Page 11 of Minding the Minotaur

I swallow hard. “The minotaur I met, he—he seemed nice. Really—sweet,” I finish lamely.

Clem snorts. “Yeah, until he tears you limb from limb. Or worse.” She gives a little shudder.

But I don’t feel fear. Not remotely. What I feel is a tingle of excitement running down my spine, a telltale throb between my legs. “I’ll risk it.”

Clem throws her fork down into her bowl. “Over my dead body.”

“I have to earn money, Clem. I have zero savings. Soon I won’t even be able to pay the rent on this shithole.”

My bestie reaches across the table and squeezes my arm. “I’ll help you with money, babe. And you’ll find another job soon.”

“You reckon? Now I’ve been blacklisted by DeVines, who the hell is going to take me on? I’ll be labelled as that awful person who got Ronald DeVine’s niece locked up. No business will even consider me.”

Clem bites her lip, and her eyes cloud suddenly with uncertainty. And that, for ever-confident Clem, is saying something.

“Besides, something has to change soon, or I’ll go crazy.” I wave a hand at my cramped kitchenette. “Look at my life. It’s pitiful. Hanging out for a promotion sometime in the next twenty years, hoping to meet a guy who won’t cheat on me. If that’s all I’ve got to aspire to, then why not take a chance?”

“You’ll meet someone better than Jake.”

I snort. “Yeah, like Aiden. Shall I add more names to the roll call of fuckwits?”

Clem’s lips quirk. “Point taken.”

Truth is, Clem and I have a pact. No more casual dating, no more guys who use us, then move on. We’re waiting to meet someone who’s loving and decent, someone we could settle down with, maybe even try for a kid with—if we’re one of the lucky couples.

I set my jaw. “I’d be happy to work as a peripheral.” I remember the minotaur’s beautiful brown eyes, his big, buff,sexy body, his kind words. “I’ll even take my chances in the Labyrinth.”

Clem’s eyes search my face, and then her frown dissipates, and a new expression dawns in its place. I know she’s always loved me, but this is different.

This is admiration. Respect. “You really mean that, don’t you?”

“You bet I do.”

Clem exhales. “Wow, who isthisSamantha Buggins?”

I tilt my chin, flick my golden hair over my shoulders. “The new kick-ass one.”

“Go girl,” she breathes.

I meet her gaze with a shining challenge in my eyes. I’ve never felt so sure about anything in my life. “Help me do this, Clem.”

She nods, her mouth forming a slow grin. “I still think you’re batshit crazy. But okay. Let’s go talk to Jax.”

CHAPTER 4

ARLO

Once my body stops shaking from the impact, I slide the cape off my head—only to see a wide green face inches from mine, eyebrows arrowing, red eyes ablaze.

Shit. It’s Otis.

I must have somehow landed in the sheriff’s office. What were the fucking odds of that?

I press my back against the wall as Otis plucks the cape off my shoulders and bunches it up in a huge fist. “How in hell’s demons did you get hold of this?” he growls.

I try to stand up so I’m at less of a disadvantage. We’re about the same height and girth. Not that he’s likely to punch me… At least, I don’t think he would… Still, best to be ready.

But the effect of being zapped through the portal at three times the speed of light has done weird things to my bones. For some reason, it’s always worse coming back down. Gravity maybe.