Until the World Falls Down

Chapter 16

16

E very corner of Enver’s castle seemed to be plunged into darkness once more when I returned. I frowned at the deteriorated carpet that lined the crumbling stairs, avoiding the glass as I ascended to the next floor. Knowing the decay represented Enver’s loneliness left me with an uneasy feeling I couldn’t shake. My feet felt heavy as I climbed the staircase. I wasn’t ready to face Enver yet. I hoped the castle would just lead me to the next layer of the labyrinth instead of bringing me to him like last time.

I held my breath as I pushed open the door at the top and let it out in relief as it revealed one of the empty hallways. I closed the door behind me and eyed the shadows that clung to the stone walls. They didn’t make any attempt to grab me, so I turned my back on them, heading down the hallway. I’d find the next layer myself.

I opened the first door I came across, blinking in surprise as I stepped into a massive room—a library, I realized. It was well-lit, a rare occurrence for Enver’s castle, and lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, all filled with books of varying sizes. A staircase on either side led up to a second floor, where I could see even more towering bookshelves. I moved further into the room, the scent of old paper and dust meeting my nose. Walking up to a bookshelf, I plucked out a leather-bound book, marveling at its craftsmanship. Hand-bound and nothing like the books I found at my local bookstore. I flipped it open, not recognizing the language that lined the pages. It looked well cared for despite how ancient it appeared to be.

I tried not to get too excited looking at all the books. I probably couldn’t read many of them, nor would I have time to. I needed to escape the labyrinth.

But I couldn’t deny it was tempting.

“Nell?”

The sound of my name made me jump. I snapped the book shut, whirling around to find Isla behind me, her eyebrows raised. “Isla, hey,” I greeted, putting the book back in its place. “What are you doing here?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing.” Her lips curved down. “No luck making it out of the labyrinth yet, huh?”

“I’m still working on it,” I said, grimacing.

She gave me a half-smile. “Same.”

“Still couldn’t find what you’re looking for?”

“No,” she said with a sigh. “This castle is huge. I swear I’ve looked everywhere.”

“It is huge,” I agreed. “Even this library. I wonder if Enver has read all these books. Is a century even enough time to read this many?”

Isla stared at me, going silent.

I smiled awkwardly. “Oh, right. It’s weird that I call him by his name.”

“Actually,” she said slowly, “I was just thinking you could help me.”

“How? ”

“There’s a throne room in this castle that you can’t access without knowing how. I haven’t been able to figure out how to get in there. Do you think you could get him to tell you?”

I hesitated. “Um. I’m actually trying not to see him right now.”

“Why?”

“I just want to finish my labyrinth and leave.”

Isla leaned against the bookshelf, folding her arms over her chest, her gaze piercing into mine. “What if I told you what I’m searching for would help us both escape the labyrinth?”

“Is that possible?” I asked, standing straighter.

“It is. But I need to find what I’m looking for first. There’s a possibility it’s in the throne room.”

“What is it?”

Isla pursed her lips, watching me for a moment. “I guess it doesn’t hurt to tell you. It’s a key.”

“A key?”

“Yes. It’ll help us leave this place.”

I furrowed my eyebrows. “How? Aren’t we trapped here by magic?”

“You’ll just have to trust me,” Isla said. “Once I get that key, I promise I will help you get home. But I need that key.”

A thought hit me, and I tensed. “Is this key a physical object?”

“Not exactly. That’s what makes it so hard to find.”

I relaxed a little. It wasn’t the pendant, then. “Are you sure it’s in the throne room?”

She slumped a bit. “No, but it’s one place I haven’t searched yet, so I’m hoping it’s in there.”

I fiddled with the sleeves of my shirt. Isla was a participant in the labyrinth. So far, helping the participants led to them completing it. It could be the same for her. “Maybe I could help.”

Her eyes lit up. “Will you? Really? ”

“I can try, but I can’t promise he’ll tell me.”

“I thought you were close to him?” Isla asked, putting her hands on her hips, frowning.

“I thought that, too,” I mumbled, lowering my gaze. “But I was wrong.”

