Page 26 of The Naga Lord's Pretty Little Mouse

But the jungle is a cruel thing.

The moment my foot catches on an unseen root, my body collides with the ground.

The impact knocks the air out of me, my vision swimming from the force of it.

The first one is already on me.

His massive hand grabs my arm, yanking me up, his grip tight like iron.

His mouth curls into something amused, something victorious.

“Done running?”

A flicker of white-hot fury slams through me.

I twist, throwing my full weight into a vicious kick straight to his knee.

It lands.

He staggers, a growl ripping from him, and I use the moment to wrench myself free.

But the second one is already there.

A fist catches my stomach, sending me gasping to my knees.

The jungle seems to pulse, as if holding its breath.

I claw at the ground, forcing my body to rise, but they are done playing.

The first mercenary steps closer, rolling his shoulders, looming like a titan over a broken thing.

He reaches down, hand closing around my throat.

Is this the end for me?

12

XIRATH

The moment I step into her empty chambers, I know what she has done.

The sheets are still warm. The faint scent of her skin lingers in the stillness, salt, something crisp and sharp, like rain against stone.

She has fled.

Not far.

Not to escape me.

If she had meant to run, she would have taken provisions, weapons, something more than just the blade she always keeps hidden.

No. This is a test.

A defiant, reckless act to prove that she is not bound to me.

She will learn soon enough.

I move through the halls, past the sleeping guards, past the corridors lined with etched stone and unlit torches. The stronghold breathes in quiet anticipation, but the jungle beyond is awake.

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