Page 28 of Demon Monster's Little Human

The fire. The stench of damp stone and charred meat. The sound of the wind rattling through the mountain peaks.

The way my claws dig into my thighs, threatening to snap stone.

She shouldn’t be here. I left her. I made my choice.

Then why does my body want to move, want to drag her away from them, want to put my hands on her just to remind her that I was here first?

I exhale slowly. I do not understand this.

I shouldn’t have to.

I turn my attention back to the others, watching as Rhogar tilts her head back just slightly, his grip still firm.

“Tell me, human,” he murmurs. “Are you lost?”

A slow breath.

Her pulse quivers.

Then she speaks.

“No,” she whispers. “I was left behind.”

My gut twists.

I rise.

The motion is slow, deliberate, calculated.

Rhogar notices. He does not release her.

Liora turns and our eyes meet.

For a moment, the world shrinks. The fire dims, the wind fades, the others disappear.

There is only her and the way her breath catches, just slightly.

Rhogar’s head tilts. His eyes flick between us. He is not a fool. He sees.

A smirk touches his lips. “Interesting.”

The fire crackles. The wind howls.

The beast inside me stirs, furious.

12

LIORA

Dain is here.

He is right there, sitting among the others, broad and unshaken, wings draped lazily, gaze dark and unreadable as he watches the fire.

As if he does not see me. As if he doesn’t give a fuck.

The truth of it settles in my heart, sharp and ugly. He left me. He chose to walk away, to abandon me in the mountains, and now—now he acts as if I do not exist.

Something in me snarls, something raw, something I don’t understand. I shouldn’t care. I shouldn’t.

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