Denna

DENNA

T he kiss lingered on my lips like a promise as we delved deeper into the tunnels, the glow stones casting eerie shadows on the walls.

Korrin stayed a few paces ahead, his broad shoulders tense. A strange familiarity hung in the air, like a half-remembered dream.

I pushed the thoughts away. Mixing dreams with reality never ended well.

Roji's gruff voice pulled me from my reverie. "You look troubled, lass."

The older Shakai had been kind, almost fatherly. Surely I could ask him the question that had been pressing on my heart.

Nodding toward Korrin, I asked, "What does Valti mean?"

Roji's bushy brows knitted together. "A complicated thing, I fear. A beast, contained in the man. Some peoples fear it, but we have found it a boon in the Wandering Nation."

"A boon?" I frowned. "How so?"

"The Valti bring great strength to our warriors," he explained. "But it is also a curse to the man. If one cursed with the Valti blood does not find their mate, they eventually go mad."

My breath caught. To be Korrin's mate... The thought made heat boil deep in my belly.

But my mission took priority—I could not afford such distractions. Fingering the necklace Niam had given me, I wondered how she fared back at the temple. What was I supposed to do once I retrieved the other necklace from Korrin? How would I find Mila?

Memory struck.

Korrin had recognized her name when we first met, I would swear it. Squaring my shoulders, I quickened my pace to catch up with him at the next large chamber in this warren. "Korrin, a moment?"

He slowed his pace to match mine, those striking blue-green eyes searching my face. "What is wrong?"

"Tell me about Mila." I clutched the necklace tighter. "I'm sure you recognized her name when we met. What do you know of her?"

He shrugged. "Not much. She traveled through the desert with a merchant caravan for a short time, and then she left."

"Left? Alone?" I couldn't imagine trying to make it through the desert on my own. Why had she left the safety of a caravan?

He shook his head. "No. Her mate took her."

I choked. "Her mate?"

Mila didn't have a mate. At least, she didn't when she left the temple.

I peeked at Korrin from the corner of my eyes. I didn't have a mate when I left the temple, either.

And now, there was something growing between us. I wasn't sure exactly what this was, but I could no longer deny it.

Before I could inquire further, a tremor shuddered through the tunnel behind us, loose stones raining down. I instinctively covered my head as Korrin shielded me with his body. When the shaking subsided, an inhuman shriek pierced the air.

Roji cursed. "Yikvri! And a big one by the sound!"

Korrin pushed me behind him, his entire frame tensing.

"Stay back," he growled, the timbre of his voice deepening. "This one's too large for you."

I opened my mouth to protest, but the words died on my lips.

In a second, the change flowed over him. The leather of his vest creaked, his homespun tunic stretching to accommodate the growing mass of his shoulders. Even as he moved, his posture shifted, head low. Muscles of his arms expanded, and could it be? Claws extended from his fingers.

Before my eyes, Korrin became a predator.

Roji gripped my arm, his calloused hand steady. "Mind yourself, lass. The Valti's rage can be unpredictable."

A thunderous bellow echoed through the cavern as an enormous yikvri lumbered into view. Easily twelve feet tall, its bulbous body glistened with oily black fur, beady eyes glinting with malice.

I stumbled back, my heart hammering against my ribs.

Korrin roared in defiance, the sound shaking me to my core. He charged the creature, his powerful new form allowing him to move with startling agility. Rearing back, he slammed his fists into the yikvri's armored thorax. It staggered, hissing furiously.

A blur of motion, and Korrin was there, gripping the yikvri's snapping mandibles in each massive hand. Straining, snarling, he wrenched them apart with a sickening crunch of chitin. The beast convulsed, spraying more of that foul ichor across his heaving chest.

It wasn't enough. Even grievously wounded, the yikvri's bulk pinned Korrin. I could only watch, helpless, as it reared back to impale him with its stinger. Time slowed as the barbed point inched towards Korrin's heart.

"No!" The scream tore from my throat as I surged forward, reaching for him.

Roji's hand clamped down on my shoulder, holding me back. "Wait!"

Other warriors rushed in, spears raised. They thrust the razor-tipped shafts into the yikvri's armored flanks. Thick, viscous fluid sprayed from the wounds as the beast convulsed.

The distraction was enough. Korrin renewed his efforts, prying the monster's pincers apart with a bestial roar. Its head lolled, mandibles gaping.

With a final heave, he flung the lifeless bulk aside. It hit the cavern wall with a sickening crunch before collapsing in a heap.

Korrin stood there, chest heaving, his body glistening with sweat and ichor. As his ragged breaths slowed, I saw the rigidity leave his massive frame. The transformation began to reverse itself, his features smoothing, his bulk diminishing.

He turned to face me, those stunning eyes locking with mine. For a heartbeat, everything else fell away.

Then the ground lurched beneath our feet.

A deafening crack split the air as a massive stalactite broke free from the ceiling. It plunged downward like a deadly spear, debris raining around it.

Korrin's eyes went wide. With a feral growl, he leapt towards me, his body a blur of motion.

His weight slammed into me, knocking the breath from my lungs. We hit the cavern floor hard as the stalactite smashed into the ground mere feet away, shaking the entire tunnel.

Debris pelted us as cracks snaked across the chamber floor. I clung to Korrin, his body shielding me from the worst of it.

When the tremors finally ceased, he pushed himself up on his forearms, eyes searching my face with frantic concern. "? Are you hurt?"

His weight pinned me to the ground, our bodies flush together. I was keenly aware of every hard plane of muscle, the tickle of his hair against my cheek.

"I'm all right," I finally managed, my voice emerging as a breathless whisper. "Really."

A low rumble built in his chest, almost a purr. His gaze dropped to my lips for the briefest of moments before returning to my eyes. "I could not lose you."

Something hot and primal flared between us. My pulse quickened as his head dipped closer, close enough for me to taste the warm spice of his breath. Need coiled tight in my core, urging me to close that last whisper of distance between us.

A sharp crack split the air like thunder, shattering the moment.

Korrin jerked upright, his body going rigid. New fissures spread across the floor in a spiderweb of cracks. One yawned open right beneath us.

"Move!" He barked the order, grabbing me around the waist.

I clung to him as we tumbled across the uneven floor, rocks and debris showering all around.

The last thing I saw was Korrin's face, horror etched in every line, before darkness swallowed me whole.