Page 35 of The Manticore's Human Queen
37
TAREK
The fire burns low, its glowing embers casting dancing shadows across our makeshift shelter in the Kaynvu wilderness. Annelise lies curled against my chest, her breathing deep and even in the aftermath of our fierce lovemaking. Her golden hair spills across my arm like molten silk, and I stroke the strands with careful fingers, marveling at their softness against my calloused skin. Her scent—wildflowers beneath the lingering smoke of our escape—stirs a quiet heat in my core, a reminder of the passion that binds us.
She is so small in my arms, so fragile compared to my manticore bulk and strength. Yet she has proven herself stronger than any warrior I’ve known, her courage a flame that outshines the fire before us. The curve of her body presses against me, warm and yielding, igniting a protective hunger that pulses through my veins, a need to shield her, to claim her as mine in every way.
The wind howls through the trees outside our cave, carrying the scent of snow and pine. Somewhere in this vast wilderness, my brothers might still live—Corvak with his steady leadership, Silas with his careful strategies, Caspian with his easy charm,Ronan with his fierce loyalty, Lucaris with his reckless courage. For weeks, finding them and retrieving the Zable Crystals has been my north star, the oath to our king driving me through captivity and pain. It defined my existence, my purpose.
But now, with Annelise nestled against me, her soft breath warming my chest, I feel something new. Peace. Not the absence of conflict, but a bone-deep certainty that I am exactly where I belong, with the one I was meant to find. The restless energy that fueled me settles, replaced by a contentment I never knew I could feel. Her presence soothes the beast within, her touch a balm to scars both seen and unseen.
I think of Osiris, my home since birth. The golden temple where only the pure of heart may pass, the sprawling city of Byzar with its marble streets and flowering gardens, the palace where our king awaits word of our mission’s success. It all feels distant now, not unimportant, but secondary. The duties that once defined me pale beside the woman in my arms. She is my new north star, her light guiding me through the darkness of this frozen night.
Annelise shifts, murmuring in her sleep, her body pressing closer, her curves molding to mine. The movement sends a shiver of desire through me, her warmth stoking the embers of my hunger. I tighten my hold instinctively, my claws careful not to graze her delicate skin, and she settles deeper against me with a soft sigh of contentment, her lips parting slightly, inviting thoughts of another kiss, another claiming.
I know I cannot lose her. The thought crystallizes in my bones, a truth as unyielding as the mountains around us. Whatever dangers lie ahead—and I know they are many—whatever sacrifices or battles await, I will not let anything tear us apart. My brothers, if I find them, will understand. They’ve likely found their own mates, their worlds shifted as mine has. They’llknow what it means to have everything you thought you were become mere preparation for this moment.
But if I must choose between my mission and my mate, there is no choice. She is my purpose now, her heartbeat my new oath.
“I will protect you above all else,” I whisper into her hair, the words a solemn vow to the darkness. “Whatever comes, whoever stands against us, I will keep you safe. I swear it by the Triad, by my honor, by everything I am.”
She doesn’t wake, but her hand finds mine in sleep, our fingers interlacing as naturally as breathing. Her touch sends a quiet thrill through me, a reminder of the fire we share, the unspoken bond that pulses between us even in silence.
Outside, the wind sings its lonely song through the mountains. But here, in this small cave lit by dying embers, we create something untouchable. Something no cage can contain. We have found each other, and that truth burns brighter than the flames that freed us.
The embers shift, sending up a shower of sparks that dance briefly before fading, like the fleeting lives of mortals. But what we have will burn longer than any flame. It will outlast the winter, the dangers ahead, the trials of the frozen wilderness. Love, I’m learning, grows stronger under pressure, a treasure that multiplies when shared.
Annelise murmurs my name in her sleep, her voice a soft caress that stirs my heart. I press a gentle kiss to the crown of her head, lingering to breathe in her scent, now mingled with the earth and fire of our escape.
“I’m here,” I tell her quietly. “I’m always here.”
For the first time since the storm scattered my brothers across Protheka, I mean it with every fiber of my being. This is where I belong.
38
ANNELISE
Morning light filters through the cave entrance, painting the stone walls in shades of gold and amber, a soft glow that dances over Tarek’s scarred form. I wake wrapped in his arms, feeling safer than ever in my life, his warmth a shield against the Kaynvu wilderness. But a distant look in his dark eyes betrays an unspoken weight, a shadow of unfinished business that lingers between us.
“Tell me,” I murmur, tracing the scars on his chest with gentle fingers, each ridge a testament to his battles, his resilience. My touch is tender, reverent, stirring a quiet heat in my core as his skin warms beneath my fingertips.
He’s silent for a long moment, his gaze fixed on the cave ceiling, his breathing steady but heavy with thought. When he speaks, his voice carries the weight of duty and brotherhood. “My brothers and I came to Protheka on a mission. Our home—Osiris—is dying. The Zable Crystals that power our island are nearly depleted.”
I listen as he recounts the six warriors who volunteered to retrieve new crystals from the perilous caves of Northern Rach, the storm that scattered them across this harsh world, theoath they swore to reunite and complete their mission. “They’re out there somewhere,” he says, his voice rough with emotion. “Corvak, Silas, Caspian, Ronan, Lucaris—my brothers in all but blood. I promised we’d meet in Northern Rach to finish what we started.”
The pain in his voice pierces my heart. I see the conflict tearing at him—duty warring with desire, obligation battling the love that binds us. His eyes, usually fierce, soften with a vulnerability that makes me ache to ease his burden.
“Then we go north, like you told me,” I say simply, my voice steady with resolve. “We find them.”
His head snaps toward me, eyes wide with surprise. “Annelise, no. You don’t understand what you’re saying. The journey will be perilous—monsters, bandits, dark elves hunting us. You deserve peace after everything you’ve endured.”
I sit up, meeting his gaze with unwavering determination. “Peace?” I shake my head, a spark of defiance flaring in my chest. “Tarek, I’ve spent my life in a gilded cage, dreaming of freedom. You think I’d trade one prison for another, even a comfortable one?”
“It wouldn’t be a prison?—”
“It would be if I stayed behind while the man I love walked into danger without me.” I cup his face in my hands, forcing him to see the truth in my eyes. My thumbs brush his jaw, feeling the strength beneath his rough stubble, a quiet thrill at the contact. “Your mission is my mission now. Your brothers are my brothers. Where you go, I go.”
“The caves of Northern Rach are no place for?—”
