Until the World Falls Down

Chapter 6

6

H arsh wind whipped around me as I spun and stepped through the door into a flower garden—or what I assumed used to be a flower garden. The dense scent of decay filled the air. Wilted petals clung futilely to the skeletal remains of perhaps once vibrant flowers, now brown and melancholy. Vines twisted around crumbled pillars. Weeds claimed every inch of the ground, brushing against my calves. Hedges towered over me, sickly brown and wiry, stretching the length of the garden, their dead limbs stretching up high into the night sky.

Night sky?

My head tilted up toward the bright glow of the moon. It had just been morning. I’d seen daylight peeking through Enver’s curtains. How was it nighttime now? I turned back, but the door I’d come out of was gone, as well as any hint of the enigmatic man himself. I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself, regretting now that I hadn’t taken up his offer on warmer clothing.

But no sooner had the thought entered my mind than I forced it away. No . I would not take him up on anything anymore.

“I just need to find my way back to him,” I told myself, looking beyond the abandoned garden to the castle silhouetted in the distance.

It loomed across the sky, daunting and beautiful. Spires crowned towers, their steep points piercing the night, threatening to cut the clouds. My gaze followed the skyline to its midpoint, where a monumental clock tower jutted out, the moon casting beams of light across its ornate face. The second hand ticked down as I watched, reminding me my time was dwindling. It struck the hour, and the resounding, heavy toll of its bell reverberated through me.

I forced myself to look away, turning my attention to the ground, noticing my heels resting amongst the sagging crabgrass. I didn’t know how they got there and didn’t want to. I slipped into them, glad I didn’t have to go about this barefoot, then faced the hedges again, noticing an opening in the shrubbery. An entrance to the labyrinth.

I braced myself before crossing the overgrowth to the entry. I nearly tripped on the uneven dirt, my heels sinking into the soft soil. What little light the moon provided all but disappeared as I entered the hedges, immediately met by a wall of dead bramble and a sense of claustrophobia. The tall hedges blocked all sight, leaving me unsettled. I looked left, then right, only seeing muddled darkness waiting each way down the narrow path.

“I can do this,” I assured myself. “I’m good at corn mazes. This won’t be any different.”

I turned to the right, placing my hand against the thicket to keep myself grounded, and started making my way down the path. I’d approach this like a corn maze—follow along the wall and turn in the same direction whenever I came to a fork. Then I’d be able to make my way out of it easily .

Or so I told myself.

The longer I walked along the path, the more unsettled I became. Silence enveloped me, my footsteps and heartbeat the only source of noise. Errant branches stretched into the path, catching my skin and dress, making me jump at every unexpected touch. Shadows cloaked the edges of the path, and I eyed them warily, wondering if they were sentient or harmless.

At each fork I came to, I turned right, and then right again. On my tenth turn right, I saw a break in the hedges. A satisfied smile crossed my face as I hurried to the gap, slipping out of the maze.

Only to find myself in the same place I started.

I stood still for a second, trying to process it. The crumbled pillars seemed to taunt me as my gaze fell upon them, annoyingly familiar.

“How is that possible?” I asked out loud, facing the labyrinth again, my brows furrowing. “Did it just lead me in a circle?”

Maybe I’d turned left when I thought I’d turned right? I frowned, annoyed with myself, and then plunged back into the labyrinth, attempting the same strategy as before. Only to be spit out at the beginning again, and again, and again.

My frustration mounted. I shoved my way through the hedges, not caring if the branches scratched me. I picked up my pace, jogging, then nearly sprinting, following the same path I took before again and again.

“Oh, come on!” I cried out, irritated, as I appeared back in the flower garden again, the castle even further away now. As if I’d been walking in the opposite direction the entire time. And for all I knew, I had been walking in the wrong direction, judging by the fact that this time, I’d ended up in a part of the garden I hadn’t seen yet.

But it was still the garden. Not the castle.

The whole thing had to be a trick. Some messed up scheme by Enver. For all I knew, he was watching me, getting a sick satisfaction from my struggles.

I whirled around, ready to storm back into the maze, when a flicker of light in the distance caught my eye. Slowly turning back toward it, I realized the glow came from a fountain. Moonlight danced off water flowing down its indistinct form.

That was strange. The entire garden seemed forsaken, yet the fountain still held water? I began moving closer to it, my footsteps crunching against the dried leaves and weeds. The babbling sound of water splashing gently into the basin filled the air, breaking the otherwise eerie silence of the place.

