Jin monopolized her time and introduced her to lots of people, and Robin tried not to get a headache as she remembered their names and her own alibi, naming fake royal names and backgrounds that Dylan had already provided ahead for them. In her ear, she kept hearing Simon call out for Jake in his low voice, still with no response on the other end.
Where on earth was that guy?
What on earth was that illusion trick all about?
If anything, it seemed that their investigation was headed in the right direction—a strange one, but still the right one.
An hour later, she was still answering a question one of the guests posed while Jin listened on when she heard it.
“Simon? Robin? I found her.”
It was all she could do not to respond—particularly to shout at him. She pasted a smile on her face as she finished talking and the guest responded, listening to Simon in her ear.
“Dead?” Simon asked.
“No, she’s alive,” Jake confirmed. “Unconscious and slightly bruised. We’re trapped.”
“Where are you?” Simon asked again. “I’ll come get you.”
“I don’t know,” Jake admitted. “But I was running for…”
“Jake?”
The line got cut off, and Jake’s voice was as gone as soon as it came. Jin asked her another question, and Robin smiled once more and responded as charmingly as she could while she listened to Simon call Jake’s name over and over.
But there was no longer any response from the wolf shifter.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Jake Kismet didn’t sign up for this, but he was already here, and there was no backing out now. He looked down at the body that was crumpled on the ground so carelessly—the one he was kneeling in front of and was very much still alive, though unconscious.
He couldn’t be mistaken that this was Lucy Marlow. He recalled her in pictures, what’s with her prominent wealth and status as one of those high-society heiresses who always made a splash in magazines and tabloids. He supposed it came with the territory, but he couldn’t figure out how one could live a peaceful life with all that fuss. Personally, if he were filthy rich, he would prefer living in the mountains and the forests and never have to deal with any other person ever again.
But he was broke, and he needed money and needed to get his shit together…so here he was.
He’d kept his hand on her pulse since he found her, surprised to find it steady and warm. Actually, her whole body was warm, reminding him again that despite the heiress status she had, she was just like him on another level: a wolf beneath the human façade. Worry furrowed his brows as he wondered how long she’d been unconscious and who did this to her.
He shook the worry off, deciding it wasn’t going to help at the moment. He then looked around at his surroundings.
It was a maze that much was sure. He and Lucy were right in the middle of it, where there was a courtyard with a huge stone fountain in the middle and entrance points branching out everywhere—a circular maze. He recalled his words to Simon just before their line got cut off. He wasn’t kidding when he said he didn’t know where he was because the last thing he remembered was him running towards the back when he saw a blur of movement and heard some men talking. He had intended to check it out so he could report whatever was going on.
Instead, he found himself running into a white light, then…nothing. He was suddenly here, in this damn courtyard, with Lucy and no idea how to get out.
His senses told him they were alone, but instinct screamed that it wouldn’t be for long. Not wanting to waste time, he carried Lucy away from the open area and into one of the maze entrances, where he settled her on his lap.
After a few minutes, he finally felt her move, a soft sigh escaping from her lips. It was like watching someone wake up from a long slumber, with the way she unconsciously stretched her limbs and muscles before her lashes finally fluttered.
She opened her eyes, showing him golden irises that had his breath freezing for a little bit. They were sleepy and confused for a few seconds before they finally focused on him—then, she became aware of what position she was in.
In a flash, she was pushing him away and scrambling out of his lap, her eyes widening as she stared at him.
“What were you trying to do with me?”
Jake didn’t like the accusing tone in her voice one bit, despite its huskiness being the sexiest thing he’d ever heard. But he took the calm route, shrugging his broad shoulders almost lazily. “Nothing. Trying to rescue you, for one. Do you have any idea how you got in this maze?”
She looked around the moment he said maze, quietly absorbing her surroundings. Then she straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin, the huskiness in her voice disappearing to be replaced by a polished, cool tone. Despite her wrinkled white dress and slightly messy blonde hair, she looked like a damn queen about to order him around.
And that was exactly what she did.
“Thank you for the rescue, then. Are you with someone? Did my father send you? Find us a way out of here quickly, please.”
Slowly, Jake unfolded his body, stood up, and stared her down. “You’re welcome; I’m with two other people, Dylan Masters sent me, and yes…as soon as I figure out where here is.”
“Then contact your companions.”
“I can’t contact them, either. We’ve been cut off. I think this maze is some kind of prison.”
Any normal woman would have panicked—well, except Robin, who was strange—but Lucy did the exact opposite. She straightened further, nodding almost determinedly.
“Then let’s find a way out of here.”
She didn’t have to tell him twice.
Lucy led the way, and Jake had no choice but to follow as he stared at her back. Part of him wanted to shift to his wolf form, but the hedges were so tall that he didn’t think even he could jump that high. So they kept walking, keeping up with the trial and error and trying to memorize the paths they used.
Then shock filled Lucy’s expression, ruining her placid face as she stopped. Jake stopped a few inches behind her, staring at the scene she was looking at.