A hand on my shoulder had me lifting my head again, and Isla gave me a sympathetic look. “It’s in his nature to be manipulative, Nell. It’s not your fault. I told you before—we’re just pawns in his games. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t beat him.”

I nodded but knew I didn’t feel that way about Enver, even after what he’d said to me. He was just as much of a pawn as we were.

“Although, perhaps we can use his own tactics against him,” Isla said, pulling her hand back.

“How?”

“Do you think you could manipulate him? Can you use whatever you had between you to your advantage?”

I thought about it. What we had between us was just sex, apparently. My heart clenched at the thought. Just sex.

But… I could use that to my advantage. Exactly as he had done to me the night he’d found me at the club. “I have an idea,” I told Isla. “It might work.”

She beamed. “Really? Great!”

I tried to smile back, but anxiety filled me at the thought of what I was about to do. I had wanted to avoid Enver. This would be the exact opposite, but if it led to a chance of escaping without needing to complete the labyrinth, I had to do it. I didn’t know how much time I had left, and my vow with Enver gave me no comfort now, either. I couldn’t spend forever with a man who only wanted my body.

“I’ll go now,” I said, trying to steel myself.

She reached for me again, squeezing my shoulder. “Good luck, Nell. Let me know how it goes. ”

I nodded and turned to exit the library. My fingers trembled as I reached for the doorknob . I can do this.

A faint scent of vanilla and amber wafted around me as I stepped through the door and into a new room. My eyes landed on Enver almost instantly, and my traitorous heart jumped at the sight of him. He sat behind a dark oak desk, leaning back in his chair, his eyes closed, his black hair tousled as if he’d been running his fingers through it. He looked relaxed, but the frown that twisted his beautiful lips told me otherwise.

“I didn’t have to try very hard to reach you,” I said.

His charcoal-grey eyes opened, meeting mine, and their intensity had my steps faltering. “You may seek me out whenever you wish to,” he murmured, not moving from his sitting position, his hands resting on the chair’s armrests. “The castle will always bring you to me, be it this chancery or my chambers. Though, this still does not count as completing the labyrinth.”

“I didn’t think it would.”

He remained quiet for a moment, his unwavering regard feeling like a physical weight on my shoulders. My pulse thrummed in my ears as I gathered the courage for my plan. I didn’t have to fake my attraction—even now, my fingers longed to tangle in his hair and pull him close.

My body didn’t care he only wanted me for sex. Only my mind did.

“Nell,” he began, his tone unexpectedly gentle. “I?—”

“Stop talking,” I interrupted, hating the tremor in my voice.

His brows pinched together, and his dark gaze followed me as I crossed the room to him, his head tilting back slightly to keep eye contact with me as I stopped at his side. Even seated, his height was impressive, my shoulders level with his chin. “What do you desire of me?” he asked.

I didn’t respond, trailing my fingers down the side of his face, feeling the roughness of his jaw. For a heartbeat, he froze, but then his eyes drifted shut, an almost imperceptible sigh escaping his lips as he surrendered to my touch. His cheek pressed into my palm, his warm breath feathering my skin. The way he let me caress him so easily made my mouth go dry. At that moment, I knew he would let me do whatever I wanted to him. Was this how he’d felt when he’d first approached me? Did he know he could do anything to me at that moment, like how I knew I could do anything to him right now?

I straddled his lap, and his muscles tensed under me, but he didn’t resist. Instead, he spread his legs, providing me more space to settle onto him, his hands leaving the armrests to settle against my lower back. My arms wrapped around his neck, and I brought myself even closer to him, my chest pressed against his. I leaned in, kissing his neck softly before pulling back.

His eyes opened, and he looked at me through his long lashes. “What game are you playing right now, my little lover?”

I kissed him again, this time on his jaw, and his breathing grew shallow.

His hands flexed against my back. “Nell?—”

“Be quiet,” I ordered. “If you don’t like what I’m doing, stop me, but if not, don’t say anything.”

His gaze grew dark with desire, and he said nothing else.