As I drew nearer to it, its shape became more distinguishable. I halted involuntarily, a disquieting feeling coming over me. Like I was somewhere I shouldn’t be, seeing something I shouldn’t see.

Carved out of statuary white marble stood one of the most beautiful women I’d ever seen. Bathed by the lunar glow, a soft halo shone down from her delicately sculpted hair, her long and straight tresses cascading down to her waist. Every inch of her voluptuous body seemed sculpted with careful attention to detail, from her flowing gown that seemed to ruffle in the wind to her soft smile.

The water cascading down her alluring visage was crystal clear, as was the marble creating her. No sign of algae or any kind of overgrowth, unlike the rest of the neglected garden.

One of her hands was outstretched as if reaching for me, welcoming me closer, and I obeyed the silent command. I approached the basin, kicked off my heels, and climbed over the wall into the freezing cold water. The frigidness of it had me sucking in a quick breath. Up close, she looked even more lifelike. Almost alive, if not for her unnatural stillness.

I reached out to touch her cheek, wondering if it would feel warm under my palm.

“What are you doing? ”

The sharp cry of a feminine voice made me jump, whipping around to face the source of the sound, losing my footing in the process. Before I could catch my balance, a blurred movement caught my eye, and I cried out as hands gripped my shoulders, shoving me down. I plunged into the water, but I didn’t hit the bottom. My eyes flew open in shock as I sunk down, down much further than the shallowness of the basin should have allowed. I opened my mouth unconsciously, allowing water to rush in, choking me as I descended further down.

Everything turned black, and I panicked, trying to swim against the hands pushing me down. My lungs burned, screaming for air I couldn’t find, and I reached out, frantic, grasping for anything, anyone.

My fingers grazed something small and solid, and I automatically closed my fist around it. As I did so, a momentary sereneness came over me. I closed my eyes, and warmth spread from my palm up my arm, fending off the biting cold.

I felt… safe.

Then, a pair of hands grabbed my shoulders—a different pair. Smaller, warmer. I barely had time to react before they hauled me out of the water and onto the basin’s wall. I gasped, then choked on the sudden intake of air, rolling onto my side, water dribbling from my lips as I coughed.

“How in the hells were you drowning in there? It’s like two feet of water!”

I blinked, trying to clear my vision. Looking up, I saw a young woman standing over me, her hands on her hips. Her black hair dripped at the ends, dampening the front of her white off-shoulder top.

“Are you okay?” she asked, her voice lowering, concern creeping in.

“Yes,” I managed to say, pushing myself into a sitting position and looking up at the statue. Unmoved. Inanimate. Decidedly not trying to drown me .

A faint pulsing sensation came from my hand, and I glanced down, unraveling my fist to reveal a heart-shaped pendant resting against the center of my palm. Black filigree resembling wispy shadows encased a slim, fractured ruby shard. The rest of the stone missing, leaving the setting empty. A thin chain curled around it, delicate and untarnished, despite me having found it in the water.

The woman’s attention turned to it. “Oh, did you drop something?”

I immediately closed my fist around it again, feeling overwhelmingly protective of it. “It’s nothing.” I slipped it into the pocket of my dress, more grateful than ever to have found a skintight dress with pockets.

The woman cocked her head to the side but said nothing else.

“Thank you,” I said, my hand hovering over my pocket, hoping to direct her attention away from it. “For pulling me out.”

“I really don’t understand how you couldn’t yourself, but you’re welcome, all the same,” she responded, flinging her dark hair over her shoulder. “But you really shouldn’t be here.”

Ah, she’d been the one to call out to me. “Why?”

“The lordling doesn’t let anyone back here.”

I tilted my head, confused. “Lordling?”

“You know. The one who kidnapped you.”

I sat up, more alert. “Wait, are you doing his labyrinth too?”

She nodded. “Yes. How did you even end up back here?”

“I keep getting lost in the labyrinth.”

“You mean the garden maze?” she questioned, glancing back at the hedges, confused.

I frowned. “Yeah. Isn’t that his labyrinth?”

She laughed, loud and razor-edged, tinged with bitterness. “Gods, no. You haven’t even started it yet.”

A sour taste formed in the back of my mouth. “What? ”

“The labyrinth is in his castle. Is his castle,” she told me, folding her arms over her chest and pursing her lips. “The maze is just, I don’t know. A test? Something to persuade people to give up before they even start the labyrinth? Although I’m not sure why he would want that. He benefits from someone succeeding as much as we do.”

