Page 40 of Sacrificed to the Mountain Demon

The pain of that betrayal washes over me anew and hot tears begin to spill down my cheeks. The cave walls seem to close in and suffocate me. I realize now, I can never go back to the village. The place I once called home, despite its flaws, is lost to me forever.

"Bella?" his deep voice rumbles with concern. His large hand cups my face, thumb gently wiping away my tears. "What's wrong?"

I lean into his touch, seeking comfort. "I... I just realized. I can never go back. The village, it's... it's gone for me now."

His green eyes darken, a growl emanating from his chest. "Those bastards don't deserve you. After what they did?—"

"I know," I interrupt, placing my hand over his. "But it was still... it was all I knew."

He pulls me closer, his tentacles wrapping around me protectively. The gesture, once terrifying, now feels like home. "I could hurt them for you," he murmurs, his voice a dangerous purr. "Make them pay for what they did to you."

A small, broken laugh escapes me. "As tempting as that sounds, I... I don't want that. I just want to move forward. With you."

His grip on me tightens, and I feel his lips brush against my forehead. "You have me, Bella. Always."

I look up at him, taking in his fierce expression. Where once I saw a monster, I now see my protector, my lover. The realization warms me from the inside out, chasing away the chill of loss.

"Thank you," I whisper, reaching up to trace the sharp lines of his face. "For everything. For saving me, for showing me what it means to truly belong somewhere."

He leans into my touch, his eyes softening. "You've saved me too, you know. From a lifetime of loneliness."

Our lips meet in a tender kiss, full of promise and understanding. As we part, I feel a sense of peace settle over me.

We sit in comfortable silence for a moment, the weight of our shared loneliness and newfound connection hanging in the air between us.

"You know," I say eventually, a small smile tugging at my lips, "it's ironic. The village thought they were condemning me to death, offering me up to a monster. But really, they were giving me a chance at life. At love."

He chuckles, the sound rumbling through his chest. "Fate works in mysterious ways."

I nod. "It does. And I'm grateful for it. For you."

As we finish our meal, I realize that for the first time in my life, I feel truly at home. Not in a place, but with a person - orrather, a being. The village may be lost, but I've found something far more precious here in this cave, in the arms of my monster.

Soon, Jytos leads me outside the cave to his favorite rocky outcrop to bask in the sunlight for awhile. We sit down on a flat rock, and he wraps his arm gently around me. As I sit there in his powerful embrace, a new revelation dawns upon me.

With him, the person I'd always longed to be starts to emerge from the timid shell I had inhabited for so long. Strength, courage, passion... these were the virtues I'd whispered to myself in the still of the night, my prayers unanswered. Yet here, under his protective gaze, those whispered dreams have been reshaped into the bold strokes of my new life.

"Jytos," I begin, my voice barely above a murmur, "there's something I need to confess."

His eyes meet mine, a quiet invitation in his steady gaze. My heart races, yet the fear that once clouded my judgment has evaporated like mist at sunrise. "Ever since I was brought here, I've changed. I've become... more. It's as if the weak-willed woman who accepted her fate without a fight has been reborn, stronger and more certain of what she wants."

A slow, predatory smile graces his lips, tentacles shifting restlessly on his back, betraying a hint of pride. "And what do you want, Bella?"

I draw a steadying breath, holding his gaze with a resolve I never knew I had. "You, Jytos. I want you. Not because there is no other choice, not out of gratitude, and certainly not because fate has decreed it." My hands fist in his rough tunic as my next words spill out, raw and sincere. "Because from the moment you picked me up from that cold, lifeless altar and carried me to your world, you've awakened something fierce within me. A fire that refused to be quenched."

The temperature in the air seems to rise with the confession. His massive hands frame my face, his finger gently tracing theline of my jaw. "I never intended to let you go, Bella." His voice is low and resonant, rumbling through me like the first growl of a gathering storm. "The very thought of you walking out of my life, willingly or not... the idea was unfathomable."

His words should terrify me. They should conjure images of cages and chains, of freedoms stripped away. But there's no trepidation, only the pounding of my own heart in sync with his.

A delighted shiver runs through my body as I lean into his touch. "The knowledge that you staked your claim should unsettle me. Back in the village, they painted you as a savage beast, one that desired nothing more than my ruin. Yet, I feel safer with you than I ever did among them."

He places a soft kiss against my neck that elicits a sharp intake of breath from me. "I may be a beast in the eyes of your kind, Bella, but every territorial instinct I possess burns with the need to keep you by my side forever."

His lips soon find mine with bruising intensity. My heart pounds in my chest, a wild rhythm that matches the fervor of our kiss. His lips are fierce and demanding, yet there's a tenderness beneath the surface that makes my knees weak. His hands, strong and sure, hold me close, as if he's afraid I might vanish if he lets go.

"You're all mine, Bella," he murmurs against my lips.

I can't help but smile, even as we continue to explore each other's mouths with a hunger that seems insatiable. "I'm not going anywhere," I assure him, my words punctuated by the gentle nip of his sharp teeth.

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