Page 107 of The Lost Prince
“I don’t care about the child. I care aboutyou,” I whispered vehemently. Her eyes widened with momentary shock, before the anger settled in again.
“I suppose that’s as sweet and sugary a declaration of love as anyone could get from you,” she sniffed.
I reared back, shocked. Love? Who said anything aboutlove? She was raving, stark mad, and—
“SHAVA! SHAVA!”
Shava ran deeper into the tunnel as the little girl’s shrieks pierced the air, the ground rumbling under our feet.
“Son of fucking …” I grit my teeth and went after them both.
“SHAVA! WHERE—”
My shouts cut off as part of the roof caved in, missing my head by an inch.
“Fuck, fuck,fuck.”
Tiny arms found my leg and dug in with fingernails like claws. I almost kicked at it on instinct before realizing it was the little girl. As the walls shook around us, I peered down at her.
“Where is Shava?” I demanded.
She cried noisily, burying her head into my leg.
Seeing there was nothing for it, I slung her over my shoulder like a sack of wheat, ignoring how she screamed and kicked, banging her little fists against my back. Did the little whelp want to be saved or not?
Without flourish I raced back to the tunnel entrance and dumped her. To my relief she immediately ran off, no doubt in search of her mother or someone else a bit more sympathetic to her big doe eyes than me.
As I turned back, one of the large wooden support beams holding up the mine entrance cracked, and the entire ceiling buckled.
If I went in now, I wouldn’t be coming back out.
Shava’s words rang in my ears.
“I suppose that’s as sweet and sugary a declaration of love as anyone could get from you.”
“No, it’s not,” I argued to the crumbling tunnel. “This is.”
I dove in.
* * *
Love is stupid. Love is a distraction. Love turns you from your goals and dreams and turns you into a spineless worm, incapable of rational thought or emotions.I don’t love her. I’m simply obsessed with how my cock feels inside of her, of how wild her eyes get when we fight, when—
The internal chant kept up as I dodged and weaved between falling rocks and growing debris, coughing and putting an arm over my face to save my lungs.
I went deeper and deeper, unable to find her.
You wouldn’t find your nose in this mess. How much further will you push it?
Every footstep brought me closer to death.
Just a few more steps.
Just a few more steps.
Just a few more—whumpf.
I tripped over something lying in the middle of the passageway—something soft and warm. And not breathing.
