Page 38 of Game of Hell
Ronan will be the death of me, because right now I’m scared out of my mind but can’t help to clench my legs tighter at his words.
Something rattles the hedges beside me and I flinch, bumping into him. The leaves begin shaking violently and I push back into him. He grabs my arm and pulls me to stand in front of him, his eyes bright with sadistic humor.
“Pathetic.” He mumbles and pulls me with him down the path.
“You saw that and you’re not scared?! It was like something was clawing its way out. Branches don’t move on their own.” I shriek and yank out of his grip. He lets me but doesn’t stop walking.
“No, they don’t, they move when the wind blows. If something really wanted you, you wouldn’t have time to scream.”
I continue behind him like a lost fucking dog. He’s right. I’m too scared and it’s making me lose my sight, making me act like an idiot.
He stops when we reach another split. “Pick.”
“I don’t know. Why do you keep asking me that? Just lead the way, I know you know the way out.”
He leans down until his lips brush across my ear, his breath hot against my cold cheeks.
“That’s the point. You need to learn how to survive. The maze is winning.” My cheeks flush as he pulls back and the absence of his heat is a reminder of the chill out here.
He turns right again. I keep my eyes ahead, even though it feels like something breathes down my neck. A tense silence fills the air as we continue and the crunch of leaves within the hedges scream at me to run.
We finally reach the middle of the desolate maze. My legs buckle underneath me as I plop down on a bench. Ronan sits down beside me, his eyes tracking across the many old statues situated around us.
The center stretches wide and four paths connect to it, one of them leading out to our freedom. Old statues and benches cover the area, along with a fountain that isn’t on. There’s three different fires going inside of tin barrels. The heat wafts around the large area but isn't enough to warm me completely. I pull my knees to my chest, trying to warm my body the best I can.
“This feels like more than a game.” I mutter through frosted lips.
He shrugs beside me. “Sounds like you're finally catching on.”
If I had known this place broke down so many emotions I wouldn’t have come. Right now I feel like I’m in a state of hysteria walking through this damned maze. Every little sound is scaring the shit out of me and my body is frozen. I curl my fingers to regain some feeling in them and turn to Ronan.
His lips are still plump and red with color, but his skin is much lighter than it looked in the dark room. His hair is over his eyes as he leans back against the bench, resting his legs. Knowing he wanted to watch me and took enough interest in me, he followed me across the world back home, makes warmth seep into me. It’s demented but it's also hauntingly romantic.
“What drew you into me? Like what made you set up this entire room, just for me?” I whisper.
The smell of cedar surrounds us and my limbs begin to feel warm enough to bend. I stand up and walk over to one of the pits and hold my hands over the roaring hearth. My fingers tingle to life and my cheeks flush with color.
“I’m not really sure.” He mumbles and stands from his spot, joining me at the fire. His hands flex in front of me, veins running along his pale wrists and down his fingers. I have no idea why that’s hot, but it is.
He snakes an arm around my waist and pulls me closer to him—my side flush to his. “I think it was just how broken you were. It called to me like a lullaby and I knew then that I wanted you as mine.”
“Do you love me?” I whisper, afraid of the answer.
“Love has such a simple definition, one that most people feel they achieve in a relationship. They think they've conquered it until it all falls apart.” He pauses and his tongue comes out to lick his bottom lip—his hand lowering between my thighs. “Loveisn’t about two people finding, worshipping, and providing for one another. It’s about one person owning the other, taking all you’ve ever loved and twisting it to fit their needs until you forget who you were without them.” His free hand snakes around my neck, almost like a threat waiting to be spilt.
“And you Ember, my little devil, have been ruined for me only.”
I let his words seep into me, consuming me whole until I can no longer breathe. I listen to the silent screams in the back of my head telling me this is so fucking wrong. That I’ve been fucking someone I don’t know—someone I barely understand. That my dignity is forever lost in that room, if dignity would be the word for it because I’ve lost myself in him. All that whispers in the crevice of my mind is him.
“So you wanted me because I’m broken? How romantic.” I mumble.
“I never said I was romantic.” His finger pushes into my clit and the cold leather causes my core to tighten. My bud throbs with the pressure and my legs spread.
“Show me how unromantic you are.” I whisper.
He laughs and it's so maniacal I look over at him with fear. Dread seeps into my prickled skin as he pushes me over the old fountain. My hands curl around the base of it as he pulls my leathers down my legs and the cold wind flutters against my soaked folds.
“I’ll show you how fucking badly I want you. How excruciating it was waiting in the shadows for a small taste.” His voice is an animalistic growl as the hunger seeps through him. “Spread your legs, baby. Let me see that pretty pussy of mine.”
