Page 93 of The Naga Lord's Pretty Little Mouse

A jagged opening in the rock, moonlight spilling through, illuminating the path forward.

I quicken my pace, emerging from the underground into the crisp night air.

The world opens before me.

The jungle stretches in the distance, its shadows curling at the edges of the land, but I don’t look back.

Not yet. Not until I’ve reached the boundary of it, until I’ve left Xirath’s world behind.

Hours later, the stronghold is a distant silhouette.

A towering, dark thing against the pale glow of the horizon.

It looks so small from here.

My pulse pounds in my ears, my body aching from the trek, but I don’t stop.

I stare at the place I swore I’d never return to.

I turn my back on it.

No more cages. No more chains. No more Xirath.

This time, I disappear for good.

40

XIRATH

The scent of her absence is a wound carved into my ribs.

Every breath I take tastes wrong.

Every corner of the stronghold feels hollow.

The moment I step into her chambers, the truth slams into me with the strength of a hammer to the gut. She is gone. The room is empty, stripped of warmth, stripped of her.

A growl rumbles through my chest, deep enough to shake the walls. The guards outside do not move fast enough.

"Where is she?" My voice cuts through the silence like the tip of a dagger.

The two naga warriors standing at her door exchange uneasy glances, their tails twitching. Cowards.

"My Lord," one of them dares, shifting uncomfortably. "We?—"

I don’t let him finish.

My fist connects with his jaw before he has the chance. Bone cracks beneath my knuckles, and he crumples like a broken thing, gasping in pain as he clutches his face.

The other steps back, fangs bared in reflex, but he doesn’t run. Smart.

"She left through the tunnels," he blurts out. "We, we didn’t notice until she was already gone?—"

Another hit. This time, I grab him by the throat, slamming him against the stone wall hard enough to make the torches flicker. His breath chokes off, his claws scrambling at my grip.

"You let her walk out of my stronghold?" I snarl, my golden eyes burning into his.

He wheezes. "She—she’s fast."

---