Then I took several more turns before hitting a dead-end. I shrugged and turned around. I’d take the left path I just—wait, where were my breadcrumbs? I doubled-back another few turns, twisting myself around. Nothing marked the trails except dirt. Wha—
It couldn’t have been birds, I hadn’t heard or seen any. And how could they have picked up every spec that fast? An eerie sensation crept over me like someone sneaking up behind me. But when I twisted around. No one was there.
I was freaking myself out. That’s all. So I’d lost the trail…I’d found my way out before. Yeah with Rob’s help. A nagging voice in my mind taunted. Still, it couldn’t be that bad. I just had to find the exit. Before I’d taken a path to the right, this time, I’d try left. In case I’d been wrong about my cell, I took it out. No bars at all this time. Damn. I’d hoped I’d been wrong. I snapped a picture of the maze but it showed up solid black like before. With a sigh, I pocked my phone and headed down the left path.
I must have walked at least an hour and wasn’t any closer to finding my way out of the crazy place. My pack weighed a ton and I plopped down on the ground to rest. Starving hunger gnawed at me.
After I took out the box of crackers and a water, I ate while I fought not to scream in frustration or cry in despair. What if I never found my way out? What if no one knew where I was or was able to find me. A rock pressed into my throat. Is this how it had been for Grams? She’d stumbled onto this place and like me had to go on an adventure and figure it out? I should’ve brought the police with me, even if they’d thought I was crazy.
My stomach rumbled for food. I stood up and adjusted my pack. Most people say to stay put when lost, but if I didn’t find my way out, no one would know I was even here to look for me. I’d mark the trail with the leaves from the hedges. Just had to be careful of the massive thorns.
I tore one bright green leaf off, then another. These the birds or rabbits wouldn’t eat. Hopefully.
“Wouldn’t do that if I were you,” a male voice teased.
“Rob?” I spun around to find a stranger standing before me. He wore a leather jacket and had dark auburn hair. His eyes were a shiny green that crinkled with mischief in the corners when he smiled.
“I’m Chaz.” He bowed at the waist which didn’t match his biker look at all but somehow I couldn’t picture him greeting me any other way. Standing, he quirked an eyebrow at me. He was just as handsome as Rob but in a sleek sort of way. “Well?”
“Wha—Oh, I’m Alicia.”
“Alicia,” he said my name like it was a foreign word he tasted on his tongue. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” What were the chances of meeting two gorgeous men in a maze? Of course, if Grams had done so, no wonder she never came back. Which meant I had to find her and talk some sense into her.
“Have you seen an elderly woman?” I dug out my phone. At least the pictures I had on it before arriving in this strange place worked.
With a glance at the picture, he shrugged. “I’ve seen her once or twice. Not that I keep count of old ladies wandering around.” He winked and gave me a crooked smile. “I like much younger women, such as yourself.”
His grin and words had my heart racing and I had to shake my head to gather my thoughts. “Well, do you know if she’s still here or not?”
“I can tell you she’s not in the maze.”
God, he was being so helpful. I think I’d get more answers on my own but I had to get out of this labyrinth and that meant not heading home just yet.
“Don’t suppose you know the way out of here, do you?” I asked.
“Of course, I know everything.” His straightened his jacket.
“Except my name. You didn’t know me until I told you.”
“Perhaps.” He flashed a grin. “Or perhaps I wanted you to say it. What’s the fun in knowing so much if no one is around to hear about it?”
I shrugged. “I guess. So if you know the way, lead on.”
“Where do you wish to go?”
I paused. The logical answer would be out of the maze. But what if there were multiple exits? Which way would Grams have gone? She’d have taken the difficult path. “Rob mentioned a queen. Do you know where she is?”
“Yes.” His auburn brows furrowed. “But there are better places in Underland than that one. Like the—”
“Did you say Underland?” My skin pebbled into goosebumps. “Like Hell or Hades?” Was I dead then? I wrapped my hands over my stomach to keep from throwing up. My legs trembled, and I fought the urge to fall down in a heap.
