And I was lost.
I realized a few things all at once. The maze in my childhood both scared and excited me. I was always afraid that I would never find my way out the deeper I explored it, but somehow, it showed me clues, kept its doors open for me to come and go as I pleased.
I always found my way out.
Kara was like that maze. The only difference between them was that I might not make it out this time.
And maybe, I thought as I stared in her eyes, I wouldn’t want to.
Chapter 16
Kara
It felt like my soul was detached from my body the moment I woke up. I blinked and tried to focus, but my brain wouldn’t engage. It kept on chanting coffee, coffee, coffee.
Someone beautiful was staring at me. He looked awfully familiar, like I should care about him somehow, but like everything else, he felt unreal.
I sat up—slumped, really—and realized I was in my car, parked in someone’s driveway. I stared at the windshield and watched as rivulets of rain ran down it.
There was something wet on the side of my mouth. Drool, probably. I should wipe it, but it seemed like a lot of work. Besides, my arms felt heavy.
I heard a deep chuckle coming from somewhere in the car. I moved my head to search for it, and my eyes landed on the mug of coffee in the cup holder. Some sort of yearning sound came out of my throat, and I grabbed it possessively, glugging it down like medicine. It was cold, but it was this-shit’s-gonna-make-me-human-again cold.
A few minutes of this and my senses were starting to come back. Suddenly, I became conscious of everything around me. The toasty warmth of the car, the soothing pitter-patter of the rain, the scent of it—something unpleasant mixed with fresh, cool blue that my nose wanted to inhale. But most of all, I was painfully aware of a compelling presence beside me. My heart skipped a beat.
“Better?” A deep, masculine voice. A hint of amusement.
I jumped.
Cameron.
When did he become Cameron to me and not my blackmailer or the spawn of Satan? Must have been some really magical coffee I just drank.
“I can make you a fresh cup.” I glued my eyes to the windshield, refusing to look at him, but in my peripheral, I saw him gesture to his house. “But you’d have to come inside.”
Something told me that wasn’t a good idea. He sounded like a dark sorcerer who came to offer me the best deal of my life…in exchange for my body.
Okay, soul.
“Want to?” he asked softly.
I must not look at him. I must not.
“No thanks,” I croaked, feeling warm. “Listen,” I started, cranking the window open just a little to cool me down. We needed to discuss important things, and right now was the perfect time. The time! “Holy shit. What time is it?”
I couldn’t help it. My head whipped in his direction. He moved his head slightly, toward the clock on the dash.
His hair, as black as crow’s wings, was rumpled boyishly as if he’d been sleeping. His clear blue eyes were gleaming with amusement. And the way he sat in the seat… Well, he took over the space.
“It’s 10:15,” he provided. “You’ve been sleeping for two hours.”
“I thought you had classes in the morning!”
“I did.”
“Why didn’t you wake me up?”
“It looked like you needed some sleep.”