Page 16 of Naga Warrior's Mate

“My patrol partner wanted to leave early that night.”His jaw clenched.“I let him go, thinking I could handle the rest alone.Stupid pride.”He shook his head.“They jumped me on my way to the barracks.Next thing I knew, I was here.”

The irony twisted like a knife in her gut.A warrior meant to protect humans from exploitation, now forced to fight for the right to own one.

“We’re both prisoners here,” he said, his tail coiling restlessly in the narrow space.“You deserve freedom as much as I do.”His scaled hand hesitated near her face but didn’t touch.“I can’t promise I can win you that freedom, but I swear I’ll protect you.No matter what happens.”

Alaysia studied him, searching for any hint of deception.But all she found was earnest determination and something else—a spark of the honorable warrior he’d once been, not yet extinguished by six months of fighting.

“Why tell me this?”she asked.

“Because you needed to know the truth.About who I am.What I stand for.”His golden scales caught the torchlight again.“Even if I’ve failed at everything else, I won’t fail at protecting you now.”

Alaysia’s heart tried to process Dernin’s words.The genuineness in his voice, the raw honesty in his eyes, wore away at her carefully constructed walls.

His eyes locked on to hers, and for a moment, time seemed to stop.

“Thank you,” she whispered, surprised by the tightness in her throat.“For being honest with me.For wanting to protect me.”

“You don’t need to thank me.”

“I do, though.And I want to repay you somehow.”

A ghost of a smile touched his lips.“Unless you know how to break out of this place, there’s nothing I need.”

The words hit her like lightning.Her mind raced with possibilities—the guard rotations she’d memorized, the weak points in security she’d noticed since she got here.

“What if...”She bit her lip.“What if I did?”

His golden eyes widened.“What?”

“I’m not as closely watched as you fighters.I see things.Routes.Patterns.”She stepped even closer to him, lowering her voice to a breath.“I’ve been planning my own escape since I got here.Maybe...maybe we could help each other.”

His tail shifted restlessly.“It’s too dangerous.If they caught you helping me—”

“They’ll do worse if I stay.”She planted her hands on her hips.“Think about it.I know this place’s rhythms.You have the strength to fight if we need it.Together, we might actually have a chance.”

Dernin’s jaw clenched, conflict clear in his expression.“I can’t ask you to risk yourself for me.”

“You’re not asking.I’m offering.”She touched his arm, feeling the smooth scales beneath her fingers.

Alaysia watched the internal struggle play across Dernin’s features.Her heart hammered against her ribs as she waited for his answer.The dank air of the alcove pressed around them, heavy with the weight of their potential alliance.

“You understand what you’re risking?”His voice dropped lower.“If they catch us...”

“I understand exactly what I’m risking by staying here.”She crossed her arms.

“How would we even begin?”he asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

“I’ve noticed patterns in the guard rotations.Weak spots in security.”

“You’ve really thought this through.”

“Of course I have.I’m not just a pretty face to be won in some tournament.”Her lips curved into a smile.“So, do we have a deal?”

Dernin’s golden eyes studied her face for a long moment.Finally, he nodded.“We watch each other’s backs.And when the moment’s right...”

“We take our chance.”She extended her hand.“Partners?”

His scaled hand engulfed hers, warm and surprisingly gentle.“Partners.”

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