“No, not like either of those places. They are much too hot and too full of demons.”
Bent over, clutching my stomach, I looked up at him. “Then what’s Underland?”
“Here, there, everywhere beyond the narrow path.” He frowned as he stared at me. “Do you need medicine or something? I know a—”
“No, no.” I straightened up but kept my arms pressed over my stomach. The crackers and water I had earlier threatened a revolt. “Are you like Rob? You know part of the queen’s cult?” Maybe that’s why he and Rob acted slightly off…though Chaz more so.
“That imposter?” He shook his head. “No, she can enslave most of us but no one will ever tame me.”
Odd choice of words but whatever. “Okay. Can you take me to where she lives?”
“Maybe.” He sniffed. “I can take you to the checkered path, but then you’re on your own.”
“And what’s the checkered path? Is that the way to the queen?”
“Of sorts. It’s the safest way for you, I think.” He winked and my cheeks burned. “Though I do nothing for free. Have you got payment?” His eyebrow arched and he stuck out his hand.
Shit! I didn’t think to bring my wallet. “Sorry, I don’t have any money. I’ve got some water and a bit of food with me if you want to share?”
“I smell fish. Do you have any?” His emerald eyes twinkled. “The queen forbids fish and I haven’t had it in ages.”
“Wait.” I held a hand up when he leaned forward into my space toward my duffle bag. “I thought you said you didn’t serve the queen.” God this place was a mixed up maze even when I wasn’t walking through this labyrinth.
His gaze lifted to mine and my breath caught. This close, his scent of wildness and sweet wine and woodsy scent all rolled into one floated around me, making me giddy. He leaned back and scratched his cheek. “I don’t. But if she wishes all the fish gone, then there’s nothing I can do.”
“How does she wish the fish away?” I don’t know why I asked. This Underland was a topsy-turvy place and I wasn’t sure that the inhabitants were even sane. What did it matter that fish were gone?
His shoulders slumped slightly. “Follow me to where you need to go and my payment will be the can of seafood.”
“Deal. But are you not going to answer my question?” I dashed after him. No, this guy wasn’t like Rob. He wouldn’t have left me to catch-up to him and he’d have answered me.
“Don’t ask questions for answers you won’t believe or want to hear.” He turned to the left, and I had to race to keep up with him.
My breaths came in pants as I ran, yet he never seemed to move any different but his strides were three times mine. And I got the sneaky suspension that he wasn’t taking me to their queen. Right now though, I didn’t care. I just wanted out of this goddamn maze and find Grams.
Chapter Six
“Having trouble keeping up?” Chaz teased, and I wanted to toss my duffle bag at the back of his head.
“Not at all,” I got the words out between without too much panting. After we took several more turns in the maze, I swore we were going in circles. “Are you sure you know which way you're going?”
He looked over his shoulder at me and winked. “Of course, we are going forward. Not backward. Not sideways or under or even over.”
God the guy was a wise-ass. “No, I mean are you sure this is the right way to Rob and his leader.” Felt so weird to say
queen.
“Yes, they are both this way.”
“So how do you know Rob?” I stepped over a jagged rock stuck in the dirt path. First time I'd seen anything marring the trail. “I mean since you don't serve like he does.”
“We are friends of a sort.” He paused at a crossroads then backtracked, brushing past me. “He follows the rules, and I like to break them.”
I spun hurrying along with him. The stone I had seen only moments ago had disappeared. Feeling a bit light-headed, I said, “Hey, mind if we stop and rest for a bit? I need to eat something too.”
Not waiting for his reply, I sat down and dug through my supplies. “Want some water?”
“I was hoping you'd have beer.”
“Nope. Sorry,” I let out a nervous laugh as he sat beside me. Hopefully, he didn’t notice how his words had me salivating. I’d had my first beer at a frat party when college started and I craved having another and forgetting my troubles but I knew that wouldn’t make them go away. They’d still be there come morning. “I'm only nineteen. Two more years before I'm legal. You twenty-one already?” Damn, what a dumb question. Many guys I knew drank before the legal age and one like Chaz probably had beer slipped into his baby bottle growing up.
