Page 75 of Demon Monster's Little Human

Dain movesinstantly, shoving me back. His wings flare, his claws out as the darkness that had been lurking at the edgeslungesforward.

A sound like splintering boneripsthrough the chamber.

The dark presence has found us.

Aroarbellows through the ruins, shaking the stones beneath our feet. Shadows twist, thick andwrong,stretching from the corners like ink spilling into the air. The torches flicker, thendie, leaving only the void, thick and hungry.

Daincurses, grabbing me by the arm andhaulingme back.

“Run.”

The shadowsleap.

I don’t hesitate.

Weboltdeeper into the ruins, the thing behind us screeching, clawing at the walls, the air, atus.I canfeelit in my heart, pressing in, pressingthrough.

I hear whispers.

A voice not my own.

You were not supposed to live.

My bloodfreezes.

Dain yanks me forward, his grip bruising, his breath ragged. The ruins twist ahead, narrowing, spiraling down into some deeper, unknown chamber. He doesn’t hesitate—heleadsme down.

Something inside me screamsno.

This is wrong.

This place iswrong.

But I don’t get a choice.

We descend into the darkness.

31

DAIN

The chamber beneath the ruins is silent except for the ragged sounds of our breathing.

Liora stands before me, chest rising and falling, her hands clenched at her sides. The dim torchlight casts shadows over her, illuminating the fire still burning in her eyes. She doesn’t look away. She never does.

She wants answers. She demands them. But I have none to give.

"You owe me the truth, Dain." Her voice is unrelenting, sharp as a dagger pressed to my throat. "Who is Amara?"

Something cold and ancient curls inside me at the name. It coils around my heart like chains, rattling memories I refuse to unearth. I turn away, my shoulders stiff, my fists curling at my sides.

Liora moves closer. The heat between us lingers, the energy crackling, dangerous and raw. "Why won’t you tell me?" she presses. "You act like I don’t deserve to understand any of this, like I’m not part of it."

I spin to face her. "You are not part of it." My voice is a growl, my control razor-thin. "You shouldn’t be."

She flinches but recovers quickly, anger flashing across her face. "And yet, here I am."

My hands move on reflex. I grip her arms, dragging her against me. She gasps, but she doesn’t pull away. My fingers tighten around her, not to hurt, never to hurt, but to make her understand.

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