I rose to my feet, my mind reeling. “Wait, what? How does he benefit if we succeed?”

She let her arms fall against her sides again as she sighed. “I see he’s still as cryptic as ever with his new participants. I’ll tell you what I know, but we should leave this place for now.”

“Okay,” I agreed, starting to shiver. My dress and hair were completely soaked through.

“I’m Isla, by the way.”

“I’m Nell,” I responded, putting my heels back on, wincing at how sore my feet were from walking through the maze.

Isla’s gaze swept over me, eyes softening as she took in my disheveled state. “When you enter the castle, you should find something dry to wear.”

“If I make it into the castle,” I muttered, walking alongside her as we made our way back to the maze.

“I can get you there,” she told me as we entered the hedges again.

I glanced at her, cautious. “You can? Is that allowed?”

“The lordling has never said we can’t help each other, so I take that as a yes.”

“By lordling do you mean Enver?”

“Enver?” she repeated, glancing at me.

“That’s what he said his name was.”

Isla’s brows furrowed. “He introduced himself to you by that name?”

I flushed because he’d done way, way more than that. “Yeah. ”

Isla remained quiet for a moment before shaking her head. “Well, I wouldn’t call him by his name, even if he told you that. He doesn’t let anyone call him by his name.”

“He doesn’t?”

“The last time someone did, he ensured they wouldn’t ever speak again.”

I didn’t want to know what he did to ensure that. A shudder went through me. “How long have you been here, Isla?”

“A while. I don’t really keep track of the time anymore,” she responded, trekking down the path with purpose.

“So, it’s true no one else has time limits,” I muttered, doing my best to keep up with her.

She stopped now, turning to face me, her mouth falling open in surprise. “Wait, you have a time limit?”

“Yes. Forty-eight hours. And I think I’ve already wasted four getting lost in this stupid maze.”

“What in the world did you do to him to make him do that?”

“Nothing!” I said immediately, but the image of me on my knees before him, taking him into my mouth, flitted into my mind. I shoved it away. “I mean. I might have insulted him.”

Isla started moving again, her mouth twisted into a frown. “I didn’t think he could feel offended.”

“He does seem… composed.”

“No, I mean, he shouldn’t be able to feel offended,” she said, and then abruptly stepped into the dead bramble. “This way.”

I watched in shock as she disappeared through it with no resistance. No branches tore at her clothing or skin. “What the hell?”

“Illusions,” she called from the other side. “Did you expect anything less?”

I stepped up to it cautiously, putting my hand out first, and drew in a breath as my hand went right through. My body followed as I moved forward, not feeling the slightest scratch of the dead hedge. “No wonder I couldn’t find my way through,” I said dryly.

She gave me a half-smile before starting off at a brisk pace again. “You need to rely on more than just what your eyes can see. The lordling can manipulate more than just me and you.”

“What did you mean Enver shouldn’t be able to feel offended?” I asked, curious.

“The way you call him by name so easily is unsettling,” she said, giving a dramatic shudder. “But to answer that—he doesn’t have emotions.”

My body froze and my feet suddenly felt heavy. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean exactly that. A long time ago, his emotions were taken from him. And that’s why I said when someone succeeds, it benefits him. Every time someone completes their labyrinth, he gets an emotion back.”

“But that’s…” I trailed off, my chest feeling tight.

That couldn’t be right. Enver had promised me love— vowed he’d love me if I stayed with him. He’d sounded so convincing that I was almost tempted to stay. To not even bother with the labyrinth. To become his.

“This is all a means to an end for him,” Isla said, now a few yards ahead of me, not realizing I’d stopped. “A way to regain what he’s lost. And he doesn’t care what cost it comes at for anyone.”

I forced myself to catch up to her again, lost in my thoughts now, mindlessly following her through another fake hedge.

If what she said was accurate, it meant that nothing Enver had promised was true. Nothing he said was true. Everything was just to manipulate me. Even sleeping with me. My jaw clenched, anger and shame surging through me. And I’d just let him do it. Not just once, either. I’d fallen for his tricks twice and then some. I’d been in my most vulnerable state, and he’d exploited that.

“How do you know all this?” I asked, my voice sounding scratchy as I tried to dislodge the lump in my throat.

“I told you.” She glanced over her shoulder at me with a hard look. “I’ve been here for a long time.”

