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Valerie had no idea where Geryon had taken her, but it wasn’t to her death.I must be in his lair.What else could these cave walls mean?

After telling her he wouldn’t kill her, he’d wrapped his tail around her torso and lifted her off into the sky. She could remember the high-pitch scream she gave, one that turned into shouting at him to put her down as she was flown across the heavens. Powerless, with no weapon to defend herself, she’d been nothing but a rag doll.

Once he’d landed at the top of a mountain, one any human would struggle to climb, he changed his size. He’d made it so that he was only just slightly larger than her and squeezed them both through a small hole. Then the bastard grew big again and dragged her along the ground.

Talk about a difficult way to enter one’s own lair. Then again, it meant it was well hidden.

The moment he’d entered, he grew large again and uttered a spell. A few of the torches along the walls lit up feebly, as though it had been far too long.

Inside was like a labyrinth. He’d seemed lost as he carried her around with his tail, like he could barely remember the way. When she’d asked why it was carved like a maze, he told her it was because he wanted it to be confusing.Confusing enough even for himself.From the large grin he’d been wearing, she had a feeling he enjoyed it.

Once he’d found the boulder he wanted, he rolled it around his lair, still carrying her. Then, he tossed her into a room full of blankets, pillows, and furs – like a collection of soft treasures – and rolled that boulder in front of it!

Valerie knew what this meant: he was intending on imprisoning her rather than killing her.

So, here she was, bashing her fist on this rock like a weak, feeble human, when she would have been able to move it with her witchcraft easily.Bastard!She didn’t want to be a prisoner; she would much rather be dead.

Valerie wanted to escape what she’d done, and she wanted to do it before there was a possibility the Witch’s curse didn’t work, meaning she’d failed and would turn corrupt.

The only thing that can purify me is fire.It would be painful, morbid, but it was the only way she could be cleansed of her sins.To burn away the darkness with unimaginable light.

Knowing it was useless, she walked over to the cushions and pillows. She fell against them with a huff, folding her arms across her chest.

Geryon already made sure the dust in the room was taken care of, since there had been a large poof of it when he tossed her. When he realised, he’d flapped his wings inside the alcove until it was gone, pushing it out of this space and sending her into a coughing fit.

She eyed the curved ceiling with a glare, noting it must have been carved by sharp claws, since she could see gouge marks. Valerie knew Dragons found a cave and then shaped it to their liking.Why did he bring me here?

After some time passed, the boulder was rolled out of the way. Her eyelids flickered, not expecting the sight in front of her.

He... He is human?Geryon opened her prison in his human form.

He wore brown leather trousers that hugged his legs so tightly they left little to the imagination. A loose, crisp white tunic with a vee-shaped neckline cut down his chest, revealing strong muscles. He even wore an embroidered black coat that wasn’t buttoned up. He wasn’t wearing shoes, and his entire ensemble said he’d thrown everything on quickly.

A plate of food wafted with spices and herbs in his hand, and she hated that her mouth watered.

“Thought you may be hungry,” he said, as he slowly, cautiously, approached.

Considering Dragons thought themselves weak in their human forms, her eyes drew over him in confusion. She knew he was more comfortable this way than most, since he lived with King Bradwick as a human, but she was a Witch, one he’d recently been deceived by.

He could have given me food in his beast form.Valerie never expected to see this side of him ever again.

Too busy gaping at his face in shock, her hands were slow in taking the plate and simple cutlery. When her fingers finally did touch it, he released it and she looked down.

It was a meal of meat and a wide variety of vegetables. She blinked at it since it was hot.

“Where did you get this?”

“Took some time to go down to the town to get supplies, since I didn’t have any.” Her gaze flicked back up to his face. “I have learned much while being human.”

“You cooked this?”

She brought it closer to her face and eyed it with uncertainty. Eating a meal made by a Dragon? She half-expected to die of food poisoning.

Yet, it looked delicious, which only made her wonder why he would cook such a grand meal for a prisoner. Honestly, she was so hungry right then, she didn’t care if it was poisoned.

Curious about how Geryon’s cooking would taste, she turned to plop herself onto the many cushions and pillows.

“No. I merely prayed to the gods, and they gave it to me.”