Chapter 421: The Space Between Teeth and Breath

Chapter 420: The Space Between Teeth and Breath

Sophia did not move.

The beast’s words still hung in the air between them, heavy and strange, his gaze fixed on her with an unreadable calm that made her skin prickle.

Her fingers curled slightly at her sides.

"And what makes you think," she asked quietly, "that I’m going to send my guard away?"

Her voice was steadier than she felt.

The beast’s lips curved into a slow, knowing smile.

"Because," he said evenly, "you want to know who I am."

Sophia stiffened almost imperceptibly.

"And you want to hear the things I have to tell you."

The words sank into her chest with uncomfortable accuracy.

She swallowed.

Her eyes flicked toward Noctis without thinking.

He stood rigid in front of her, massive frame tense, muscles tight beneath his fur, his attention locked fully on the beast. Every part of him radiated restrained aggression, the low rumble in his chest barely contained. His presence was solid, grounding — the only thing keeping the panic from climbing too high inside her lungs.

Even though she hated the situation.

Even though every instinct warned her that this was dangerous.

She couldn’t deny it. She was curious. She wanted to know what the beast had to tell her. She wanted to know the secrets he held.

Maybe he could explain the dreams and what he meant by "she." Why he apparently wanted her dead and sent beasts after her. She wanted to know everything. She wanted the truth and wanted to hear it from his mouth.

She wanted to know who this creature was.

Slowly, she reached out and ran her fingers through Noctis’s thick fur. The warmth steadied her trembling hands. She sank down beside him, pressing her face briefly into the side of his neck, breathing in his familiar scent as if anchoring herself to something real.

"I’m going to be okay," she whispered softly. "I just... need to ask some questions that would likely give us answers."

Noctis released a low, conflicted sound, tension still coiled tightly through his body.

She pulled back and lifted her head, staring into his beautiful eyes.

Brown with golden flecks.

Orion’s eyes.

They searched her face for a long moment, unreadable, heavy with reluctance and trust all at once.

Then, slowly, Noctis stepped back.

He didn’t go too far, but he put distance between him and Sophia and also the beast. But the distance was just enough that if anything happened, he would be able to react immediately.

His stance remained guarded, muscles still taut, attention sharp and unwavering.

Sophia rose to her feet and turned back toward the beast.

"My guard has given us space," she said. "Are you willing to explain now?"

The beast inclined his head slightly.

"Perhaps."

Then he added calmly, "Come closer."

Sophia’s brows drew together immediately.

"Why?" she asked. "And besides, I’m not doing that. I don’t trust you."

A faint smile touched his mouth.

"I don’t trust you either," he replied simply. "But you want answers. And I’m willing to give them."

His gaze sharpened slightly. "You need to come closer."

Sophia folded her arms slowly, her weight shifting back on instinct rather than forward.

"I can hear you just fine from here, though," she told him.

His eyes lingered on her for a long moment, unreadable.

"If you truly want to know what I have to say and answer all the questions you seek answers to," he said quietly, "you’ll step closer."

Her gaze slid, unwillingly, toward the bodies sprawled across the stone floor.

The blood was still dark and wet beneath them.

The metallic scent hung heavy in the air.

Her stomach tightened.

"Are you going to do the same thing to me?" she asked flatly, pointing at the bodies.

The beast glanced briefly toward Noctis, but he didn’t answer her.

Noctis’s growl surged louder, sharper, echoing through the cave walls. From the moment they saw the beast, Noctis had been on high alert. It was obvious he didn’t like the beast, and Sophia also noticed that the beast did not answer her question. He didn’t say yes or no, and he didn’t even shrug. He just didn’t acknowledge the question she had asked him.

Sophia exhaled slowly, tension tightening behind her ribs.

"This is ridiculous," she muttered under her breath.

Still—

She stepped forward.

Just a little.

The stone was cold beneath her boots. Her pulse beat loudly in her ears as she closed the distance slightly, stopping well outside his reach.

The beast’s gaze followed her movement carefully.

"Closer," he said again.

Sophia narrowed her eyes. She knew from when the beast started insisting she move closer to him that he may be planning something. His words were suspicious, and if he thought her curiosity was just going to overrule her thinking, then he thought wrong.

His lips twitched faintly. She was scared, but not as scared as she was when she first saw him. And also, the beast wasn’t discreet.

She glanced down at the bodies again — the cloaked figures lying unnaturally close to the beast’s chains, their blood staining the floor in dark patterns that hadn’t been fully wiped away.

Her jaw tightened.

She lifted her gaze back to him.

"You want me as close as they were?" she asked bluntly.

He shrugged.

The casualness of the gesture sent a cold ripple through her chest.

Her eyes flicked briefly to Noctis.

He hadn’t moved.

Not even an inch.

His stare was fixed on the beast like a drawn blade, ready to strike at the smallest provocation.

Sophia drew a slow breath.

Then she folded her arms firmly across her chest and looked directly at the beast.

"No."

Her voice was steady despite the fear tightening in her stomach.

The beast’s eyes narrowed at her. He blinked as if he could not believe what he had just heard from her.

"What?" he asked her.

"I’m not moving closer to you," Sophia told him. "I don’t plan on ending up like the bodies that actually moved close to you."

"But I never said I was going to do it."

"True, but like I said, I don’t trust you, so I’m not moving closer. You are going to have to tell me what I want to hear from where I am," she told him.