It was the courtyard from earlier.
Jake cursed under his breath, and Lucy jumped at the sound of his voice. Then his head snapped up when something else caught his senses—a growling sound from the other end of the maze.
His hand automatically went to Lucy’s wrist, pulling her away. But she was faster than he was, already running away with a speed that surprised him. She ditched her heels and went barefoot, and he only had a second to admire her hidden tenacity before the ground quaked and something blurred in front of them.
Then all hell broke loose as the growl became a roar, and a monster bigger and more terrifying than them charged into a run towards them.
It was brown and built like a tree—except it wasn’t a tree because it had glowing back orbs for eyes and black teeth sharper than any shifter’s. Hell, sharper than vampires. It reached out its branch-like hands towards them, and Jake yanked Lucy back just as the creature swiped at the area she was in.
Then they were both running in the opposite direction.
It followed them. They were way faster and quieter, which gave them the advantage as they lost it for a while. Seconds turned to minutes until they found themselves running in circles again, with the monster far behind them and the growling noises turning faint.
Tired of running and impatient to do something useful, Jake pulled Lucy’s arm to slow her down. Then he backed them into one of the mazes, the soft hedge pillowing them as they squeezed in.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Something,” he muttered. Then he hollered. “Hey, idiot! Come get us!”
He kept shouting until the growling followed, ignoring Lucy’s protests and strength as she pushed against him. He pushed back and kept still, waiting until the growling steadily got louder. Then the blur appeared again. Jake quietly reached for the knife in his boots, murmuring to
Lucy to stay still for at least a minute or two.
Then he jumped just as the first branch-like limb appeared on his path.
In swift movements, Jake was already on the creature’s head, straddling it and avoiding its teeth. In the same swiftness, he swiped in a blur, hacking and hacking until blood poured out of the monster. So it did bleed. It staggered on its feet and tried to get him off, but Jake was stubborn and clung on like a leech, never letting go until he felt the creature stagger, then sway. Then it fell to the ground with a loud thud, and Jake jumped off just in time and landed on his feet beside it.
He was sweating and out of breath, but at least the creature was dead. Lucy got out of her cover and approached him, her eyes widening as she stared at it.
Jake smirked, pretty proud of himself. “See? I could totally handle it—”
“Get back!” she shouted, yanking him forward. Jake turned at what she was looking at and found the monster was gone, slowly evaporating into the air, replaced by gray smoke. A puff got into his nostrils, and immediately he felt dizzy as hell. He cursed again.
“Come on,” Lucy said softly.
Her voice did something to him—or maybe it was just the smoke. He felt himself harden, something inside him stirring and yelling at him to take her right here and now. He fought it.
Unperturbed and unaware, Lucy kept dragging him out of there and back into the maze that just kept getting stranger and stranger.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Two days in the palace and Simon still couldn’t find or contact Jake, or find any signs of the kidnapped Lucy. He didn’t like it one bit because it made him worry. Simon hated worrying because it made one feel helpless.
He didn’t like how they were stuck here playing niceties, with Robin being bolder and more charming than usual, because it simply wasn’t her.
He didn’t like how Jin was enjoying the attention and being bolder, too, as he flirted with Robin and got too close.
Had Simon been his usual self, he’d probably already have punched the man and been done with it. He was all for being diplomatic and all that, but there was a time for that—and when Jin rubbed his hand up and down Robin’s bare neck definitely wasn’t the time for that.
Still, he played the perfect bodyguard and religiously followed her when needed, then got out of the way when she—or rather, Princess Ana—wanted some alone time with Jin. It was more of Jin requesting Ana for private conversations and walks rather than the other way around, and Simon knew Robin had no choice but to accept graciously. Still, it didn’t sit well with him.
He also didn’t like the Hiroshi home, which was so damn big and so ominous in its silence. Apparently, Jin didn’t believe in guards inside the mansion, and most of his guards were on the gates and walls surrounding the mansion. This left only Jin, Robin, Simon and some select servants inside, since Jin’s father also went away for some business meeting for a month. The timing couldn’t have been any more perfect because it gave Simon time to look around as inconspicuously as he could.
Except he found nothing—not even the dead stranger in the bathroom.
Three days in, Simon knocked on Robin’s bedroom door, intending to talk to her about it while Jin was still asleep. She opened it after three knocks, a bright smile on her face. It disappeared once she saw him. Then she was pulling him inside and shutting the door with a quiet click.
Simon stared at her figure in a silk robe. Her hair was damp and uncombed, and he could smell honeycomb, indicating she just got out of the shower. She took a towel from the closet and rubbed her hair with it, and he watched as her action of raising her hands pulled at her robe and shifted the hem higher and higher, exposing creamy skin and smooth thighs. He gulped.
“Still no sign of Jake?” she asked.
Simon blinked, absorbing her question. Then he dragged his gaze away from her legs and concentrated on her face as she sat on the edge of the bed.
“None. No sign of the body or Lucy. And Jin’s being too nice to you.”
