Disclaimers: Firstly, I do not own Jenny, Julian, the shadow men or any other characters that my pop in to the storyline. But I DO own Angel if that's any consolation.
Author's Notes: Give a shout out to my new Beta, Dawn. She really helped me make this chapter come alive. *_~ Thanks Dawn!
Desires Revealed: Chapter XIII
Some hours later the trio stopped again. This was partly because Jenny was tired and partly due to the fact they were still going in circles. They were really starting to get sick of this nightmare. And more importantly they were all starting to get sick of one another.
"Damn I wish this nightmare would be done with!" She muttered under her breath.
"I think we all agree on that front, love." Angel told her, while he checked the walls for more "surprises." Julian suddenly reached down and took the flashlight from her.
"Hey!"
"I want to check something..." He announced distractedly before walking further into the maze.
"What is it? Have you found something?"
"I don't know; I might have. Wait a minute..." Julian replied staring into the darkness.
"We see you have been aware of our presence."
The unearthly beautiful voice abruptly broke the silence causing Jenny to jump and Angel to raise an eyebrow slightly.
"I'd have to be a fool not to be aware of your presence." Julian said with a smirk.
"Why didn't you notice them too, Angel?" Jenny whispered turning towards him.
He leaned against the brick wall before replying, "Who says I didn't notice them?"
"Then why didn't you say anything?" she hissed, angry at being kept in the dark (literally) about something this important.
"Because I didn't think it was important."
"You didn't think it was imp..." She sputtered and then broke off quickly when she noticed Julian glaring at them.
"What!?" She and Angel demanded in unison.
"In case you two haven't noticed I'm kind of busy here?" He cleared his throat before continuing in a yell. "So shut up!"
Jenny would have protested but the look he was giving her shut her up. She glanced Angel's way and smirked when she saw him glowering at Julian. She rolled her eyes. Yeah it was official they were all acting like children.
Right about then she decided she didn't care. Could you blame her? She was here with two extremely hot guys and up until now she hadn't had any naughty thoughts pop into her head. She figured she was entitled to at least one whipped cream filled fantasy before all was said and done but now was not the time.
She sighed and with some effort she stopped daydreaming and turned back to Julian and the disembodied voice. After a moment she found that the voice was a familiar one. With a shiver Jenny knew which shadow man it belonged to and she hoped that he didn't feel like materializing any time soon. She shuddered as her mind flashed to blood colored eyes and crocodilian rough skin. She figured she should be listening to the conversation instead of torturing herself so she tuned in.
"…give into us. We will have what we want in the end, and we will not be as generous when this game is lost."
"Fuck you! When this game ends it will be because we won." Angel roared going to stand beside Julian.
A pair of blood red eyes appeared in front of both Julian and Angel. The soulless scarlet eyes gazed past the two boys and stared at Jenny with a look of pure hunger.
"You will all be ours to enjoy but this one...no. She will be mine alone. I will enjoy this little one for millennia to come."
Jenny stood frozen with her eyes wide. She was too unnerved to even notice the fact that this time the one with the blood red eyes had referred to himself in the first person. She just wanted to dart somewhere and hide. Julian moved to the side blocking the shadow man's view of her. She let out a sigh of relief. She'd have to thank him for that later. Jenny shook her head clearing it. This little testosterone battle wasn't getting them anywhere. It was up to her. She squared her shoulders and approached the shadow man.
"Since you're so positive that we are going to lose this game you wouldn't object to humoring us now, would you? Tell us how to get out of this maze or at least give us a hint."
A mouth appeared just below the eyes and a hand snaked out of the darkness. It beckoned to Jenny.
"Everything has a price. A hint for a touch. We will humor you but everything has a price and this is ours."
Both Angel and Julian turned sharply towards her. By the looks on their faces she could tell that they were ready to tell the shadow man where to shove it but Jenny stopped them. She had to do this. If she didn't they could be wandering around this labyrinth for days, week...months.
Jenny clenched her jaw and spoke before either Julian or Angel could.
"Fine. A hint for a touch."
She shivered when a ravenous leer entered its eyes. She gave both Angel and Julian a sidelong look warning them to stay back. Jenny moved forward slowly until she stood in front of the abyss. She stood there until a rough hand grabbed her arm with another grabbing her around the waist. Jenny wanted to back away as the rest of his body materialized out of the void a wolfish look gracing his grotesque features. She was speechless.
Julian stepped forward. His beautiful face was contorted into an _expression filled with disgust.
"This was not in the bargain! Let her go before I make you release her!"
The other shadow man grinned and started pulling Jenny into the darkness. With quicksilver reflexes Julian reached for her but no matter how quick he was now his new human self couldn't reach her in time. There wasn't even time for her to scream.
"Jenny!" He shouted into the darkness. Julian turned on Angel who stood there with a look of pure shock on his face. "Why didn't you grab her? You still have you shadow man status!" Julian sneered advancing on Angel.
Angel wisely backed away from the look in Julian's eyes. He held his hands in front of himself in a defensive gesture.
"Chill man, I didn't think -- shit this is bad! This is real bad! I didn't expect them to just take her like that. What happened to that whole fair game thing? That wasn't fucking fair! They just took her!"
"Well if you haven't noticed we're the prey and shadow men don't play fair when it comes to prey." He cocked his head and considered Angel with a suspicious glare. "You're still one of them and you didn't know any of this?"
There was no mistaking the look of anger that bloomed in Angel's eyes.
"In case you forgot I wasn't exactly brought into existence in the traditional shadow man way." Angel spat running his hand through his hair.
"Point taken."
Julian bent down suddenly.
"Help me look for any clue they might have left behind."
Angel mimicked the posture as Julian moved away focusing the flashlight he still held on a portion of the floor, searching. Angel made sure that Julian couldn't see him and a small white piece of paper made out of papyrus suddenly materialized. Written on it were 10 words, "He who enters must face the wrath of the Guardian". He grinned as he balled up the paper and thrust it into the abyss a few inches away. He abruptly climbed to him feet wiping the arrogant grin from his face.
"I think I found something! Over here!" He reached for the paper as Julian approached.
"You have? What is it?" He asked taking the paper that Angel handed him. He unwrinkled it and read the note.
"Hmm..." Julian said putting the paper close to his face, sniffing it.
Angel waited.
"This smells like papyrus. The Egyptians used this in the time of the pharaohs." He stated. "'He who enters must face the wrath of the Guardian." Julian mumbled to himself and then it hit him.
"We have to find the Minotaur's Lair. That's where Jenny will be!" Julian declared more to himself them Angel.
"Are you sure?" Angel said trying to keep a straight face.
"Positive." Julian told him. "Now we just have to find it. If we find this Lair we find Jenny."
He began to walk and Angel followed, a haughty sneer marring his perfect features.
Everything was going according to plan.
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So what'd you all think of this chapter? R&R greatly appreciated! I'm all ears! !_!
The next chapter will be out next Saturday. I'm still kind of busy but I feel terrible not being about to update my fics. I know how I get when the fics I like to read aren't updated.