“I'm old enough for a lot of things.” He traced a finger down my arm, and I shivered from the jolt of heat coursing through me. I pushed a water bottle into his hand and he grinned. God, it made his whole face light up and stole my breath.
“Uh... hungry?” I asked.
“Famished.”
My cheeks heated, but I managed to pull out the box of marshmallow cereal without struggling and handed it to him.
“Tiny candied-marshmallows!” His voice higher pitched like a kid in a candy store who'd been given free reign. “My favorite, well, after fish.”
I laughed. “Seriously? Seafood?” Chaz was a walking contradiction to me and I wanted to know more about him. And about Rob. And about this bizarre place including how my Grams fit into all this. She had to have come here because the gateway was in her backyard and we spent hours there every time I stayed with her. There was no way she didn’t know about this place.
“I don’t mock your tastes in food.” He shook the cereal box for emphasis.
“Fair enough.” She grabbed a handful of the sugary marshmallow breakfast and popped the pieces into her mouth. “So tell me about Underland. What makes it different from where I come from?” Recalling the puzzled expression on both Chaz and Rob’s faces when she showed them her cell, she added, “Like do you not have cell phones here?”
“You mean the picture box you showed me?” He cocked an eyebrow, and I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Were all the guys in this world so handsome? “With the picture of your grandma?”
“Yes. I mean, I haven’t seen much of your…world except all these hedges.” I paused thinking about the hours it seemed like I’d spent here compared to the minutes my phone told me I had. And in all that time, I hadn’t heard a single airplane or car.
“Underland is a wondrous place for those with a pure heart and an adventurous spirit.” He held the cereal box up to his mouth and let the pieces fall into his mouth. Then he handed food to her. “My great-grandfather told me stories of fast-moving vehicles and flying contraptions. I never believed him until I crossed over the border.”
I straightened. “Wait. So I was right? You don’t have modern conveniences here? And when did you go into my world?” Part of me couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of my mouth.
“When I turned eighteen.” He opened the water bottle and drank half of it down. “The smells alone from hundreds of people were enough to knock me out.”
“You must have an overdeveloped sense of smell then.” I grabbed another handful of cereal. But what he said was logical. Here, the aroma of the foliage, bright sunshine and a hint of jasmine lingered in the air. I could only imagine what it would be like for someone used to these mild scents to be thrust into my world. Especially the overcrowded cities with smog and pollution.
He grinned again, the one that made my stomach flutter. “I know your scent: wild roses, moonlight nights, and a hint of sweetness.”
“God, you are such a flatterer.” I rolled my eyes, but I really wanted to learn more about him and his world. This otherworldly guy who was so unique and wanted to spend time with me. Well, for the price of the tuna. Would he take me to the queen and dump me on her doorstep?
“Only for the prettiest girls with a pure heart.”
I laughed, tossing a marshmallow at him. “And you’re full of it.”
“Am I?” He leaned closer to me, our knees touching, and he trailed a fingertip across my hand. His touch making my insides quiver in anticipation. When he gave me a cocky grin, my breath hitched.
Was he going to kiss me? The idea had me yearning for his lips on mine. I couldn’t stop staring at his mouth like I was a lovesick girl and this was my first kiss. Well, first time with a hot-from-another-world guy. I licked my lips and he drew nearer, his hand brushing up to cup my cheek. He ran his thumb across my bottom lip and I inhaled sharply from the intimate contact.
Then his gaze drifted to my mouth and a hunger flared in his emerald eyes.
Kiss me. The need to taste him and feel his mouth on mine consumed me. An intense pulsing that throbbed through every part of my being, heat coiling in my belly.
Softly, he nibbled at my lips, and I came undone. My fingers wrapped around his air, twirling the luscious dark auburn strands. Our kiss steals my breath but fills me entirely like I’m starving for his touch. And I can’t get close enough.