My hands found the thin strap holding the edges of his silk top together, undoing it, letting the slippery fabric fall on either side of his sculpted torso. His muscles grew taut as I pressed one of my hands against his scarred chest, noting the absence of his heartbeat, before slowly dragging it down to the waistband of his trousers. I kept my eyes locked on his face the entire time, watching him react to my attention. His tongue darted out, wetting his bottom lip in anticipation.

His hands encircled my waist, using me as leverage to tilt his hips up, grinding against me.

“No,” I said, taking my hand away, but my voice lacked strength as I felt how hard he was .

I’d only planned to tease him. To not cross any lines, only tempt him enough to make him slip up. I didn’t plan on having sex with him again. But I couldn’t deny the arousal growing in me. I couldn’t deny how good his body felt underneath mine. I wanted his lips on mine. Wanted him inside me, making me mindless with pleasure like the last time we’d been intimate together.

This time would be different, though. This time, I would be the one in control. The one taking from him. I would use his body for my own self-indulgence while getting the information I wanted from him.

“I’m going to ride you,” I told him. “And you’re going to sit there quietly and keep your hands to yourself.”

His fingers dug into my skin momentarily before he released me, returning his hands to the armrests. I pushed myself off him to undress, starting with the shirt I’d borrowed from him, slipping it over my head, then moving to my pants, bending over in front of him tantalizingly. I stripped until I was bare, and his heated gaze never left my body.

“You’re going to stay dressed,” I said, my fingers moving to the ties of his trousers, undoing them, and trying not to react as his erection sprang free, hot and thick against my hand.

It shouldn’t have surprised me that he wore no underwear, not with the way he never seemed to wear a proper shirt since the night at the club. But I couldn’t hide my reaction in time, my lips parting, a blush coloring my cheeks.

Enver smirked in response, clearly pleased with how his body affected me.

He shifted in his chair, bringing himself to the very edge of it, and I was about to scold him before I realized he was adjusting his body to make it easier for me to ride him. This way, the armrests wouldn’t be impeding my movements.

I turned away from him, backing up over his thighs to line myself up above him, but his hands were suddenly at my waist, stopping me. I glanced over my shoulder at him. “I told you not to move?—”

“Face me,” he demanded, his voice husky.

I was supposed to be the one in control, but I obeyed his command. His hands returned to the armrests again, releasing me. I placed my hands on his shoulders, using him for balance as I straddled him again, my legs on either side of him. His erection rubbed against my inner thigh, and I let out an unsteady breath, feeling the moisture of his pre-cum spread across my skin.

My gaze caught his again, the black of his pupils nearly eclipsing the grey of his eyes, revealing the extent of his desire for me.

I reached between us, grasping his erection in my hand, and guided it to my entrance. For a moment, I teased him, rubbing his head against me, letting my wetness slick him. His length twitched in my hand, and he let out a low, impatient groan.

I sank onto him, taking him all the way inside me in one go, ignoring the burn of the stretch. Once fully sheathed, I squeezed myself around him, making him inhale sharply. He throbbed inside me, eager for movement, and I half-expected him to thrust up into me, but to my surprise, he remained still. I gave myself a moment to adjust. The way he filled me so completely had my legs shaking already.

“So obedient,” I whispered, lifting myself.

He moaned in response, and it sent a new rush of arousal through me. I hadn’t expected him to be so vocal. The past times we’d slept together, he’d barely made a sound if it wasn’t dirty talk.

Once only his tip remained inside of me, I slammed myself back down onto him, and he rewarded me with another sultry sound. Encouraged by this, I used his shoulders as leverage as I increased my pace, sliding myself up and down his length, panting softly from exertion. His head fell back, his lips parted as he breathed shallowly, fingers gripping the armrests tightly.

My thighs burned as I took my hands off his shoulders, my legs bearing all my weight now, but I wanted to touch him. I brushed my fingertips against his pecs before pinching his nipples. He bucked his hips, making me moan as it caused him to hit even deeper inside of me. “Don’t move,” I reminded him breathlessly, tweaking his nipples once more.

His body trembled, the veins in his arms bulging with his restraint. The sight had me moving faster, needing to watch him unravel under me more and more. I couldn’t believe I had this much of an effect on him. I wanted more.

