He shoved my sweatpants down just far enough to give him access to the space between my dampened thighs. His jeans went next. He manipulated my body until I was in front of the standalone basin, turning me around.
I grabbed either side of the porcelain, a soft moan spilling from my lips when he ran the head of his cock up my slit, teasing me.
“We shouldn’t do this,” I breathed, one last pitiful attempt to stop what was seconds away from happening.
He gripped my throat from the back and grinned, whispering in my ear before he slammed inside me. “Better the devil you know.”
I cried out, feeling every thick, solid inch of him inside me, stretching my pussy.
The intrusion was so painful, my pussy clenched, a spray of liquid drenching his cock. His other hand went to my hip to keep me upright as my legs threatened to give out.
“Your pussy is a fucking dream,” he groaned, rolling his hips to sink himself deeper. A low laugh mixed with my moans.
“Watch the way I fuck you, puppet. I want you to remember every bit of it.”
Without further delay, he began thrusting in and out of me, riding my body so hard my nails clawed at the porcelain.
I watched us in the mirror, seeing how filthy we were, covered in specs of mud and a light layer of sweat, both hungry for what the other could give them.
The darkness that was so clearly etched into his soul was the ultimate fix for the degenerate junkies like me. It’d been so long since I’d had that high…
I tried to widen my legs, arching my back so he could fuck me harder, go deeper.
He gave me what I was seeking without needing my words. A moan, practically a sob of pleasure ripped from my lungs as his dick pounded into me, hitting every sweet spot.
“Come for me, babygirl,” he commanded, tightening his grip on my throat, digging his fingers into the flesh of my hip. I screamed his name, my muscles going taut as an orgasm swept through me, spreading an inferno so hot tears spilled from my eyes and I squirted all over his cock, toes curling tight.
“Damn, puppet,” he ground out, riding my body harder, groans of pleasure beginning to rumble from his chest. Soon, the only sounds in the room were slick skin hitting slick skin, and the moans that he wrenched from my lungs as he continued to ensure I’d never forget him.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The moment we stepped outside, Kyrous kissed the back of Gracelyn’s hand, which was odd to me seeing as he didn’t give off that kind of sweet vibe at all.
And then he took off. He went right when we needed to go straight.
Like the map depicted, Maze of Mayhem was right behind us. Literally.
There was a small patch of grass, and then the entrance to another building.
“Where are you going?” Selena yelled after him.
He didn’t answer, continuing without a backyard glance.
“He’s going to find his brother,” Gracelyn replied softly.
“Poor bub,” Selena murmured, blinking away tears.
I frowned, watching his form grow smaller and smaller. I understood the reasoning behind it, but I thought Kyrous was smarter than this.
It was a suicide mission, and Ciaran was right. We were so close to the end. All we needed to do was make it through this maze to get to the manor. Maybe death would be waiting there, but at least we’d be going to greet it.
“Are either of you going to go after him?”
“He wouldn’t have wanted us to,” Maverick replied.
“And I’m not leaving you on your own,” Ciaran added, staring after his friend, his face clear of any emotion.
“I’m probably safer without you,” I mumbled.
“Yeah? You’re also dead.” He grabbed my hand and began to walk towards the next entrance, leaving the others to follow.
He hadn’t left my side once since we’d finished fooling around. He’d basically been my shadow, as if he thought I would run off or something now that I knew who he was.
He gave himself too much credit, but I wouldn’t deny I liked him being near me.
We stepped through a small opening and into a circular room made of nothing but stone. As the girls and Maverick followed, I looked around, taking note of the minor details.
There were no windows, and the only light came from dimly lit wall sconces. It was cool here, too.
Straight ahead was another narrow doorway, beyond it an inky darkness, the kind no one in their right mind would ever walk into. A stagnant smell emanated from within it.
“Look at the floor.” Mel pointed down at a large mural someone had painted.
“It’s like the image from the Visitor’s Center,” Selena said.
I had forgotten about that, but she was right. Only now, I noticed the demons were wearing masks, all of them different, still surrounding the naked girl. Ciaran set his eyes on the next riddle and wandered over to it, keeping hold of my hand.
“You’ve been trapped in a maze since you caught my eye.
Find your way out before you’re trapped for good.
Mystery, mayhem, darkness.
The Devil lurks on the other side,” Ciaran read.
“I think this is the most ominous one we’ve seen,” I mused.
“Maybe, but we can do this,” Mel avowed. “We’re not going to die here.”
She sounded so confident, a complete flip from the pessimist she tended to be.
I smiled at her, reaching for her hand. “It’s dark in there. Let’s form a chain until we know what we’re walking into.”
We moved into a formation of sorts.
I stayed with Ciaran, holding onto Mel now as well. Gracelyn and Selena followed, leaving Maverick at the end of our line.
Entering the darkness, I don’t think any of us knew what to expect. My eyes strained to adjust as the light fell away, but there was nothing to see but black. The walls were still stone, covered in what felt like moss as I brushed against one.
There was a small splash, followed by a soft-spoken warning from Ciaran.
“Watch your step.” He stopped, helping me down.
“Ugh,” I muttered when I reached the bottom.
Cold water wicked into my J’s, soaking my socks and the bottom of my sweatpants. The stench of it was potent, mold and mildew. I firmed my grip on Ciaran’s hand and Mel’s, making sure she didn’t fall.
We began to make our way through the dark, using our human chain to ensure none of us got separated or lost. The passageways seemed endless. The only way we knew to turn was when we had no other choice, when the walls curved and made us go right or left. Every so often, there was definitive grinding noise.
