Page 38 of Unholy Vows

Layla

M y phone buzzed in my bag, and I plucked it out, expecting a message from Margot or even Jess.

Instead, Malachai’s name flashed on my screen.

Unholy Father: Into the maze, Curious Mouse. You have five minutes. Then I’m coming for you.

A bolt of excitement shot through me, hot and electric. My pulse leapt, and a wide grin spread across my face.

My thumb hovered over the screen for a second before I tucked my phone back into my bag.

“You look like the cat who got the cream,” Tanya smirked. “What’s got you so excited?”

I could feel the heat spreading over my cheeks as I fumbled for an excuse.

“Ah, I think I’m going to go check out the corn maze,” I said, thrusting my thumb over my shoulder.

“Mmmhmm. And would a certain tall, dark, and sinfully sexy specimen be joining you in this sudden desire for exploration?” Tanya asked, craning a brow.

“Maybe. He has a… surprise for me.”

“Go get him, girl,” Tanya laughed.

“I’ll be back soon.”

“Not too soon, I hope.”

She waggled her brows suggestively, and I chuckled at her antics as I made my way to the exit.

The closer I got to the door, the tighter my excitement coiled inside my belly. I didn’t stop to question it. Didn’t pause to consider how insane it was to feel thrilled by the idea of being hunted.

I just ran.

The entrance to the maze loomed ahead of me, rows of towering stalks rustling in the breeze. The night air wrapped around me as I slipped into the darkness, and laughter bubbled up my throat as my heels sank softly into the ground.

I definitely wasn’t dressed for the occasion.

The maze swallowed me whole, but I didn’t look back.

I only had five minutes, and I intended to make him work for it.

The further I ventured into the labyrinth, the more the stalks of corn blurred together on either side of me.

Adrenaline coursed through my veins, making my breath come fast and sharp as I navigated each twist and turn. My head start had surely expired, which meant Malachai was already here.

Hunting me.

The gentle hum of the party had long since faded behind me, swallowed by the dense walls of corn. There were no more clinking glasses or the sound of distant music. Only the soft crunch of dirt and the faint rustle of leaves remained.

The deeper I went into the maze, the quieter it became.

I could feel the unmistakable sensation of eyes watching me, and I glanced over my shoulder, half expecting Malachai to emerge from the shadows with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

But the path was empty.

A new feeling washed over me then, coating my skin and causing goosebumps to rise on my flesh.

Unease.

Suddenly, the idea of being hunted through the maze lost its appeal, leaving me vulnerable and exposed. A prickle of apprehension hit me as I grabbed my phone, only to find I had no service.

“Great.”

I turned left, then right. Another left, then right again.

The towering stalks were all the same.

No markers guided the way, and the faint moonlight barely lit the path.

A small, irrational bubble of panic swelled in my chest. I could hear my heartbeat thundering in my ears, loud and erratic, drowning out the rustle of the corn and the crunch of my footsteps.

The air seemed to thicken. It was too still, too quiet, as if the maze was holding its breath.

Something wasn’t right.

The snap of a branch reached me, holding my looming panic attack at bay.

“Malachai?”

My voice shook, the maze swallowing the word as if it had never existed.

Another branch snapped.

“Malachai,” I repeated, but only silence greeted me.

This was only a game, I reminded myself. But that did little to calm my anxiety, which had the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. Every instinct in my body was screaming at me to run.

Malachai’s message had been teasing, playful even. Now, though, every twist and turn felt like I was being led deeper into a trap.

I picked up my pace, running through the labyrinth that betrayed me at every turn, sending me further into its depths. A gentle breeze brushed my legs, stirring the debris lying on the ground, and I shivered.

When I rounded the next corner, I slammed into a solid wall. The force of the impact squeezed the oxygen from my lungs, and I staggered back, clutching my chest as I tried to suck in a harsh breath.

As I slowly raised my eyes, I realized it wasn’t a wall at all. It was a man. Tall, well-built. One I recognized immediately.

Reece darted forward, catching me by my elbow as he steadied me.

“Are you okay, Layla?”

I inhaled sharply, letting the fresh air expand my lungs as I shook off the impact.

“Fine,” I panted. “I wasn’t expecting to run into anyone.”

“Neither was I.” He gave me a sheepish grin. “I, ah, may have gotten a little turned about.”

A slow blush crept across his cheeks as he gripped the back of his neck.

“It’s rather embarrassing.”

I waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. I’m as lost as you.”

Reece studied me for a moment, taking in my dress that was sitting slightly askew, and the unruly mess my hair had become as I ran through the maze.

“Why were you running just now? It looked like you were fleeing for your life.”

It was my turn to feel embarrassed.

“I got lost and… umm… let my imagination run a little wild.”

Reece chuckled, the sound deep and indulgent. It slid down my spine, leaving goosebumps in its wake.

“What are you doing in here?” I asked, waving my hand around in front of me. “Testing your capabilities?”

Reece’s gaze darkened, and I stiffened.

“Something like that.”

The silence that fell between us was awkward, yet charged.

