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Then dipped his head to wrap my lips in his. He was heat and flame and desire, and my traitorous mouth craved more. I needed to feel him, to taste him, to be closer to him than I’d ever been to anyone.

The heartbeat on his arm wentwild.

He tasted like a forest. I couldn’t move away. Instead, I pressed the kiss deeper, inching closer until my body was against his and I could feel the heartbeat in his chest just as I heard it beat on my arm.

It greatly satisfied me when his heart sped up too.

Leif’s hand cradled my face, his thumb brushing over my cheek in a way that made my chest ache. The kiss was ravenous, all-consuming, and filled all the spaces inside me that had felt hollow for so long. I wasn’t thirsty anymore. Wasn’t hungry. I could live forever on his kiss alone.

I reached out, my fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt as if to anchor myself, to prove to myself that this was real. His hands moved to my waist to curl me against him, his lips stillsoaking me in. He knew exactly how to touch me to light my skin on fire—from my waist to the curve of my neck to my hair.

Everything inside me was coming undone, then being put back together in a way I’d never dreamed of.

I’d planned out my life thoroughly.

I never saw him coming.

“Sometimes I don’t think you’re real,” Leif spoke between kisses. His words were hot in my mouth. “You’re a fragment of imagination sent by the Stone Gods to torment me.”

“I think we can agree you’ve been far more of a bother than I have been.” I ran my hands through his dark hair, then down the strong line of his back.

He groaned into my mouth. “Not possible. You’ve completely ruined me.”

For a beautiful moment, I forgot about our goal of reaching the center of the labyrinth. Let us stay in this cottage exploring each other—it was far more fun.

Leif took my lip between his teeth and gently tugged before breaking the kiss. My lungs took a minute to remember how to breathe. Our tattoos beat wildly, the sound betraying us both.

I savored the way his breath felt as he leaned his forehead against mine.

“That was… unexpected,” I said when I found my words.

“Was it? I doubt even the Stone Gods for all their meddling could have stopped this from happening.” Leif’s fingers came back to my cheek to trace the line of my jaw slowly, like he was mapping the lines of me to memorize. “Every path, Ren. It all leads to you.”

Leif’s hands dropped. He stood and straightened his shirt before crossing to a table where he picked up two cups. He handed one to me. I didn’t ask where he got the water from. Right now, I just needed something to cool the warmth in my cheeks.

Leif watched me drink. It took a moment to register that he wasn’t drinking too.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “But I came here to win, and you’re making that difficult.”

FORTY-NINE

I heard my heartbeat soar while his slowed down at a wicked pace. I eyed the water. “What was in it?” Delilah’s necklace heated up, but it was too late. I’d drunk the water. Neither of us could stop whatever happened now.

“It won’t kill you,” Leif said, his voice calm as he set his cup down with an audible clink. “But soon, you’ll be paralyzed for three days. Fitting, after you turned me to stone.”

I stared at him, the betrayal cutting deeper than any blade ever could. My throat felt tight, my stomach twisting into knots as his words sank in. “No,” I said, my voiceshaking despite myself. “Not fitting. I turned you to stone for a few hours. Someone is sure to kill me within three days.”

Leif didn’t waver. He simply turned and began moving about the cottage, gathering his pack and weapons with the methodical ease of someone who’d already made up his mind. “I suggest you stay in the cottage for your safety,” he said, not looking at me.

The sheer audacity of his indifference made my blood boil. My hand twitched toward the hilt of the dagger at my side. I thought about burying it in his back, imagining how it would feel to finally give him a taste of the pain he was leaving me to face. But the thought didn’t last long. We both knew I couldn’t do it.

Apparently, the same was true for him, because he said, “I can’t kill you, Ren. I’ve tried.” He moved to the door, his hand resting lightly on the frame as he glanced back at me. His expression was unreadable, a mask of something cold and detached that didn’t quite match the heat in his eyes. “But I can’t let you win, either. My father will kill me if I return home with nothing to show for it, and if I must pick between me or you, I pick me.”

My cheeks burned, not from anger but from something sharper, more bitter. “Selfish bastard.” My mind raced, searching desperately for something—anything—that might save me.

Leif’s smile twitched, but it lacked any real humor. “Bastard, yes,” he said, his tone maddeningly composed. “But selfish? We all knew what we came into this labyrinth for. I’m not selfish for playing the game better than you.”

The casualness of his words was like a slap in the face. I wanted to scream, to lash out, to wipe that infuriating calm offhis face. But I was too distracted by what was happening inside my body. The potion was already working, its effects creeping through my body like ice spreading beneath my skin. My fingers tingled and my knees felt weak.