Chapter 168

I didn’t realize I was shaking. Nor that I was crying, that my vision had become blurry. A terrible lump tightened in my throat and I lost my temper; I caught the lion by the shoulders and shook him, until he revived a little again and put his paws on my neck, without strength. I roared in his face and he responded reflexively, releasing all the fury, exhaustion, horror, and misery he had felt for two years, our bestial voices mixing in that gloom. The sound echoed like thunder in the cavern, but it was no longer threatening, only pitiful. I let go of him and pushed his claws off me.

I backed up until I was standing up straight.

Haydar rested his head on the rock; it was difficult for him to keep it upright.

It took me a while to let it sink in. I didn’t understand why I was hearing that from him, the last person who would want to give me some peace of mind. Even if it was all an invention, knowing it made me feel so relieved that I had to fight with all my strengt