Page 260 of Lethal King

I don’t let her get far. Grabbing her wrist, I pull her in for a hug.

“if it’s too much, just tell me and I’ll take you home.”

“I’m already home,” Roz whispers, nuzzling her nose into my chest.

I take a deep breath. Her well-being is a heavy responsibility. I don’t take it lightly. But I also know I can’t hold her too close. Even after all we’ve been through, she’s still a feral cat. It’s part of what I love about her. She makes me feel free. And I try my best to make sure she never feels trapped.

“Be careful,” I say, kissing Roz on the forehead.

For a brief moment, we just stand among the ruins and hug. I do my best to keep the darkness at bay.

“You know I never am,” Roz sighs.

With a light kiss on my shoulder, she pushes herself out of our embrace.

I reluctantly let her go.

“I’m still not convinced this isn’t a trap,” I mumble, watching as she starts to pace through the ashes.

“Neither am I,” she agrees. “But I’m too curious to turn back now.”

“Curiosity killed the cat,” I mumble.

But Roz doesn’t hear me.

Giving her one last long look, I turn and slowly make my way to the other end of the small village. There isn’t much to see that isn’t already clear from the center point.

The land is flat. The ruins are short and overgrown. Only small pockets of elevated earth interrupt the leveled fields. Shallow graves.

I try not to think of the horrors hiding beneath my feet. Kicking my way through the thick of it, I quickly find myself at the edge of the faded village.

“Do you see anything over there?” I ask, turning around to look for Roz.

But she’s not there.

“Roz?” I call out.

There’s no answer.

Furrowing my brows, I step back into the ruins. Almost immediately, I nearly trip over one of the shallow graves.

“Fuck,” I grumble, catching myself.

Over the past four months, I’ve come out here a dozen or so times by myself. But I’m still not used to the jagged terrain. It seems to change with every visit.

“Roz!” I call out through the darkness.

By the time I reach the center of the village again, I’m started to panic.

A soft wind rustles the long grass. But other than that, there’s almost no sound.

“Where the hell—”

“Rian!”

Roz’s shout cuts through the silence like a scythe. Before I can even process the sound, I’m running.

“Roz?!” I yell back.