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It was the only sanctuary I could find on this unforgiving night.

I didn’t hesitate. I ran faster and then lunged forward, my body propelled by sheer instinct, and crossed the threshold. I was sweaty, dirty, my red dress was torn to shreds from running through the forest, and I couldn’t control my panting as I moved farther into the tunnel.

The light and sound of the forest fell away the deeper I went, swallowed by the inky shadows that curled around me. I had my hands on either side of me, the walls rocky and craggy and abrasive against my sensitive flesh.

The cool, damp air wrapped around my fevered skin, and for the first time in what felt like hours, I allowed myself a single breath of relief. But I didn't want to even hope that I was free.

When I was so deep in the cave that I couldn't see my hand in front of my face, I paused and pressed my back to the jagged wall. My heart was slamming against my ribs as I struggled to regain control and catch my breath. I was so dizzy and thirsty, and now that I gave myself a moment to take inventory of my body… I hurt.

My hands trembled as I touched my arms, feeling the sting of countless scratches, the damp stickiness of what was undoubtedly blood.

I squeezed my eyes closed and shook my head. The pain and cuts didn’t matter. Right now, for the time being, I was hidden. I was safe.

Or so I thought.

With each and every breath, I realized something else. Something wrong. But I wasn't going to leave. Not when I knew the guards were right outside, searching for me.

The air here was different. It was thick—almost charged. I held my breath and just listened, because I wasn't able to see a damn thing. My hands were back on the rocky walls, and a strange energy pulsed through the stone, a hum beneath my skin.

The air grew heavier the deeper I ventured. Each step forward felt like I was pushing through an invisible current. I couldn't see it, but God did I feel it.

The cave walls were slick with moisture, and a strange sensation skittered up my arms, like static before a storm.

It was a whisper in my bones.

I swallowed hard, looking left, then right. I wasn’t about to leave the sanctuary of the cave. The darkness was absolute, submersing me like water. My instincts screamed for me to turn around and to run.

But there was no turning back.

I didn’t know how long I walked, but not being able to see anything made it seem like I had been moving forward for hours.

And then I heard it. A sound that was not human.

It was low. Rumbling. God, I felt the unmistakable vibration of whatever lived here.

Was it a bear? A wolf?

The sound made it seem like it was enormous as it stirred in the inkiness.

And then I saw the flicker of light up ahead. But it was too late to retreat.

I wasn't alone.

CHAPTER TWO

Geraldine

The realization that I’d stumbled into the lair of an unknown creature sank into my bones, pressing against my ribs like an unspoken warning so I couldn’t take a full breath in.

I was frozen in place, and I strained to listen beyond the rhythmic thudding of my heart pounding in my ears.

And there it was again.

A deep, guttural growl that vibrated through the cave and made my heart start to pound like it had while I was running for my life. But it wasn’t just sound.

This creature was an apex predator.

I took a step back, my pulse hammering. The light ahead was minimal, still a bit of a distance away. And the darkness seemed endless, vast, an abyss that could swallow me whole. The longer I stood there panicking, the more I could feel it—something watching me.