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FREYDIS

I felt his grip tighten around my body as he carried me into the massive cave, its gaping entrance promising secrets, danger, and the unknown.

The chill of the night air contrasted sharply with the warmth of his hold, his arms securely but gently wrapped around me, and with every step he took, my heart pounded louder, echoing in my ears. I struggled feebly, knowing I’d never find a way down this high up in the mountains, yet needing to at least put up a little fight, because I refused to just give up quietly. But the monster just held me tighter.

The longer we travelled, my eyes adjusted, and I noticed the writings and drawings on the cave walls, markings and ancient-looking symbols, making me feel like I was transported into another realm.

The rules of my world no longer applied.

As we crossed the threshold of a narrower tunnel, the atmosphere shifted. The air was humid, filling my nose with the earthy scent of damp stone and the acrid smell of something mythical. Inside the tunnel, the darkness was almost tangible. It was a dense, smothering presence that cloaked every surface and made everything ominous.

The monster, who called himself Marrex, pressed me closer to his body as he moved with a predatory grace through the pitch-black pathway. I couldn’t see a thing now, but I felt his immense form and presence dominating the space.

The tunnel was wide enough that I heard him stretch out his bat-like wings and felt the air from the motion move all around me.

Unable to see, it took me a moment to realize Marrex was flying, carrying me upward with such strength and security that it belied the cruelty of this strange, fated-mate bond he thought we had. As we ascended, my tummy dropped as I felt him pick up speed, the oppressive darkness of our confines gave way to wonder.

We emerged into a vast cavern, where a colossal opening in the cavern’s craggy ceiling spilled moonlight over ancient stone. I could imagine how warm and beautiful it was when the sun was high, painting everything in ethereal hues of gold.

Below us was a natural spring, its water having long carved a passage through the rocks. It spilled into a pool that shimmered like liquid starlight under the glow of the full moon. In that suspended moment, I was both his unwilling captive and his captivated guest, strangely mesmerized by the harsh beauty of it all.

I involuntarily shuddered with his wings’ movement and glanced up to see the monster’s eyes were locked on me. Although, right now, they didn’t glow and instead were black and bottomless, holding a possessiveness that chilled me to the core.

“So fragile,” he intoned, his voice rumbling like thunder as it echoed off the stone. “You are too soft for this world, yet strong enough to survive it. Fate has brought you here—to me—and I’ll never let you go.”

Those words were not merely spoken—they were an unyielding decree that I felt deep in my core, binding my soul.

As he finally landed on his talon-tipped feet and set me down in the chamber, I felt its vastness echoing all around me. It was so loud I felt like the rocky walls could crumble at any moment.

It was in that moment, as I took everything in, that I felt the full weight of my captivity. Every inch of the cavern pulsed with an otherworldly energy—a constant reminder that I was far removed from the life I once knew.

Is that so bad? I thought to myself.

Dread and wonder filled me, causing my heart to pound. The space unfolded in a new light before me like a living entity.

I surveyed everything around me, my eyes tracing the interplay of darkness and the glimmers of light that broke through fissures in the ceiling covered in what looked like upside-down spires, and I felt a spark of defiance kindle within me. But not toward the beast nearby.

I felt Marrex behind me, watching me silently, his unforgiving power tangible. He hadn’t hurt me. In fact, he seemed like he wanted to take care of me, even tend to me.

In that breathless moment, I knew this was my life now. I accepted that every scar on the stone and every murmur of the cavern was now part of my story. Above all else, this place was safe . Far away from the human monsters I grew up running from.

I could fight to escape. And I could die.

Or… I could forge a life with the very monster who sought to claim me.