Calista
He opened his massive jaws and snatched me, tearing me from the earth itself. His teeth grazed my skin—not enough to pierce, just enough to remind me I could be devoured if he so chose.
His breath was molten, suffocating, and the crushing heat of his mouth wrapped around me as he thundered through the forest like a storm given form. Every jolt snapped through my bones. My lungs screamed for air I couldn’t find.
After what felt like hours compressed into heartbeats, he spat me out, and I collapsed into a slimy heap, coated in saliva and shaking. My hands fumbled, clawing at my own skin, desperate to feel something.
And when I finally looked up. Not a forest. Not a cell. A cave, massive and ancient, carved into a mountain’s edge. It looked like his room—books and journals wer
