Page 100 of The Breeding Cave
Wiry twigs and rough stone lay underneath me, hiding the scattered bones and torn woman’s underwear. I inhaled the scent of smoke drifting in from the other room and realized that … I needed to get out of here. Now.
I stood on wobbly legs, the chains clinking with each movement.
How do I get out?
After stumbling out of the nest, I stepped into the huge space that was big enough to fit a dragon comfortably, the ceilings tall. Flickering torches cast shadows on the stone walls. At the far end of the room, light flooded into the … into the cave. Yeah, that was what I was calling it.
My throat dried as I made my way toward the opening, the ground uneven underneath my feet. When I approached the opening, stones tumbled off the edge and disappeared into the abyss of darkness.
Once I grabbed on to the wall, I stared over the edge and swallowed hard. I was hundreds of feet up in the air, above the trees, so high that I couldn’t even see the bottom. The forest stretched out as far as I could see, and I’d bet it looked like a sea of green in the morning. But that didn’t change the fact that if I fell—or leaped—from here that I would die.
Stepping back from the ledge, I placed a hand on my swollen belly. I had to find a way out, for both of us and for Luciano. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes. Last time I had seen him, he was about to die …
A sob left my mouth, and I dropped my head. He had to be safe. He had to.
I couldn’t accept his death. I needed him more than anything. He had changed my entire life for the better. He had given me something to live for. He had saved me more times than he even knew about.
Maybe Gideon … maybe Gideon had saved him.
That was the only hope that I had left.
After wiping away my tears, I sniffled and scanned the room for an exit. I would be gone by the time that Alvin returned. I didn’t care if I had to climb down that ledge and find a vine to slide all the way down to the forest floor.
I refused to let him touch me.
Once I found an exit, I hurried to it, only to make it six inches from my escape, the binds on my ankles keeping me here.
“No, no, no, no, no,” I muttered, shaking my head and grabbing a rock. I smacked it against the shackles over and over and over, hoping that I could get it to break. Beads of sweat began rolling down my neck.
Why is it suddenly so hot?!
I slammed the rock into the shackles a couple more times, shaking my head when I couldn’t break them. No matter how hard I tried, I wasn’t even making a dent in them.
There has to be something here to help me out …
My gaze shifted from the carvings on the walls that depicted dragons in flight, their powerful wings spread wide. Near the back of the cave, I spotted a small chest overflowing with treasure. Among the hoard, a collection of scrolls caught my eye.
What is that?
After glancing over my shoulder, I stood and tiptoed over to it. Maybe this had something to do with my whereabouts and how to get home. Surely, it had to be a map or some secret that I could use against Alvin one day.
I picked up the charred scroll and unrolled it, and my brows furrowed. What is this?
The Triad’s Bond Curse
By the desire of the gods, let it be known that The One who dares to mate with the Bird of Fire, the Dragon, and the Beast shall be bound by this curse for all eternity:
From the claws of the Beast, may your soul be eternally restless, driven by primal urges and wild instincts. From the flames of the Bird, may your heart forever burn?—
Someone snatched the scroll away from me, then wrapped his hand around my throat, pinning me to the stone-cold wall. Alvin smirked down at me, his eyes glowing with colors that I had never seen before.
“You’ve always been so curious, Little Mouse,” he murmured, lifting my chin and drawing a claw up my jaw. “So curious that it has gotten you in more trouble than a soft little girl like you can handle.”
CHAPTER
FIFTY-SIX
LUCIANO
