Page 4 of The Minotaur’s Maze (Bathhouse Beasts #3)

I froze, my naked body suddenly feeling exposed in a way it hadn't in the bathhouse. This was different. More intimate somehow, as if the maze itself was looking at me.

"Who's there?" I called out, my voice echoing strangely in the impossible space.

"Come to me, Julian," the voice rumbled, somehow both distant and right against my ear. "I've been waiting for you."

I should have been terrified. I should have turned and run back to the locker room, grabbed my clothes, and never returned to this place. But something in that voice, deep, commanding, yet oddly gentle, pulled at something irresistible inside me.

"Who are you?" I asked, taking a hesitant step toward the hedge opening.

"Someone who sees you," came the reply, warm and rich like honey. "Not the manager. Not the problem-solver. Just you, Julian. The man beneath all those masks you wear."

A shiver ran down my spine that had nothing to do with being naked. How could this voice know about the weight I carried? The roles I played?

"Come find me," it continued, a hint of playfulness entering its tone. "Let the maze guide you. Let go of control for once."

I stepped through the arched opening, my bare feet sinking into soft, cool grass. The hedge walls towered over me, creating a narrow path that curved gently to the right. The air was different here, fresher, alive with scents I couldn't identify. Somewhere in the distance, I heard water trickling.

"That's it," the voice encouraged. "You've been carrying so much for so long, haven't you? All those impossible demands. All those people depending on you."

I swallowed hard, continuing forward. "How do you know that?"

"I know the weight of responsibility," it answered, a note of ancient wisdom in its tone. "I know what it is to bear burdens that were never meant to be yours alone."

The path forked, and I hesitated, looking both ways.

"Left or right?" I asked.

A low chuckle vibrated through the air. "Does it matter? The maze knows where to take you. Trust it. Trust me."

I chose left, drawn by a faint glow that seemed to pulse with the cadence of the voice. As I walked, I became aware of a strange sensation, with each step, the tension in my shoulders loosened a fraction more. The migraine that had been threatening at the edges of my consciousness began to recede.

"You're such a good boy," the voice praised, and I felt a flush of pleasure at the words. "Let go of your thoughts. Just feel."

The path curved again, leading me deeper into the labyrinth. I should have been keeping track of my turns, marking my way somehow, but I found myself not caring. Getting lost suddenly seemed like the most natural thing in the world.

"What is this place?" I asked, trailing my fingers along the hedge wall. It was surprisingly soft to the touch, almost like velvet rather than leaves.

"The Maze exists between worlds," the voice replied, now seeming to emanate from somewhere ahead. "It manifests for those who truly need it. And you, Julian, need it desperately."

I couldn't argue with that. The corporate hellscape I'd left behind felt increasingly distant with each step I took, like a bad dream fading in the morning light.

The path widened into a small clearing where moonlight streamed down from an impossible sky.

I looked up, seeing stars I didn't recognize arranged in patterns that made my vision swim.

At the center of the clearing stood a stone fountain, water bubbling up from its center and cascading down into a crystal-clear pool.

"Drink," the voice commanded gently. "The water will help you let go."

I approached the fountain cautiously. "Is it safe?"

The voice chuckled, a sound like distant thunder that somehow felt intimate. "I would never harm you, Julian. I want only to free you from the chains you've wrapped around yourself."

I knelt beside the pool, cupping my hands and bringing the cool water to my lips.

It tasted unlike anything I'd ever experienced, sweet and mineral-rich, the complete opposite of city water.

As it slid down my throat, warmth bloomed in my chest, spreading outward until my entire body tingled pleasantly.

"Good boy," the voice purred, and I felt myself responding to the praise, my cock stirring between my legs. "Continue deeper. I'm waiting."

The path beyond the clearing narrowed again, the hedge walls growing taller until they blotted out the strange darkness above. The only light now came from luminescent flowers that bloomed along the ground, casting everything in a soft green glow.

"Your CEO doesn't appreciate you," the voice said suddenly, startling me. "He demands the impossible while lounging in paradise."

"How do you know about that?" I asked, my pace faltering.

"I see everything that weighs on you, Julian. Every burden, every fear, every moment when you've swallowed your words to keep the peace."