“Kiss me,” I commanded.

He wasted no time in crashing his lips against mine, kissing me roughly and desperately. My mind clouded with pleasure as his tongue teased mine, sending tingles down my spine as I ground down on him, trying to take him deeper and deeper. I spread my thighs more, leaning forward, pressing my clit against his pelvic bone, grinding it there, using him to please myself as I held him inside me.

He responded by letting out a hoarse groan, his teeth catching on my bottom lip, and biting down. I started moving again, his kisses becoming frantic and messy as I collided with him again and again, the sound of our skin slapping together filling the room.

Enver’s breathing became more labored, and he panted in my mouth between kisses, his quiet moans increasing in frequency as I rolled my hips. He twitched inside me, and his muscles tensed, signaling he was close.

“Enver,” I said, breaking our kiss and wrapping my hand around his throat to get his attention. “Look at me.”

He obeyed, his gaze finding mine, half-lidded and heavy with desire. His lips were shiny and swollen from our kisses, and the sight nearly made me lose control .

“Tell me how good I feel. Tell me how much you enjoy having me like this. Riding you,” I demanded.

He let out a broken moan. “You have no idea what you are doing to me. You feel… exquisite.”

“You can do better than that,” I panted, using his own words against him, keeping my hold on his neck to support myself as I continued to move on top of him. “Stop with the pretty words. Tell me what you really think. Are you enjoying me using your body for my pleasure?”

“Yes,” he ground out. “Use me. Take what you want from me. I am yours. Only yours. Yours to use. Yours to take. Always yours?—”

His words caused a fresh surge of arousal to course through me, slicking him further, and I took him even deeper, a small whimper escaping me.

I didn’t expect to enjoy this so much. To enjoy taking control. I would never have done this with Julian—too afraid to voice my wants, let alone demand he do exactly what I wanted. But with Enver, confidence flooded me. With Enver, I had nothing to fear. No doubts. No insecurity. I felt sexy, powerful, and desired.

The way I should have felt with all of my past partners.

“I cannot get enough of the way you take me,” Enver groaned. “How wet you are for me. How well I fit inside you. So tight and—” he cut himself off, his hips bucking up, his restraint cracking.

“Stay still,” I breathed.

His head fell back, lips parting, his Adam’s apple moving against my palm as he swallowed. It was then that I noticed shadows—his shadows, curling around his wrists, keeping him bound to the chair, preventing him from breaking my command. Holding him back as pleasure wracked his body.

Fuck.

The sight had me clenching around him. So, this was what he saw when he made me fall apart. No wonder he never wanted me to face away from him.

“Enver, I need to know where something is,” I said, forcing myself to focus, too close to giving into the pleasure and giving up my plan.

His only response was a slight nod of his head.

“How do I get to your throne room?”

His brows furrowed, a sign he was pushing through the haze of his pleasure. I tightened my hand around his throat, and his hips jerked again. I slowed my movements to an agonizing pace, keeping him from finishing, and making him savor every roll of my hips.

“Speak,” I ordered.

“You cannot get in by yourself,” he responded, voice strained.

I used my free hand to pinch his nipple. “Then how do I get in?”

“Nell—”

I started moving faster again, leaning in to lay kisses on and nip at the base of his neck, right under where I had my hand wrapped around it. “Tell me, and I’ll let you come.”

“You—” he began, but his words turned into a strangled groan, the noise vibrating against the pressure of my hand as I squeezed his throat even tighter. “Oliver,” he gasped. “Find him. He will bring you there.”

I pulled my head back, my thighs on fire as I quickened my pace again, riding him for all I was worth. “Where is he?”

“The kitchens,” he groaned. “Gods?—”

“You can move now,” I said, feeling like my legs were about to give out.

“Tell me I can touch you,” he rasped.

A shudder of pleasure rolled down my spine. “Touch me, Enver.”

One of his hands shot to my ass, gripping it tightly, and he rose from the chair, keeping himself inside me as he roughly swept everything off his desk. He all but threw me down onto the smooth wood, causing him to slip out. He grasped my calves and shoved them up toward my head, forcing my knees to bend. My legs quaked, but he didn’t give me any time to rest, nearly folding me in half as he leaned over me, dragging me closer to him. “Do not think I did not know what you were doing,” he murmured into my ear.

