Page 61 of The Naga Lord's Pretty Little Mouse

"You are under my protection," he says, and the way he says it feels like a cage closing around my ribs.

The words ignite something violent inside me. Something that refuses to stay silent.

"Then why am I really here?" My voice rises, hoarse but unyielding.

He does not answer.

Heat licks along my spine, fury mixing with something deeper, something more dangerous. "You could have let me run. You could have let me die in that jungle. But you didn’t. Why?"

Xirath’s eyes flicker, jaw locking. The golden depths shift, something hidden beneath the surface.

"Tell me," I demand, fingers curling into fists. "What am I to you?"

His tail lashes against the stone, the sound sharp. "You would not understand."

"Try me."

His chest rises and falls in one slow, measured breath. A decision teeters on his tongue, a battle waged behind his gaze.

He speaks.

"I am searching for my mate to free me from my curse."

The words slam into me, stealing my breath away.

The weight of them settles, unfamiliar and cruel.

Mate.

Of course.

My fingers loosen, a hollow laugh spilling past my lips.

"Is that what this is?" I whisper, voice edged with something sharp, something I can’t name. "You’re keeping me here to what? Test me? See if I fit the mold?"

He does not deny it.

He does not confirm it.

I push off the bed, ignoring the pain lancing through my ribs. "Is that why you brought me back? Not because you wanted to, but because you still needed to check if I was?—"

"You are not my mate."

The words should not sting.

They should mean freedom.

Then why do they feel like chains?

I exhale sharply, forcing the tightness in my throat to unravel. "So what happens when you find her?"

Silence.

"Do you let me go?" I press, stepping closer. "Or do I remain caged in your grasp, just another failed attempt at breaking your curse?"

The flash of something dark in his expression makes my breath catch.

He does not answer.

---