Without another word, she held out her arm, gesturing toward an opening, and this time, when I stepped through, the monstrous castle I’d only seen from a distance now loomed before us. We stood in front of the grand clock tower, which meant we were at the center of the castle. Its wings stretched out on either side of us, enclosing us in a sweeping courtyard.

Up close, I found the castle as menacing as it was beautiful. Weathered by time, various stones made up its walls, creating a faded mosaic. Vines crawled up as high as I could see, stretching across the glass panes that made up the arched windows. Not one source of light shone through the dozens of windows I could make out, keeping everything in a bleak murkiness.

The steady ticking of the clock tower’s hands met my ears, echoing over the grounds. The sound alone enough to make me nervous.

“The castle will allow you inside,” Isla said. “Go through the courtyard up to the giant metal gate. You won’t miss it.”

I tore my attention away from the castle and back to her. “What will you do?”

“I’m trying to find something,” she responded distractedly, shifting on her feet. “Good luck. I hope you make it out of here.”

“Thank you for your help. All of it,” I said sincerely.

Isla waved me off, smiling. “Don’t mention it. Keep your wits about you, Nell. Don’t fall for his traps.”

My hands curled into fists. “I won’t.”

Isla disappeared back into the maze, and I watched after her for a moment before turning to face the courtyard. Wiry and overgrown shrubs decorated the grassy area, surrounded by a brick pathway. I started across the lawn, my damp clothing clinging to me uncomfortably, my hair limp and still dripping.

The center of the courtyard housed a gazebo made of marble. I walked up to it, trailing my hand along one of its thick pillars as I climbed the three steps to its platform. A dome made up its roof, not entirely covered, a latticework of elegant filigree allowing slim beams of moonlight to shine through.

Suddenly, a slight tug came from my ring finger, and I looked down to see the thin strand of shadow reaching out behind me.

“I see your lover is not the only cheater in your relationship.”

I didn’t jump, but my pulse quickened at the sound of Enver’s low register. “What are you doing here?”

“I am considering sending you back to the entrance of the maze to teach you a lesson.”

I spun toward him, my pulse jumping as I took in his appearance. He had changed his outfit from the last time I’d seen him. He now wore a short, sheer kimono-like top left undone so his built chest and brutal scar were on display. His trousers sat low on his hips, revealing the tempting V of his abdominal muscles.

My fingers longed to touch him, but I kept them at my side.

I had to force my gaze back to his face, afraid of what I’d do if I kept staring. “I’m not a cheater,” I said, his words catching up to me.

“No? Then what would you call this?”

“I got help. From a friend.”

Enver watched me for a long moment, his gaze so intent I found it difficult to maintain eye contact. “Help from a friend,” he repeated slowly, testing the words as if they were foreign. “ My, are you ever the trusting one. You just met that nuisance, yet you already refer to her as a friend?”

“She helped me.”

“Is that all it takes? I shall keep that in mind if I want you to believe my words blindly.”

I glared at him. “At least she didn’t sleep with me to deceive me.”

His eyes hardened. “I did not sleep with you to deceive you.”

“No? Then why did you?”

“You wanted me,” he said, stepping closer to me. “Do not lie,” he added sharply as I opened my mouth to disagree.

I pressed my lips together as I backed up, trying to keep the distance between us. “You just wanted to trick me.”

“Did you forget? You kissed me first.”

“You should have stopped it there, then,” I said as my back hit one of the pillars. “If you were so sure I’d agree back in the club, you should have just stolen me away then.”

“I would have if you had not offered me so much more. A mere kiss or an irresistible night of pleasure? Why deny myself when you desired me as deeply as I desired you?”

My mouth went dry as he lifted his hand, fingertips grazing my throat, sending static electricity through me. Again, I wanted to lean into his touch. I wanted more of it. “You did something to me,” I accused weakly. “You made me want you?—”

“No,” he interjected roughly, the low and gravelly sound of his voice making desire pool within me. “You wanted me of your own volition. You still want me, even now.”

“I don’t?—”

“Do not lie to me,” he warned again, his fingers trailing down to my collarbone, where he traced its length before following the curve down my sternum .

The air caught in my throat, and my voice came out breathy. “I’m not.”

“Then, if I touched you right now, I would not find you as soaked as your pitiable appearance?”

My face flushed as I met his intense and provocative gaze. The hand on my sternum splayed out, keeping me pressed to the pillar as his other hand touched the bare skin of my thigh, just under the hem of my dress, causing me to jolt. My legs parted unconsciously, and Enver’s fingers skated up higher toward where he would find the affirming answer to his question.