My eyes widened in realization. “You let me do it.”

A faint smirk ghosted across his lips as he lined himself up with me. “Just like you are going to let me fuck you until all you can ever plot in that pretty little head of yours again is the next way you can feel me inside of you.”

I let my head fall against the desk, whimpering as he thrust back inside me with an intense snap of his hips, burying himself deep. His teeth skimmed my earlobe before dropping to my neck, digging into the same spot I’d bitten him as he began to pound into me. I cried out at the intensity of his pace, only feeling pure pleasure as he took complete control.

He suddenly adjusted me so his left hand held both my legs over my head, driving into me at a new angle that had me keening with every thrust. His now free hand encircled my neck, and I stared up at him, my breath hitching.

“I did not give you permission to choke me,” he said, his fingers splaying against my skin, my neck feeling small and fragile compared to the size of his hand. “But I am not so discourteous. Would you like me to choke you?”

Although my body shivered with anticipation, I shook my head, already overwhelmed by every other sensation. My legs wouldn’t stop shaking, so much so I felt self-conscious, unable to control them. They were strained in their position, my body contorted, but I also didn’t want him to let me go.

Enver rotated his hips, hitting the spot inside me that had me gasping as he trailed a finger down my throat, finding the chain of the heart pendant. He slid his finger under the chain, tugging it taut. “No? Then answer me.”

“No,” I managed to get out, my breath coming so rapidly it made me light-headed, the chain biting into the back of my neck.

“Another time, then,” he decided, releasing the chain and gathering my wrists in his hand instead, pinning them above my head. “For now, lay there and accept the consequences for attempting to deceive me.”

I didn’t think I could do anything else, anyway. My body was on fire, and the heat only grew as he continued to drive into me, his hand slipping between us to rub at my clit. I writhed under him, looking above me, seeing that his shadows had replaced his hand, trapping my hands within their tendrils.

“You do not mind, do you?” he asked, noticing where I was looking.

I should have minded. I knew I should have.

“No,” I said instead. “I like it.”

I liked his shadows. I craved his control.

He rewarded me with a heady kiss and more shadows. They curled around my breasts, teasing my nipples.

I closed my eyes, trying to breathe through the onslaught of sensations, feeling my orgasm building up, knowing it would be as powerful as every other one he’d given me before. My back bowed as it washed over me, the intensity leaving me breathless. No sound came from my lips as they parted in a silent cry.

“There it is,” Enver said, not slowing his pace. “Again.”

My eyes flew open. Again? “I can’t,” I panted, wiggling my hips to get away from his touch.

“You can. You will.”

“Enver!” I cried as he continued playing with my clit.

“You are going to come for me again,” he said, then took his hand away from me. “You are going to beg for it. And then you are going to thank me for it.”

My cheeks flushed. I couldn’t do that. “Enver?—”

“That was not a request,” he warned, eyes narrowing, slamming into me hard enough to shove me further up the desk.

My heart stuttered. “Please,” I whispered.

“Good,” he grunted and then pulled out to adjust our positions again so my ankles rested against his shoulders. My legs still quivered, but at least this position wasn’t as strenuous. “Again.”

I sucked in a quick breath as he sunk back into me, this position allowing him to reach so deep I found it hard to breathe. “Please make me come,” I pleaded, my words slipping into a moan as he moved within me.

“You can do better than that.”

“Please make me come, Enver!” I tried again, my voice rising as he returned to a brutal pace, punching gasps out of me. “Please!”

“Louder.”

I gritted my teeth together, swallowing a whine.

“I said louder ,” he said, and my eyes rolled back with the force of his next thrust.

“Oh—fuck!” I cried helplessly, my hands clenching into fists reflexively. “Enver, please!”

His hand returned between my thighs and he stroked me once, twice, and on the third swipe, I came around him, feeling on the verge of passing out as my body convulsed. I fought to get air in my lungs as I moaned again, my toes curling. He didn’t stop, continuing to fuck me through it, and the overstimulation quickly had me writhing against the desk, unable to stop the feeble noises spilling from my lips.

