Page 92 of The Naga Lord's Pretty Little Mouse

I shouldn’t have let him touch me.

I sure as hell shouldn’t have let myself hope.

I rip my hands away from the desk, forcing myself to breathe. Anger steadies me. Anger is better than heartbreak.

I will not be played.

Not by anyone.

It’s time to go.

Leaving is not a question of if, only how.

Xirath’s stronghold is a fortress, surrounded by warriors, thick walls, and watchful eyes. But no cage is perfect.

I learned that long ago.

The underground tunnels beneath the stronghold run deep, remnants of ancient pathways carved through the stone. I mapped them days ago when he wasn’t looking because he was so busy with the more “important” matters.

Xirath should have been more careful about what he let me see, what he let me learn.

Maybe he thought I had given up.

Maybe he thought I wouldn’t dare.

He was wrong.

I shove what little I have into a cloth bundle, my hands moving without hesitation. A dagger, stolen from the training pits. A water flask. The dried fruit and meat I managed to snatch from the kitchens.

It will be enough.

I dress simply, wrapping my wrists and feet in cloth to muffle my steps. No boots. No armor. Speed is my weapon tonight.

I take one last look at the room before I slip into the hallways. The fire in the hearth has burned low, its embers pulsing in the darkness. My bed, untouched. The silk sheets, cool and smooth. The place where he…

I force the memory away. This place is not my home.

It never was.

I will not leave pieces of myself behind.

The tunnels smell of damp earth and stone. The air is thick, suffocating, but I push forward.

One wrong turn, one careless misstep, and I’ll be found.

I don’t hesitate.

The labyrinth twists around me, paths branching off into the unknown. I stick to the ones I memorized, counting my steps, listening for movement.

The walls seem to press in, cold and unyielding. The darkness wraps around me like a second skin, the silence stretching between each heartbeat.

I have escaped before.

I will escape again.

The tunnels grow colder as I move deeper, until finally I see it.

The exit.

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