The first time we heard it we all froze, waiting for something to happen—nothing did.
It came every few minutes, and after so many turns and times of hearing it I was beginning to wonder if we would ever get out of this place. I wasn’t the only one.
“How ironic would it be to die in here?” Gracelyn asked.
“Don’t put that idea in the air,” Selena snapped.
We took another turn, this passage even narrower than the last. My brain had a lightbulb moment.
“The walls are moving,” I announced.
“Yeah, I noticed that about two turns back,” Maverick replied.
Then why the hell didn’t he say anything? I gritted my teeth, keeping silent. My feet had become so wet I could feel them pruning. The walls shifted again, and this time I physically felt it.
“Let’s pick up the pace,” Ciaran commanded, sloshing forward.
Nearly running, we pushed onward, taking the different twists and turns. With one more right, a small light became visible, but by this point we were practically smashed between two slabs of stone. Fuck. I really didn’t want to die by being squished like a bug.
Going as fast we could, the light began to grow brighter as we drew closer. We emerged from the passage just as the walls shifted again. I would have melted in relief, but I wasn’t going to take a single breath f
or granted until I was out of whatever the hell this place was.
I put my hands on my knees, taking a second to catch my breath and let my eyes get used to seeing light again.
“There are no doors or windows in here,” Gracelyn huffed, twisting her hair up.
Doing a quick scan of wherever it was we’d wound up; I saw the space we’d emerged into was nothing less than opulent—on the same level the Cerberus Hall and Blight House had been.
The light we’d seen was coming from a chandelier that had been set to low, the gold gleaming as if it’d just been polished.
I didn’t understand any of this shit.
Straightening, I skimmed my eyes over each of the damask walls, gaze bouncing between one that had a backlit sign and the rear wall that was covered entirely by a massive, velvet, black curtain.
“Now what?” Mel questioned, staring down at her pruned feet.
“I’d start with that wall,” Maverick replied, crossing his arms.
“I can see it from where we’re standing and it ain’t a riddle, it’s just names,” Selena pointed out.
“Exactly,” he shot back matter-of-factly.
These fucking assholes. Why could they never come right out with anything?
The girls all began walking towards the sign. I made to follow, but Ciaran stepped in front of me and cut me off. He’d been quiet, more so than usual, but I figured he was still dealing with losing one, now potentially two, of his friends. Maverick seemed just fine, though.
“What is it?” I asked.
He didn’t immediately respond. His eyes blazed into mine with an unsettling degree of what I dared say was affection.
“I missed you,” he finally replied.
“What the hell are you talking about? I never went anywhere.”
He cupped my face with both his hands and kissed my forehead.
“Ciaran?”
“I’ll see you on the other side.” He stepped back and then moved around me, walking towards the curtain.
Maverick gave me a two-finger salute, and then followed behind him.
“What the fuck? Ciaran!”
I went to follow, but Mel’s voice stopped me in my tracks.
“Liliana, no!”
The urgency in her tone had me turning to face the other direction. “What’s wrong?”
“This.” Gracelyn pointed to the list of names on the sign they were standing by.
I took two steps in her direction, pausing at the sound of classical music and an array of voices. It was brief, lasting a few sparse seconds, but I still heard that shit.
“What the entire fuck is going on?” I turned back around and marched towards the curtain, wet shoes squelching across the marble floor.
“Lana, wait,” Grace hissed.
I didn’t listen. I tore back the curtain, spotting a solid metal door. As I slipped behind the hefty barrier to open it, the girls were following right behind me.
None of us—not even one—could have been prepared for what was on the other side.
“What is this?” Mel asked from behind me, grabbing my arm as we stepped into the room.
The space was filled with people in suits and ballgowns, walking the floor with glasses of champagne and conversing casually. Flat screens were strategically placed around the room, each one showing a different area of Goetia. Those who took immediate notice of us did so with smiles and waves.
A clinking sound came from above us. I lifted my head towards the upper balcony, every muscle in body going rigid. My family—our families—were right fucking there, dressed to the nines and shaking hands with people I’d never seen before. Beside them, standing in a nice row, were four familiar faces, all staring back at us.
“What is happening?” Selena questioned, grabbing hold of my arm as if she were about to flee and take me with her.
Unable to answer, I watched my abuelo accept a microphone from someone.
He cleared his throat to get the room’s attention, waving down at us proudly. I could hear blood rushing in my ears, my mind racing to make sense of what I was seeing.
This couldn’t be happening.
It wasn’t real.
I tore my eyes away from the balcony and looked around room, gaze coming to rest on two gilded double doors. Two words were displayed above them, both eroded and large as if they’d been here for quite some time.
“Goetia will lead you to the Devil’s Playground.”
How ironic was it that we’d been brought here by the devil himself?
This wasn’t the end of anything.
It was the very beginning.
EPILOGUE
I’ve waited patiently for this day to come.
Always watching.
Always lurking.
Always a good boy who kept his distance.
Until I didn’t.
She doesn’t remember me, but I remember her.
It’s time to put my mask on and play.
Every demon wants his pound of flesh.
Psycho versus psycho.
Let’s see how vicious she can be.
MALEFICIUM
TRAGIC & TWISTED FALL APART…
Told from a dual POV, Ciaran and Liliana’s story is coming soon!
AMAZON
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Periculum: Unus (Devil's Playground Book 1) Page 12