“Say thank you,” he ordered sharply.

I struggled to get the words through my moans. “T-thank you. ”

“For?”

A deep stroke had me keening. “For making me come.”

“Good. Do you want me to come?”

I nodded, unable to catch my breath long enough to form any more words.

His thrusts became shallow, staying deep inside me. “Say it. Beg me to come inside you.”

He teased a finger against my clit again when I hesitated, and I jolted. “Please come in me!” I cried, knowing I couldn’t take any more.

His jaw tightened, and his going still was all the warning I had before he released inside me, filling me with his cum. He let go of my legs a second later, letting them fall to the desk on either side of him, and he leaned over me, resting his weight on me. I closed my eyes, and he pressed mindless kisses to my collarbone as he continued to leisurely rock inside me as he softened. I went limp under him, exhausted.

“I have decided if you would like to deceive me again, I will allow it,” he murmured against my skin, letting the shadows dissolve.

I didn’t have it in me to give him any response to that other than a weak grumble.

He chuckled, pulling out of me and tucking himself back into his pants. “Care to explain why you needed the information about my throne room?”

“No.”

“Hm.” His hands slid under my thighs and lower back, lifting me from the desk and holding me up against him, my legs wrapping around his waist. “Well, I suppose it does not matter to me whether or not you know how to enter the throne room.”

I knew I probably should have protested and demanded that he let me go, but I let him hold up my weight, pressing my face into his balmy neck, breathing in his scent as I looped my arms around his neck.

“I will warn you, though. If I catch you there, you will not like the consequences.” He paused, adjusting his grip on me, and one of his hands sliding to my backside, squeezing it. “Or perhaps you will.”

My body reacted to his words in a way that made me wonder if I was also insatiable around him. I certainly had no self-control. I pushed my face harder into his neck, embarrassed by myself.

“Come, bathe with me,” he said, leading me toward the door to his chancery. “Your legs are still trembling. The warm water should help.”

I pulled back, clarity suddenly filling me. “No, I’m going to continue the labyrinth.”

He stopped. “What?”

I struggled to get out of his arms. “Put me down.”

His arms around me tightened. “No.”

“Enver, put me down. I’m leaving.”

“What is this? You fucked me, and now you are done with me? You took what you wanted, and now you plan on leaving?”

“And if I am? What does it matter to you?” I demanded, shoving against his chest, a bitterness rising in me. “The only thing you want from me is sex. You said it yourself. And I just gave you what you wanted. I don’t owe you any more of myself than that. I hope this at least made you happy. I spread my legs for you, just like you wanted me to.”

His arms loosened around me. I slipped out of his grasp, my legs feeling weak as I walked over to my clothing. I only managed to throw my underwear and his shirt back on before he grabbed my wrist, pushing me against the wall behind his desk. I glared at him as his hands went to either side of my head, keeping me trapped. My mouth opened, ready to lay into him, but his expression made me fall silent .

“Nell,” he began, his voice becoming soft again, his gaze locking on me. “I am sorry.”

My heart tripped in my chest. “What…?”

“My words were callous and untrue. I lost my composure and intentionally caused you pain,” he confessed, his fingers sliding up my wrist to entwine with mine. “It was cruel and uncalled for.”

“Then why did you say it?” I asked, refusing to let his sincere tone disarm me.

A flash of vulnerability crossed Enver’s face, and his lips curved down. “Because you are correct. I am lonely. I have endured this loneliness for over a century. It ate away at me at first—the isolation, the quiet, the longing for touch from another. But eventually, I resigned myself to being alone. I convinced myself that the loneliness did not affect me since I accepted my fate. That I did not feel alone—therefore, I was not lonely. And I remained that way. Until you appeared. Then, that devastating loneliness brewed within me again, and when I tried to brush it aside once more, it only festered and grew every time you came to me and left again.”

My mouth felt dry when I went to speak again. “What does that have to do with what you said to me?”

