Page 72 of Mind Maze

I give him a wobbly smile as tears form. Something akin to relief floods his features. Then he jerks me to him for a tight embrace.

“Tune it all out,” he growls into my ear. “Stay alert. It’s the music.”

It’s the music?

My flesh prickles with realization. I knew something was off, but I was confused as to what it was. Now that I’m paying attention, I realize they’re playing the same song. It’s the same song since we walked in. Over and over and over. For some reason, that gives me the creeps. For good reason too, since Caius is visibly freaked out about it.

It’s so obvious now.

Carefully constructed tunes meant for something sinister.

The notes have a dark, deceptive feel to them that makes me want to stuff my ears with cotton, never to hear them again.

I want to leave.

Now.

I look past Caius to see everyone around us are slightly swaying to the music as if they’re all under some weird spell.

What is happening?

“Do you trust me?” Caius asks, resting his forehead on mine.

I nod without hesitation. Somewhere along the way, I began to trust this man who took me from my life and started dictating my every action. We fell into this realness that we are right now. It’s strange how we got here, but we’re here nonetheless.

“Attention, everyone,” Caius says, pulling away from me. He puts his fingers into his mouth and whistles loud. “Hi. Over here.”

A few people jerk their heads our way, confusion brimming in their gazes. Others remain lost in La-La Land.

“It’s not enough,” he rumbles. “Stay right here.”

He rushes through the crowd and returns a few seconds later with a spoon and wineglass.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

This has more people waking up from their haziness.

He continues to clang on the glass until some people start to get agitated. Then he hands both the spoon and glass to some random guy nearby. The man takes it, startled.

“May I have your attention?” Caius barks out, flashing the crowd a ridiculously handsome grin I have never seen. It makes my blood heat.

“There are few things in life a man like me yearns for,” he says, voice booming over the mesmerizing music. “If I want something, I buy it.” His stare bores into Bastian, who looks on with a disgusted expression. “There are some things money can’t buy, though. Some things, you have to earn.”

I’m not sure where he’s going with this whole speech, but it’s working to snap people out of their daze. I just want to get out of this place.

He shoves his hand into his inside jacket pocket and pulls out a ring box. My heart flutters in my chest.

This is an act.

I’m to play along.

It’s our escape.

But a handsome man who drives me wild and likes to save me from peril is holding a velvet black ring box. It could only mean one thing.

I watch with pure fascination as he kneels in front of me on one knee. When I was a girl, I played out this scenario with my Barbie dolls hundreds of times. It was always so romantic and Barbie always said yes.

This is a thousand times more exciting.

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