I needed to tell him to stop. To move away.

His fingers halted just shy of where my body yearned for him to touch. “Tell me to stop. Tell me you do not want this.”

The words refused to form. His fingers teased closer. Their heat burned against my cool skin, but once again, he stopped before they reached their mark.

“My little lover,” he murmured. “Still so eager for me. Even now, after you claim that I have used and deceived you. Tell me to touch you, and I will give you everything you crave.”

It took a mortifying amount of resolve for me to pull myself together and push his hand away. “Stop.”

“You are not denying that you desire me,” he said, but his hands returned to his sides as he fell back a step. “My offer still stands. Come with me, and I will be everything you need. Give yourself to me, and I will fulfill your every wish and desire. I will love you and adore you?—”

“Will you?” I said, cutting him off, willing my legs to stop quivering. “ Can you? Are you even capable of being anything other than cruel?”

He stilled, his features turning sharp, and I knew Isla had told me the truth.

“How can you promise to love me when you can’t even feel love?” I demanded, advancing into the space he’d created, the heat of his body warming my cold skin again. “Can you even feel anything?”

“That mouse never knows when to hold her tongue,” Enver said, a muscle in his jaw jumping.

“What was your plan?” I asked. “I would have found out you couldn’t love me, eventually.”

“Would you have?” he challenged, his gaze boring into mine. “You? Who would do anything for love? I would have easily continued to manipulate you. I would have given you all the pretty promises you wanted, empty as they may have been. I would have had to do nothing other than praise and please you to make you fall for me. And you would be none the wiser, simply content with my attention. Content with me keeping you as mine.”

I flinched, his words stinging me. It scared me to realize how much of what he said was true. How much he could have gotten away with had I let it happen. I couldn’t deny what he said, even if I wanted to.

“What does love mean to you?” he asked.

I didn’t answer. I’d turned down his offer of what I’d thought love was—to offer myself entirely to someone. To sacrifice everything for them. To take validation in their choosing to be by my side. But if it wasn’t that, then what was love?

“I will answer for you,” he said. “Your notion of love is one where the actual emotion is not required to provide you with what you desire. You would have been satisfied with my presence. My touch. My validation of you. You would have misled yourself into believing I was in love with you, and I would have never told you otherwise. You would have let me take advantage of you and your heart without complaint.”

“No,” I said, lowering my gaze, trying to hide that his words had hit their mark. If Isla hadn’t told me the truth, if I had let myself be swept away by Enver, then…

“Do not be upset,” he murmured, tenderly cupping my face in his hands, angling my jaw up so I looked at him. “I can be so terribly tempting.”

“I understand now,” I whispered, my throat tight.

“Understand what, my little lover?”

“You’re not only a monster. You’re heartless .”

Enver’s expression iced over, his dark eyes narrowing, pupils constricting. His grip tightened on my jaw, and I knew I needed to run. I twisted on my heel, but he didn’t attempt to stop me as I ran for the exit. Instead, shadows rose swiftly from the ground, growing taller and taller until they encased the entire gazebo, blocking off the exit and the moonlight, shrouding us in darkness. I came to a stop, tentatively reaching out, only to feel how solid and impenetrable the shadows were.

“You are right,” Enver breathed against my ear. “I am.”

I gasped, unable to see anything. “Enver?—”

“Heartless. Cruel. A monster.”

His fingers circled around my wrist, forcing me to spin around. The pitch black disoriented me as he flattened my hand against his bare chest, just over his heart. I reached for him with my other hand, gripping the silky fabric of his top to steady myself.

“What are you doing?” I asked, my voice rising. He didn’t respond, and I tried to pull my hand back, but he kept it against him. “Enver, let me…”

The rest of my sentence died on my tongue. I fell silent, focusing on the lack of… anything coming from his chest. No thud of a heartbeat, no reassuring pulse under his skin. Nothing. I pushed my hand harder against him, searching for any kind of movement, but only an unsettling stillness met my efforts.

No heartbeat.

No heart.

“You’re heartless?” I repeated, this time in horrified disbelief. “How? Why? ”

The clock tower overhead sounded off, filling the courtyard with deep, dissonant chimes. All at once, the shadows dissipated, suffusing us in the moonlight once more. Enver had stepped away from me in the dark, his back now toward me as he glanced up at the clock tower. “Your time is wasted here. Enter the labyrinth.”

“Wait,” I started, but shadows swirled up from the ground again, obscuring him, and when they vanished, he was gone.