“I spent decades denying that loneliness inside me. It took you mere seconds to undo that repression,” he said. “I told you before one of the other emotions I possess is pride. When you tried to comfort me about something I wanted to continue to refuse to acknowledge, it wounded my pride, and I lashed out. I did not want to admit to feeling alone. Not to myself nor to you. Yet you persisted, and I took what you said at that moment and twisted it into something to use against you as a means of deflection. For that, I am deeply sorry.”

I swallowed, thinking back to the moment in the garden. He’d tried to get me to stop. I’d pushed. “What is wrong with feeling lonely? ”

“To feel lonely means you desire not to be alone. I assured myself that I was content in being alone so that I would not suffer from the alternative.”

“Why can’t you convince yourself of that anymore?”

The hand not holding mine dropped from the wall, coming to rest on my cheek. “Because of you. You are a reminder of all that I am missing, all that I long to have again, and all that I stand to lose. I want to have you by my side. I do not want to be alone anymore. I cannot deny it anymore.”

I didn’t move to pull away from his touch. His palm warmed my skin and caused my blood to thrum under my skin. “How do I know what you’re saying isn’t more of your manipulation?”

“It is,” he murmured, his hand sliding up to tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear. “I am manipulative by requisite. No matter what I say, there will always be a part of my words designed to convince you to stay. That is a part of me I cannot change. I conditioned myself to manipulate, coerce, and deceive for so long it has now become second nature. However, there is no deception in my apology. I am truly sorry. You are worth far more to me than just sex. Far more.”

When I didn’t respond, his hand fell away from my face. I caught it in mine, my fingers tightening around his. My stomach knotted, and I stared down at our joined hands. “Then when you felt happy before…?”

“It was because of you,” he told me. “The way your smile lights up your entire face. The way my scent lingers on your skin. The sound of your voice. The endearing sight of you curled up in my bed, tangled in my sheets, the morning sun illuminating your hair. I will not lie and say I do not enjoy sex with you—I do, very much so—but my happiness lies in any of the instances when you are near enough for me to simply savor your presence.”

My chest tightened, my heart beating wildly. I wanted to believe him. I did believe him .

His thumb brushed against the inside of my wrist. “I want you by my side. I desire it. Even if it is only the time between the challenges of the labyrinth, I crave those stolen moments with you.”

“Why did you seem upset when you realized I was starting to care for you?” I whispered, unable to meet his eyes.

“Because I am full of contradictions,” he said. “I want to trap you here, yet I also want to set you free. I want you to myself, yet I know I cannot keep you. The more you care for me, the greater the guilt inside me grows, but at the same time, your feelings feed my pride because I know my words have swayed you.”

“Guilt?” I repeated, going still, my blood running cold.

He nodded. “Yes. I recognize the emotion Morgan returned to me. It is guilt.”

“Is that why you’re apologizing?” I asked, dreading the answer. “Because you feel guilty now?”

“No,” he said firmly, pulling his hand free from mine to take hold of my chin, tilting my face up to meet his. His eyes bore into mine, unwavering. “I am apologizing because I was wrong. I wanted to apologize even before Morgan completed their labyrinth. Guilt did not drive me to do this. The despair I felt upon seeing your pained expression did. Knowing I caused it. I do not expect your forgiveness, but I ask for it all the same.”

The knot in my stomach unraveled, but the dread did not fade. If he hadn’t apologized—if he’d remained distant and cruel—I could have convinced myself to finish the labyrinth and forget about him. My feelings could have been buried away along with the hurt he caused me, and I could have left him behind and never looked back. I could have returned to my world and gone on with my life without ever thinking about the ethereal man who ensnared me in his castle and arms. I could have forgotten him and saved myself. Saved myself from heartbreak. From a love I knew couldn’t be but couldn’t stop myself from wanting.

But now…

Now, I couldn’t. I couldn’t forget him. I couldn’t walk away. I couldn’t stop the warm affection that continued to grow inside me. I couldn’t shake the fierce longing that ached in my heart. I couldn’t stop falling, even though I knew how it would end. I couldn’t save myself. Not from him.

“I forgive you,” I breathed.