too old to serve. But by that time, we’re all fucked in the head after years of isolation. My granddad set a village on fire, then threw himself off a cliff when he came out and realized the woman who had my dad with him was now happily married. She was horrified that the monster went looking for her. To my grandmother, having and raising my dad was just a well-paying gig. Nothing more.”

“Shit. That sucks. I’m sorry.” But Gigi was smart and put two and two together. “Your mother is the same way?”

I chugged the rest of my liquor. Realizing that Maman only thought of me as a paycheck had been hard, but I’d had years to come to terms with it. But admitting it to this gorgeous, talented witch was more embarrassing than I could have imagined.

“Maman was contracted, just like my grandma and all the women before her. She was paid to go into the maze, conceive a male child, and then raise him. She was paid well too. We never wanted for anything growing up.”

“Let me guess, now that you’ve run off, it’s her job to drag you back so she can continue living a cushy life.”

“Bingo. My grandfather was considered a lucky one. Most of my forefathers never left the maze at all; they died protecting it. The fact that Elise is showing up now after all these years? I can only guess that my father is dead and they need me to replace him.”

I watched her face closely as she processed the information, looking for signs of what she might be thinking. I hated that she already knew this about me. I didn’t want her to pity me.

“I don’t know how to react. That fucking sucks. But I’m happy you got out, and I’m glad I helped you. Do you think she’d keep checking this place? Just to make sure?”

“She would.”

She nodded. “Then I’ll have to craft you a glamor spell you can use whenever you need.”

“The gym doesn’t open for two more weeks, so technically I don’t need to see anyone yet. When it opens, Declan and the receptionist can do most of the front-facing work anyway. I technically don’t need to be a presence there all the time.”

“Maybe by the time your gym opens she’ll have seen enough to give up.”

I wasn’t so sure. “Thank you for helping me. How can I repay you?”

Her eyes dragged over my body, lingering on my biceps, and the smoldering look on her face had me thinking of the many hours I’d had her in my bed.

“Oh,” she said, her lips curling up in a devious smile, “I have some ideas. Come by at closing time. The coffee shop closes at 6 p.m. on weekdays. ”

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