Page 43 of Monster's Maiden

I meet his gaze steadily. “Yes. He loves me.”

Maya looks like she’s been slapped. “This is utterly insane.”

A deep rumble rolls through the forest, and I stagger to keep my balance. Zyrith is close—too close.

“We don’t have time for this,” I say urgently. “You need to trust me.”

Aiden grits his teeth but nods reluctantly. “Fine. What do we do?”

“We stay here and wait for him.”

Maya looks horrified. “Wait for him? Are you serious?”

“Yes,” I say firmly. “He won’t hurt us if we don’t threaten him.”

Another tremor shakes the ground beneath our feet. The fire sputters and almost goes out.

“Lara,” Aiden says quietly, “if this goes south…”

“It won’t,” I cut him off. “Just let me handle it.”

The vibrations grow stronger, almost rhythmic now—each one like a heartbeat echoing through the earth.

I take a deep breath, steadying myself for what’s to come. Zyrith is coming for me, and there’s no stopping him now.

The tremors grow more violent, and fear grips my heart. Each shake feels like a countdown to disaster. I glance at Aiden and Maya; their faces mirror my own confusion and concern.

"Is he really this close?" Maya asks, her voice barely above a whisper.

I nod, unable to tear my eyes away from the dark forest beyond. "Yes."

Aiden's jaw tightens. "And you’re sure we should just stay put?"

I force myself to meet his gaze. "Running will only make things worse."

"He's coming for you at any cost," Aiden says flatly, as if stating an undeniable truth.

"He’s not coming to hurt me," I counter, though I can’t hide the tremor in my voice. "He wants me back."

Maya looks torn, her eyes flicking between me and Aiden. "But what if he hurts us?"

"He won’t," I insist, though the fear gnawing at my insides makes it hard to believe my own words.

The ground shakes again, harder this time. Snow falls from the trees like a silent avalanche, blanketing our camp in a layer of white.

"He's almost here," I whisper, more to myself than anyone else.

Aiden stands up abruptly. "Then let’s be ready."

"For what?" Maya snaps, her frustration boiling over. "To fight him? To run? What’s the plan?"

"We stick to Lara’s plan," Aiden says through gritted teeth. "We wait."

Maya crosses her arms, clearly unhappy but resigned. "This is insane."

"Maybe," I admit softly, looking into the fire and feeling its warmth on my face.

Another tremor shakes the ground, more intense than before. It feels like Zyrith’s anger is shaking the very world itself.

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