ZOAH'S POV
Natasha and Nicholas, the guardian of the cannibals' sacred temple, waited outside.
Only I would go in.
Only I would rescue Silver.
Using the trapdoor would have been pointless. At least three guards were stationed there, watching every possible exit. I wasn't surprised. Capturing prey was only the beginning. The real task was ensuring there was no escape... and no chance for anyone foolish enough to attempt a rescue.
But they had made one fatal mistake.
Guarding the entrance meant nothing if they failed to guard the prisoner.
They should have stationed themselves inside the room where Silver was chained.
That was the only place they could have stopped me.
Unfortunately for them...
I never intended to use the door.
A faint smile curved my lips as I studied the temple from outside.
Then I vanished.
One heartbeat, I stood beneath the moonlight.
The next...
I appeared inside the underground tunnel.
The same tunnel Natasha, Silver, and I had crossed while searching for Herb D, the herb the ladies had nicknamed the Herb of Death.
After everything that had happened...
I had to admit the name suited it perfectly.
Almost.
Not for much longer.
That was why I had returned.
To rescue Silver.
Herb D, the carnivorous neutralizing plant, possessed the power to counter even the deadly poison of Herb C.
Once Silver was safely out of this place, only Natasha and I would continue to retrieve Herb E... the final herb.
Then my mission on Earth would finally come to an end.
I had nearly lost Silver twice.
Once during the trial of Herb C.
Again during Herb D.
I couldn't allow fate a third opportunity.
There was only one way to keep her safe.
She would not accompany us on the mission for Herb E.
When everything was over...
When we returned home...
I would erase every memory she had of me.
Of this mission.
Of us.
The thought tightened around my heart like invisible chains.
The woman I had unknowingly fallen in love with would wake up in a world where I no longer existed.
She would laugh with someone else.
Smile at someone else.
Perhaps...
Even marry someone else.
It hurt more than I cared to admit.
But perhaps we were never meant to be.
If I followed my heart, I would only drag her deeper into danger.
She had survived once.
If everything went according to plan, she would survive a second time.
But what about a third?
No.
There would never be a third.
Even if it meant sacrificing my own happiness...
I would do what had always been expected of me.
I would protect her...
Even if protecting her meant letting her go.
With that resolve burning inside me, I appeared in the chamber where Silver was chained.
One thought occupied my mind.
Rescue her.
Then...
A sound echoed through the darkness.
My instincts sharpened instantly.
It wasn't Silver.
Something else was here.
My gaze swept across the chamber.
No one.
No guards.
No movement.
Yet...
We weren't alone.
The objects scattered throughout the room...
They weren't ordinary.
They felt alive.
Watching.
Waiting.
As though they were silently observing my every move.
The eerie whispers that drifted through the chamber grew louder, crawling beneath my skin like invisible fingers.
Something was hidden in this room.
And whatever it was...
It was waiting for me.
I turned, surprise flashing across my face as my eyes landed on it.
Herb D.
The carnivorous plant.
The Herb of Death.
It was... eating something.
Frowning, I stepped closer, trying to identify its prey.
Then I froze.
Disbelief rooted me to the spot.
Gods do not hallucinate.
So what exactly was I looking at?
Herb D was devouring the chains.
The very chains that had bound Silver.
How was that possible?
Those weren't ordinary restraints. They had been infused with powerful energy. No one could escape unless that power was first neutralized.
But Herb D wasn't capable of neutralizing human-crafted energy.
Its gift was different.
It neutralized poisons.
Toxins.
The powers of mystical plants.
Not enchanted restraints forged to imprison humans.
So if Herb D hadn't neutralized the chains...
Who had?
My thoughts came to an abrupt halt.
Wait...
This was a rescue mission.
Where was Silver?
"Zoah..."
The familiar voice echoed softly through the chamber.
My heart skipped.
"Silver," I breathed.
Before I could say another word, she rushed into my arms, tears streaming down her face.
I wrapped my arms around her without hesitation, gently stroking her back.
For that single moment...
Nothing else mattered.
Not the cannibals.
Not the danger.
Not the risk of being discovered.
The woman I loved was finally safe in my embrace.
What more could I possibly ask for?
"You came back..." she whispered, her voice trembling. "You didn't abandon me."
"I could never abandon you,"
I said without hesitation.
I tightened my embrace.
"Don't say anything."
"Just stay here..."
"In my arms."
She looked up at me, her watery eyes searching mine.
"For how long?" she asked softly.
"A minute."
She slowly shook her head.
"No."
A faint, bittersweet smile touched her lips.
"Promise me..."
"...that you'll let me stay in your arms forever."
Pain flickered across my face.
"I can't make that promise," I replied quietly.
"But I can promise you one thing."
"I'll keep you safe."
Her smile faded.
"What's the point of being safe..."
"...if I can't be with you?"
She gently pulled away from the embrace, her eyes locking onto mine.
There was no anger in them.
Only hope.
Only fear.
Only love.
"Answer me, Zoah," she pleaded.
I drew a slow breath before lifting a hand to her face.
My fingers brushed gently against her cheek.
"Silver..."
"I'm dangerous."
"I'm a god."
"You're human."
"I don't know if a future between us is even possible."
Her eyes glistened.
"So..."
"You don't want to be with me?"
Her voice cracked.
"Do you feel anything for me at all?"
"If you don't..."
"Why did you come back?"
Tears slipped down her cheeks once again.
Seeing them shattered something inside me.
Without thinking, I wiped them away.
"I love you, Silver."
My voice was barely above a whisper.
"I love you more than you'll ever know."
"That's why I came back."
"I couldn't bear the thought of losing you."
"I don't know what the future holds..."
"But I know one thing."
"I can't imagine my life without you."
Silence settled between us.
Then I smiled softly.
"Tell me, Silver..."
"Do you feel the same?"
A radiant smile broke through her tears as she nodded repeatedly.
"I do."
"I love you too, Zoah."
The world seemed to stand still.
Time itself lost meaning.
There was only her.
Only us.
Drawn together by feelings neither of us could deny, I closed the distance between us.
Our lips met in a gentle, heartfelt kiss.
Neither of us wanted the moment to end.
I held her close, one arm wrapped securely around her waist, as a single realization settled deep within my heart.
I wasn't letting her go.
Not again.
I would no longer erase her memories.
She would remain by my side.
She would continue this journey with me.
And this time...
I would protect her with everything I had.
No matter the cost.
I rested my forehead against hers.
"I promise you, Silver."
"You'll always have a place in my arms."
Before another word could be spoken, I summoned my power.
The next instant, we vanished from the cannibals' temple.
But just before we disappeared...
I felt it.
A presence.
Someone else had been inside the chamber.
Hidden behind an invisibility barrier.
Watching.
Waiting.
Whoever it was had witnessed everything.
Our reunion.
Our confession.
Even the impossible way Silver had escaped those enchanted chains.
Yet they had made no attempt to stop us.
Why?
Why remain nothing more than a silent observer?
As we disappeared into the night...
I made myself a promise.
Whoever that person was...
I would find them.