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CHAPTER TWO

Geraldine

T he 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.

The flight urge screamed inside me, but the knowledge that the guards were still lingering outside held me frozen in place.

I blinked, and there it was. A flicker of movement in the darkness. It was subtle, but whatever this creature was, it was big, shifting the air so it stirred my hair.

Panic surged through me as my eyes further adjusted, picking up a shape far larger than anything human up ahead and focused right on me.

My breath hitched, an icy shiver racing down my spine, and finally, I took a step back, and then another one.

I swallowed against the dryness in my throat, forcing my feet to continue to move despite the weight of fear pressing down on me. Each step backward was slow, deliberate, my heartbeat a war drum in my ears. And here I was, keeping my focus on the shape in front of me.

I knew that facing the guards outside gave me a far better chance at survival than what lay ahead of me.

Shadows slithered and curled all around me. Somehow, there was just enough visibility that I could see my breath fogged in front of me, tendrils of white vapor dissipating into the void.

Another growl sounded, echoing off the walls. And then whatever it was that made that terrifying noise prowled forward, stalking me. But I was too terrified to move any faster. Instinct told me running would only intensify this creature's need to chase after me.

Another growl, this one a clear warning, had me freezing midstep. The sound wasn’t just from something wild and massive—it was intelligent, deliberate, meant to caution me.

The cave seemed to tremble from the sound once again.

And still, the monster lurked closer. There was a new scent that invaded my senses. It was thick and musky. If I had to describe it, I could only say it was ancient and inhuman. Something from another world.

I wasn’t supposed to be here, but something inside me screamed that I wasn't leaving this cave.

And when it moved, charging forward, my mouth hung open, my eyes widened, and I wanted to shriek, but nothing came out. A gust of cold air rushed over me, lifting my hair and sending pure, raw terror through my veins.

My skin prickled, and my survival instincts finally kicked in. I turned and ran, unable to see anything but knowing I had to escape.

Then, from the depths of the darkness behind me, I heard a voice. Low, rough, and laced with everything that was animalistic. I couldn’t understand its language, and still, I ran.

But I didn’t get far. A weight curled around my waist, lifted me off the ground, and dug claws into my side, yet it didn’t break my skin. I was pressed to a hard, wide, and enormous chest, and just as I found my voice to scream, a hand that didn’t feel human covered the bottom half of my face.

“Shhh,” he hushed against my ear.

My eyes were so wide, tears sliding down my cheeks as I struggled. But it was useless, as I was tiny and weak compared to whatever this beast was.

“You should not be here, little one.”

I cried harder as the words wrapped around me like evil itself, sinking into my body

“But now that you’re here,” he snarled, turned, and started moving back deeper into his lair, “you’re mine.”

I was no longer just an intruder.

I was his prey.