I continued walking, the path now sloping gently downward. "It's my job to make it work. People depend on me."

"And who do you depend on?" the voice asked, its tone softening. "Who eases your burdens? Who sees your struggle?"

The question hit me like a physical blow. I had no answer. There was no one.

"That's what I thought," the voice said, not unkindly. "You've been alone for so long you've forgotten what it means to surrender control, to let someone else carry the weight for a while. To give yourself completely over to pleasure.”

The path opened into another clearing, larger than the first. In its center stood a massive stone altar, ancient and weathered, its surface smooth from countless years of use.

On the far edge was seated a statue, looking in the opposite direction.

All I could make out were the broad muscular shoulders, a pair of tall horns, and a thin tail wrapping around the most muscular ass I’d ever seen.

“Do you wish to give in?” the voice asked, deeper and closer now than ever before. “To let go of your responsibility at last and just be yourself?”

“I… I don’t know how,” I replied, my voice shaking. “That seems impossible.”

“If it is what you want, I will make it happen,” the voice said. “All you have to do is let go, be honest, and to obey me without question.”

My heart hammered in my chest. “Are… Are you going to hurt me?”

“The first rule of the bathhouse is to always have consent,” it replied. “Should you wish to stop, you need only say the word.”

I stared at the statue, my pulse racing.

The voice was right, I had been carrying impossible weight for so long I'd forgotten what it felt like to let someone else take control.

The thought of surrendering, of not having to make decisions or solve problems or manage everyone else's needs, was intoxicating.

"I want to let go," I whispered, surprised by my own honesty. "I'm so tired of being responsible for everything."

"Good boy," the voice rumbled with approval, and I felt that same flush of pleasure spread through me, my cock twitching in response. "Then kneel before the altar."

My legs moved without conscious thought, carrying me across the soft grass until I stood before the ancient stone. I sank to my knees on the cool earth, my hands resting on my thighs as I gazed up at the statue's broad back.

"Tell me what you need, Julian," the voice commanded gently. "Not what your job needs. Not what other people need. What do you need?"

The question cracked something open inside my chest. When was the last time anyone had asked me that? When was the last time I'd even asked myself?

"I need..." I started, then stopped, the words catching in my throat. "I need someone to take care of me for once. I need to not think. I need to just... feel good."

"Such a perfect answer," the voice purred, and I felt warmth bloom in my chest at the praise. "You've been so strong for so long, carrying burdens that were never yours to bear alone. Tonight, I will carry them for you."

The statue began to move, muscles rippling beneath bronze skin as it turned.

My breath caught as I saw him fully for the first time, a minotaur, massive and magnificent, with a human torso that spoke of incredible strength and the head of a bull crowned with curved horns.

His eyes glowed amber, the color of whiskey caught in the sunlight.

My gaze drifted downward to his groin, the sight of his massive cock and balls making me gasp.

He was beautiful, in the way that ancient and primal things are beautiful.

Not polished or perfect, but raw and powerful.

His massive chest was covered in a layer of dark fur that tapered down to his navel, then thickened again around his cock.

That cock, easily twice the size of any human I'd ever seen, hung heavy between his thighs, half-hard and already making my mouth water.

"Stand," he commanded, his voice the same one that had called to me through the maze.

I rose to my feet, suddenly aware of my nakedness in a way I hadn't been before. Next to his massive form, I felt small and vulnerable, yet strangely unafraid.

"Look at me, Julian," he said, stepping closer.

I raised my eyes to meet his, those amber orbs seeming to glow from within. The heat radiating from his body was like standing near a furnace.

"My name is Lakovos," he said, reaching out to trace a finger along my jaw. His touch was surprisingly gentle for such a massive creature. "And tonight, you are mine."

A shiver ran through me at his words. "Yes, sir" I whispered, not even fully understanding what I was agreeing to, only knowing that I wanted it desperately.

"Good boy," he rumbled, and I felt that same flush of pleasure at his praise. "I'm going to take care of you now. You don't need to think. You don't need to decide. You only need to feel."

He circled me slowly, his hooves making soft sounds against the earth. I could feel his gaze on me, appraising, appreciating. When he stood behind me, I felt his hot breath on my neck, sending goosebumps across my skin.