Robin frowned. “Yeah, well, he thinks I’m royalty.”
Simon scoffed. “And he thinks you’re hot. He’s been touching you a lot lately.” While speaking, his gaze trailed to her hair again—particularly at her back that got exposed when she pulled her hair up. Her rubbing movements caused her robe to shift to the side, exposing a shoulder as creamy as her skin and a slender neck that just begged to be…
To be what?
Something primitive stirred in his belly, growing hotter by the second. He forced it down and inwardly scolded himself, not liking where his thoughts were going.
This is your childhood friend. Stay focused.
“I’m undercover and trying to seduce him. He’s supposed to touch me.”
The words had his gaze snapping up again, where it met hers. She was frowning again, obviously unaware of what he’d been thinking about earlier.
“Is that what you’re trying to do? Get him to sleep with you to get information?”
“It’s pretend.”
“But he doesn’t think it is.”
Her green eyes darkened as she narrowed them. “What are you implying?”
Simon tried to keep his tone casual. “I’m saying since you’re playing a role, you might have no choice when he turns the tables and seduces you first.”
Robin slowly stood up, facing him squarely. She was so much shorter than he was, but her lifted chin and strong aura pretty much had them at the same height. “This is a mission. If it comes to that, I’m well prepared.”
She meant protection.
Frustration rose up in Simon, as well as something else—a green-eyed monster that was irrational as much as it was out of place. He tamped it down and stared her down, but she wasn’t having it as she stared back, those big green eyes making him want to—
He inwardly staggered back when he realized his hand was already lifting to reach out for her. Instantly, he stepped back.
“Fine,” he intoned. “Just remember I’m around if you need help.”
“I can handle myself.”
“I know you can.”
Then he left the room before he could say or do anything he would regret.
*****
Jin’s assistant came to the third night to hand him some documents, and they excused themselves to a private area and whispered in hushed tones. Simon followed from a safe distance, catching the word prisoner and leaving quickly before he got caught. He tried to figure out how to get more information, but it looked like he didn’t have to as a new turn of events happened.
The assistant, a knockout brunette named Sami with come-hither eyes, tried catching him instead.
Her interest in him was obvious, and Simon took advantage. He pretended to be the cool, formal bodyguard at first, polite and reserved, while she came on to him as subtly as she could when her employer Jin and his charge Princess Ana weren’t around. He then shed the image slowly as he pretended to grow “fascinated” with her, though it wasn’t any hardship because she really was turning on the charm. It took his mind off things and got him prepared with seducing her to get something out of that prisoner word.
Apparently, Sami had the same thought—but hers was faster as she didn’t even need any words, pulling him towards his room quickly before pushing him against the wall, where she pressed her mouth against his.
It was one of those hot make-out sessions that was for the books—except Simon didn’t feel a damn thing. It was bland, and it was impersonal, even while he tried to act all enthusiastic about it and feel the moment.
He felt her unbuttoning his shirt, then his pants. Simon affected a chuckle, cruising his mouth down her cheek and up to whisper in her ear.
“What’s the rush? We have all night,” he murmured. “I wanted to talk to you about my charge and my worry…”
She interrupted him by pressing her palm against his cock, which was still inside his boxers. Energy filled his body, and his cock surged out of its own accord as a sexual sensati
on filled the air, turning it thick.
It was interrupted when the door banged open. Robin stood in the doorway, her eyes moving quietly at the scene before her. Simon resisted the urge to push Sami off, who was pressed over his half-dressed form. Robin’s gaze settled on the palm over Simon’s erection.
Then said gaze turned cold as she moved in an instant. Sparks filled her hands, and Simon felt pain dig into his shoulders. He turned to Sami—
It was no longer Sami. In front of him was a creature with black orbs for eyes who lunged straight towards Robin.
But the witch was faster than her. Simon made a move to protect, but Sami and Robin attacked each other in a blur and left him behind. The energy increased, and Simon shifted his hands and dragged Sami back from Robin. His hands burned. A chant was muttered, and a burst of energy flowed in the room—brighter and bigger than the energy earlier. Simon jumped and shielded Robin, pushing her against the wall.
Sami fell down with a thud, her head cut off from her body. It bounced up the wall before falling right at Simon’s feet, where he stared at it in shock. He only moved when Robin pushed him off and stood beside him, her breath heaving.
“Demon?” he asked, looking down at the body that was slowly evaporating. Demons didn’t evaporate as far as he was concerned, but this one emitted a thick gray smoke. There were two kinds of demons, actually: the lesser ones and the greater ones, the lesser ones being easier to kill by decapitating and the greater ones…well, probably running their own version of hell.
None of them turned to smoke.
Robin impatiently dispelled the smoke with a wave of her hand, containing it into a ball and making it disappear with a poof. Then she gave him a frosty look. “Succubus. A created one, with the creator somewhere here. And you walked right into her hands.”
The slam of the door on her way out indicated she wasn’t pleased. Shocked, Simon went to follow her.
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