ALL US VILLAINS

Chapter Fourteen

Since narrowly dodging the false murder accusation, Diana has spent a lot of time walking the palace grounds. Rosalie has had a surprisingly difficult time keeping up with her while she walks through the hedge maze. There's always one corner with a blind spot that Diana always passes through, somehow ducking behind either the left or right corner before Rosalie rounds the first corner.

One time, Rosalie spent hours wandering through the maze trying to find Diana. When she had dragged herself outside of the maze at moon rise, the sorceress had been sitting on the white marble bench just outside waiting for her.

Today, Rosalie is going to make sure that she does not lose Diana in the maze. Though it makes her nervous, Rosalie walks by Diana's side through the maze. They are both silent, far too used to never speaking to one another.

Despite guarding the sorceress for months, Rosalie and Diana have not shared more than just a few words. Rosalie is afraid of what may happen to her if she speaks to Diana. From all of the rumors she has heard about the sorceress over the years, Rosalie would not put it past the sorceress to turn her into some sort of woodland creature for entertainment.

Rosalie nearly collides into Diana when they round the first corner of the maze. The sorceress spares the woman a silent look that makes Rosalie want to cower away from her.

She cannot afford to lose Diana again. Every time that she loses track of the sorceress, she is failing her assigned task. Rosalie has to prove to Liam that she is capable of doing the job assigned to her.

That way, she can one day pursue the job she truly wants.

When they round the next corner, Rosalie bumps into the sorceress again. After a few steps, Diana stops in the middle of the cobbled path. "Miss Samara?" She inquires. Her voice is both quiet and lethal, offering its own sort of warning. Rosalie's anxiety spikes while the woman turns to face her. "Why do you insist on walking alongside me?"

Heat taints the girl's cheeks a pale pink while she tries to come up with an answer that isn't embarrassing. "I'm just ensuring your safety, Miss Lockheart," she answers. Her eyes flicker around the area to avoid meeting Diana's intense gaze.

Sometimes, it's difficult for Rosalie to tell if she's nervous around Diana because she is deadly or if it's because she is pretty. It could simply be a combination of both. Regardless, it makes her task as a bodyguard really difficult at times.

"What if an ambusher jumps through the bushes? I'll be more than prepared to fend them off at your side," Rosalie claims. The excuse sounds ridiculous even to her own ears.

Rosalie wishes that she could physically sew her own mouth shut to prevent any more embarrassing things from leaving her lips.

Quirking one of her snow white eyebrows, Diana crosses her arms. The black leather straps on her shirt groan in a small protest from the motion. "Somehow, I find your three feet different to be no safer."

A ghost of a cruel smile flickers over the sorceress's lips before she faces forward once more. She holds her chin high and throws her braided white hair over her shoulder. "Although, I suppose I should be grateful for having your presence at all," Diana claims. Rosalie is wary of Diana's smug tone, unsure of her intentions. "You never know what sort of beasts could be lurking about."

The sound of thick snapping branches happens behind the pair. Panickedly turning around, Rosalie begins to unsheath her sword. The weapon gets stuck as she tries to pull it out, stopped a few inches from the hilt. As she struggles to pull out her sword, the walls of the hedge maze across from her begin to move.

Whatever is hidden in the hedges is big. Much bigger than the rabbits that typically wander through the area. It shakes the leaves of the hedge maze, creating a trail through the greenery.