But all too soon, he pulled back. “We don’t want to be in the maze once night falls.”
“Why?” I asked feeling self-conscious all of the sudden.
“It’s not safe…” he paused as though listening to something and my skin crawled.
“What…What is it?”
Chaz paled. “Hurry. We’ve got to go now.” His hands trembling.
“Why?” I hitched up my bag my gaze darting around the labyrinth’s hedge.
A howl erupted nearby.
Soon, another wolf echoed the first, then another, and another. Their growls growing louder like they were all around us. Inches away. My scream caught against my breastbone as four pairs of glowing ember eyes break through the hedge like fog and surround us.
Chapter Seven
Four huge wolves drifted closer. Backing up, my hip hit against Chaz. “W-What do we do?” My duffle bag was too far away to reach. My keys had a small can of mace but wouldn’t it be enough to stop all four of these wild animals.
Chaz pushed me behind him.
One of the wolves licked his lips as he stared at me and I swore it was more than I looked like raw meat.
“I’ve got mace in my bag,” I whispered to Chaz.
“And that is?”
“Pepper-spray.” I inched closer to my stuff, keeping my gaze locked on the wolf before me.
“You gonna make them sneeze?” he asked.
I stumbled a step at his question. “Ah no, it burns their eyes.”
Chaz grunted and I guess that was an okay for the mace. Slowly I bent down to reach the strap. The wolf before me growled, snapping his teeth so hard and fast that I fell backward on my ass. It lunged and I screamed.
In a blur, Chaz slammed into the beast while it was still in the air, knocking it backward.
“Run!” he shouted.
But wasn’t that the totally wrong thing to do when wolves were around?
Another wolf charged. Chaz punched the creature in its side, knocking it off balance. As good as he was, he wouldn’t be able to fight them all alone. I scrambled to my bag but as I grasped the handle, another wolf bit into it. In a tug-of-war, I jerked and pulled while the beast yanked back. Its paws dug into the dirt for traction.
Yowls called behind me but I dared not take my attention off the wolf in front of me. Any second it could decide it didn’t like the taste
of canvas and come after my throat. If I could get to the mace—a yelp broke through the air and I turned. A fuzzy body slammed into me, knocking me down.
A huge striped cat. No, a tiger with red fur and dark auburn strips pressed its paws on my shoulders holding me down. A wolf whimpered nearby, its leg bloody. Where had the tiger come from?
Two wolves lowered their heads and snarled. The tiger leaped off me, facing off against the beasts.
Both tore at the tiger. One biting his shoulder. It roared, crushing the wolf into the hedge and the sharp thorns. The second wolf snapped its fangs into the tiger’s rump.
“Stop!” Even if the tiger was only fighting the wolves so it could eat me, I had to help it. I threw my bag as hard as I could. The bulk smashing into the wolf’s back. It whimpered letting go of the tiger. Then the canine turned its amber glowing eyes on me.
Shit. I backed up, but the thorny hedge blocked my path.
The tiger roared so loud, I had to cover my ears. Then it raced away through the maze, each of the wolves giving chase after it.
I sat up, pulling my bag to my chest. “What the fuck was that?”
Silence answered me. Unease coiled through my gut. I turned around to hunt for Chaz. Nothing but the walls of hedge surrounded me. Even the injured wolf was gone.
“Chaz?” I called out. Had one of the wolves gotten him and dragged him off somewhere? But as I stood and surveyed the ground, I saw only animal footprints. Too many to know which belonged to what. But where was Chaz? He couldn’t have just vanished.
Or had he transformed into the cat? Like a werecat shifter hunk? No, that wasn’t possible. But the idea tickled my mind. I needed to find out if he’d been injured and dragged away. That was the more possible explanation.
I dashed up the path one direction, but there were no prints this way. Then ran up the other side. Here, the opposite direction I’d seen the tiger and wolves fled, were a set of neatly stacked heel prints. Like boots. Like the ones Chaz had worn.
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