“You know, I’ve wanted to get you alone all night.”

Every alarm bell blared inside my head, urging me to move, to run away, but I was stuck, frozen, and afraid.

“Oh,” I said, trying to remain calm.

I didn’t know why our exchange was so unnerving, but I wasn’t about to ignore my instincts.

“There’s something about you, Layla.”

“Me?”

Reece stepped closer. “Yes, Layla, you. The moment I found your profile on The Wild Hunt, I knew you’d be perfect.”

He smacked his lips together as though he were tasting something divine.

“The perfect playmate.”

“H-how did you know about that?”

“I know all your secrets, Little Layla.”

The pet name made my stomach roil, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

“I’d hoped to show you my domain in a manner that felt safe.”

The way Reece said the word safe made me feel anything but.

“But then you went and ruined it all.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I’d been searching for years, Layla, years.”

Reece prowled closer, cornering me as I stepped back.

“And not only on The Wild Hunt. I couldn’t have just any playmate. They needed to embody everything I craved.”

His eyes raked over my body, making me recoil.

“Reece, what the fuck is going on?”

“BeastMode458,” he said with a wicked grin.

“That was you?”

“It was. Although I set it up to make it appear as though it was my younger brother. Even threw a little tantrum for effect. He can be so dramatic when he doesn’t get what he wants,” Reece said as he rolled his eyes.

Reece’s smile was so wide, the whites of his teeth shone against the starless black night.

“All this time, Layla, I worked to make you mine.”

Reece licked his lips as he studied me, and I forced myself to remain impassive as I desperately tried to stifle my fear.

“Finding you on The Wild Hunt… it felt like our moment had finally arrived.”

His eyes narrowed to slits, and his jaw clenched as he glared at me.

“But then you fucked it all up by playing with him. ”

Him?

Was he talking about Malachai?

“I warned you. I told you to stay away from him, but you didn’t listen.”

Okay, he was officially off his rocker. At no point did I bring up Malachai to Reece.

Then realization slammed into me with the force of a freight train.

“It was you! You broke into my apartment.”

Reece’s grin grew predatory. “Did you enjoy my gift?”

“No, you fucking psycho!”

The words slipped free before I could stop myself.

His smile dropped, and in its place was a cold, emotionless expression that left me trembling.

Me and my big fucking mouth. Why didn’t you just pretend to play along, Layla? At least then you might’ve had a chance of getting out alive.

“You disappoint me, Little Layla.”

“You’re not exactly living up to my expectations right now either, Reece.”

Stop. Provoking. Him.

“I can’t help it!” I shouted back, only slightly concerned that I was now responding to the thoughts inside my head.

Reece used my distraction against me. I never even saw him move.

One moment, he stood a few feet away; the next, he lunged at me like a viper.

Ten fingers dug into the sides of my throat, iron bars snapping tight around my windpipe. The world slowed down, and colored spots marred my vision as oxygen bled from my brain.

Every muscle in my body braced for a fight, but my limbs felt detached, as if I were floating.

“You think it was easy?” he snarled, his voice shaking with something far more dangerous than anger. “To find someone who fits the bill as perfectly as you do.”

His spit flecked my cheeks, his breath hot and sour as it wrapped around me like a noxious cloud.

“You don’t get to walk away from me after everything I gave up, everything I became , just to find someone like you. I’m not letting him reap the rewards of my struggle.”

He wasn’t shaking or fevered; he was still, controlled, full of methodical violence.

“You had your chance, and you should have fucking listened.”

I clawed at his wrists, feeling his pulse skip wildly beneath my fingers.

The pressure increased, and something hot spilled into my ears as a buzzing noise sounded, drowning out his words.

White light crept into the corners of my vision.

My nails raked his skin, desperate for leverage, but he didn’t flinch. If anything, it spurred him on.

“Once I’m done with you, I’ll find that bastard and put him down too.”

I tried to remember how to fight dirty: thumb to the eye, a boot to the shin, but I couldn’t coordinate my movements through the haze.

Reece’s face, so familiar, so close, blurred into abstraction.

“No one disrespects me and gets away with it.”

My primal will to survive took over, and my body moved without conscious thought. I raised my leg and sent my knee sailing into his groin. Reece shifted to deflect the blow, but he wasn’t fast enough.

His hands dropped from my throat, and I pulled in a lungful of air. A burning pain exploded in my chest as my lungs filled with oxygen. I stumbled away from Reece’s crumpled form, coughing furiously as I shook my head to clear my vision.

Before I got far, Reece grabbed my ankle, and I went careening to the ground. I threw my hands out to soften my fall, but the moment my knees hit the hard earth, a scream of agony tore its way free from my throat.

The strap on my heel snapped, and my shoe went flying. I glanced back over my shoulder to see Reece clutching my foot as he tried to pull me toward him.

Red coated my vision, and a newfound determination coursed through my blood like a wildfire.

I’d survived too much for this bastard to be my downfall.

“I am not dying in a fucking corn maze, you asshole!” I screamed.

And then I lunged at him.