21. Mazituz

TWENTY-ONE

Istand amidst the aftermath of chaos, shattered shards and debris scattered about my once tranquil lair. A continuous low rumble like a rising earthquake vibrates my core as I survey the violation. Someone has invaded our sanctuary and wrecked it with cavalier violence.

Eyes narrowed to enraged slits, I prowl the boundaries, rage building as the scope of destruction reveals itself. Many of my most precious treasures are smashed and hacked to pieces. It's clearly a targeted warning by someone who invaded my refuge.

The smell of an intruding Narovu is unmistakable and hangs heavy in the air. I can only assume it's at least one of the two I challenged for approaching Camille last week. They may have backed off at the time, but they clearly came back for their pound of flesh today.

The implication sinks my heart even lower than seeing our home spoiled. Someone wanted to send me a message. It was clearly intended to be taken as a threat, but my attempts to decipher the meaning leave my pulse racing through my veins.

"They wanted to make me pay for challenging them," I explain in a low grumble. "I probably hurt their pride, so retaliation was the only way to save face. Like I said, we're very territorial."

Her eyes go wide. "Are you saying I'm part of your territory?"

I shake my head. "No, of course not. I mean… Well, no, I'm not saying that. But I think there's an element of that to them, yes. From their point of view, I took you from them, and they're upset about it."

Obviously, they didn't like me challenging them over Camille. Perhaps they felt they had a right to her, being that when they found her, she was unaccompanied. The truly horrible part is that, as a fellow Narovu, I understand where they are coming from. Before Camille, I would have shared the sentiment.

But now that she's part of my life, everything has changed. She's mine, and I refuse to share her. However, I don't know how I can explain this new perspective to them. They're going to keep coming after her until they get what they want, and if they only see her as a plaything I refuse to share that they'll instead take by force, what am I to do?

For now, securing Camille"s safety tops my priority. I sweep the area thoroughly, ensuring no perpetrators linger to spring some cowardly ambush. Only once I confirm our present safety do I approach Camille where she huddles by the entrance, her lovely face creased with distress.

Gently I encircle her, movements slow and non-threatening. She leans into me instinctively seeking protection and I envelop her slender frame with tender care belying the rage simmering just below the surface.

"What do we do now?" she asks, tears pricking her eyes.

"Take a breath, first. They're gone for now," I assure her with forced nonchalance, though fury races molten through my veins. "No need for you to worry."

"No need to worry? Look at this place! Your collection… everything." She looks equally as distraught as I feel. The fact that this little bag of human flesh can feel this way for a monster's belongings is both endearing and annoying.

She is something special to me, but I don't know how I can prove that to them. I don't know how to convince the others that she is not available, that no amount of fighting would ever give them a claim to her. She is imprinted on my heart in a way I can never let go of. She could never be another's.

But to them, there's only one thing that matters. Is she my mate? Because I have not claimed her in the way they deem important, she belongs to no one and is open to their advances.

I disagree entirely, but what can I do now? Marking her as my mate would solve the issue, but I don't want Camille to be bound to me forever as a trade for her safety.

And that's when it hits me. What have I done this entire time? She asks and asks to go back to the surface, and I tell her no. I have, in fact, bound her to me, using my promises to keep her safe as leverage. As a bargaining tool.

She is my prisoner, not my lover. The thought hurts deeper than I knew anything could.

"They could come back looking for you. We need to leave this place for now."

"But I don't want –"

I growl savagely at her, letting my tentacles flare.

The solution materializes with cold clarity. As much as it grieves me, perhaps the only way to truly protect my beloved is to set her free. She'll be free from me, but she'll also be free of them. And she'll have the sun she's always missed.

I school my expression to remain neutral, grabbing a few of Camille's simple belongings and tying them in a small canvas cloth I stole from the miners at one point or another. I move quickly, wanting to get away from the scene before the Narovu comes looking for Camille again.

Then I lead her through the tunnels, deliberately avoiding telling her anything more about my plan. This is already difficult enough on my end, and I don't think I could take it if I had to convince her as well.

Inwardly, my heart shatters, contemplating a life suddenly robbed of vibrant color and joyful purpose without her cherished company to chase away the haunted shadows of isolation. Can she ever comprehend the sacrifice I prepare to make on her behalf? Will she care?

I guide a shaken Camille through convoluted passages, her usual curiosity smothered now by distress from seeing our cherished haven so cruelly desecrated. She follows close, peppering me with questions my evasive reassurances fail to truly reassure.

I remain purposefully vague for both our sakes about where we are headed. I don't know if I'm afraid she'll refuse to leave me, or afraid she'll be overjoyed and crush me further. I try not to think about it as each step steels my resolve regarding my secret plan despite the ache it gives me.

"Just tell me what's going on, I promise I'll be all right."

"Quiet," I growl. "They could be anywhere…"

Suddenly, the tunnels I've known and loved take a much darker shade.

The glowing fungi and glimmering stone I normally reveal to Camille with pride now pass by unheeded, ominous shadows in tunnels mirrored only by those clouding her perception of circumstance.

Blindly, she places her trust in me, battling her own doubts. I have doubts of my own, worrying that my purported solution may devastate us both irrevocably. Or maybe just me.

She needs to leave my world. She will not be harmed just because I'm lonely.

At last, we reach the secluded cavern with the glowing mineral pools I discovered just for her delight. Wordless, I shift aside a cleverly concealed stone screening a small cleft. It is the one ascending passage permitting direct access to the surface I have found.

"Please, just talk to me, talk to me and we can figure this out…" she sobs. She knows. Of course, she knows. She's a smart woman.

Lit by a faint crystalline glow, the grave implication is clear as the sunlight streams through the now-open passageway. She knows what I'm offering her before I even say a word.

Can she read the sacrifice written across my face? I stand mute, claws curled into fists, trying to hold myself against the grief threatening to crush my formidable composure.

"Leave, Camille… Don"t ever come back."

My own jagged words shred the shimmering silence.

Her wide eyes search mine desperately, seeking sense in this abrupt abandonment. I steel my resolve and growl at her, showing my anger, but it's not at her. It's at myself. I let myself be swept away in this fantasy, that this little beacon of light she brought with her could last.

She takes another step toward me, but I take a step back from her, growling again. "You're never to return here!"