Page 200 of Monsters in Love

There was a disturbance in my lair. A shudder, a rumble. Something had entered where it was not welcome.

Anything within the walls of this labyrinth was mine for the claiming, and whoever – whatever – had stepped inside had forfeited their life.

I glanced around my living space, full of old lushness from times long gone. Furniture carved from ancient wood, the weapons of a ferocious past hanging on the wall, still sharp and gleaming; I kept them ready, even though it had been a long time since anything unwelcome had invaded my halls. Longer still since my people and other races had used this place to do battle, to claim a title of honor.

As much as I did not want to live in the world above, the new world. I refused to live in the ridiculous conditions that some of those around here did. The Nest was a haven for all of us – those who wanted to live in relative safety but who might want to fight or fuck or feast without fear of human authorities catching wind. They posed no real threat to us, but it wasn’t worth the time and energy to deal with. Our glory days were gone, but we refused to pass into history in the way the humans wanted us to.

Another shudder and the threads of my protections tingled, alerting me to more movement.

My gaze went to the rack of weapons, lingering on the sweeping sword blades, the axe, the daggers. No, tonight I would wield my morning star; it had been too long. We would hunt, and we would claim the spoils of our conquest.

Tamara

Everything hurt.

No, notquiteeverything.

I shuffled my body closer to the nearest wall, propping myself against it so that I could survey the damage. My pants were shredded along one leg. My ankle throbbed so badly I wasn’t sure I’d be able to put weight on it, and while my wrist ached, I was pretty sure it wasn’t broken. The headlamp had lit up when it hit the floor, and now it flickered on and off, casting rings of light against stone and dirt. It looked like I was in some kind of stone corridor, but that made no sense.

Why would there be a corridor here?

I tried to crawl onto my knees, but a sharp pain ripped through my ankle. I needed to wrap it if I was going to move from this spot – and I definitely needed to move. Trickles of water dripped down the wall I leaned against, and a sliver of moon pierced the crack in the earth that I had slid through. It didn’t illuminate much, and I could only hope that whatever had been chasing me through the woods wouldn’t enter.

Right now, I couldn’t worry about that. My ankle was the more pressing matter.

I ripped fabric from my torn pants and bound my ankle as best I could. I didn’t want to remove the shoe for fear I wouldn’t be able to get it back on, but the binding worked well enough, and I was able to drag myself to the headlamp and smack it a few times. The beam of light didn’t steady though; it flared and then died.

“Shit,” I muttered. Just what I needed. I reached into my pack for my torch and then flicked it on; it would double as lighting and a weapon in case there were rats or bats. Or spiderwebs. Casting my light around the corridor, I could see that I was right. This place was a mess. The hall extended beyond the light of my torch, and the floor was dotted with broken stone and dirt, branches that had slipped through the crack as well.

Yet none of those things were going to help me get out of here. The gap I’d come through was too high up, and I knew my ankle wouldn’t support that kind of climb. But what other option did I have?

I gripped the wall and inhaled, steeling myself. I got my good leg under me and then pushed myself up, tentatively placing weight on the twisted one. An initial spike of pain shot through me, and I hissed, closing my eyes and gritting my teeth.

Nope. I wouldn’t be able to climb.

I was such a fucking idiot. I knew the guidelines for hiking; I was always out in the woods or on a trail. Yet here I was, twisted ankle, shredded clothing, in the crushing darkness of some abandoned place, and no one had a clue where I was.Good one, Tamara. Real good.

The throbbing in my ankle had subsided to a bearable amount, and I tested it out, walking a few steps, taking my time, working out which positions were the worst. Slowly, the ache eased enough that I could put a decent amount of weight on it. I wasn’t going anywhere in a hurry, but at least I could try to find my way out of this place. Whatever it was.

That question rolled around in my brain because whatwasthis place?

I trailed my free hand along the wall, feeling the stone, the crumbling mortar. Nothing in The Nest’s brochure, or even the website, mentioned an older structure. And this was definitely old. Abandoned. Would anyone even think to look for me here?

I closed my eyes. I inhaled and exhaled, trying to still the panic welling in my gut, the anxious voice in my head. I was okay. I could do this. I could find a way out and get back to The Nest. Someone would notice I was missing in the morning, and it would be fine. Totally fine. I had spent nights in the woods with only a few more resources than this, and I’d eaten a little at dinner. I had water and some food.

I’m going to be okay.

Which was when a howl split the air above me, and I froze, my body unable to decide whether to curl up in a ball or try to run. The howl came again – or was it a howl from a second wolf? – and that got me moving. I flicked my gaze between each end of the corridor, then went left, hoping that I wasn’t heading for a dead end. Who knew what parts of this freaking labyrinth were clear enough to move through?

Adrenaline flooded my body, and I shoved down the pain in my ankle, ignoring it in favor of not getting eaten. The way my torch light bounced off the walls made me feel a little sick, but I couldn't stop moving. I just had to keep going, leaning against one wall to give myself the extra support.

The sound faded, or the wolves stopped calling. Either way, I slowed down, needing to catch my breath. The throb in my ankle was worse now, and I scanned the ground for a good place to sit. I’d turned a few corners, and I had no more idea where I was now than before, but at least there were no gaps in the ceiling here, no way something could slip down and grab me.

I sank to the ground in a mostly rubble free spot. The wall opposite me looked like it was on a slant, but I didn’t think it was going to fall over and crush me – or maybe it would, knowing my luck right now. Maybe that would be a mercy. I was going to be the laughingstock of the office after this. I just knew it.

I unzipped my pack and reached inside, groping for the water bottle and taking a small sip. It wasn’t a lot, so I was going to have to make it last unless I could find another water source. And who knew? There might well be. The halls in this place seemed to extend and twist and turn like a goddamn labyrinth.

A labyrinth?

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