Page 44 of Lifebound

Myarmy-green backpack that I’d used for school for a year now. The same one I’d taken with me to go save a fucking fae prince.

“Who are you?” I breathed because he was there and he was real and he’d known the name of that horse. Which could only mean he’d been to the same place where that horse had been, the same place where Helid had been.

Which meant hewasn’tgoing to kill me.

Maybe. Hopefully.

God, please, if you save me this time, I promise I’ll be good…

“I’m the guy who saved your life a few hours ago. How much of it do you remember? You seemed pretty shaken up.” The corner of his lips turned up just slightly.

Hold on a minute…was hemaking fun of me?!

Because nothing—and I meannothinggot to me faster.

“I was, actually. I was hanging onto the neck of a fucking horse the size of a damn house.” I crossed my arms in front of my chest and, yeah, I was afraid, but I was also angry. So angry I didn’t give a shit who heard.

There was something about people making fun of me. I would not stand for it.

“And in case you didn’t notice, guy-who-saved-my-life-a-few-hours-ago, your trees have colorful leaves on them. And I’m here to save a fucking prince, not be chased around by monkey monsters with fangs as big as my damn fingers.” I raised him my middle one—meant to just show him the size. And also to flip him off. “So, yes—shaken upis a perfectly normal and natural reaction, considering.”

The more I spoke the more he smiled.

Now I was starting toreallydislike this guy.

“Oh, so that’s funny to you,” I spit.

“It isn’t.” He took a step closer, his eyes on every inch of my body, scrolling up and down. He could make a girl blush. “It’s not funny at all, actually. You did well, mortal. Very well.”

Fuck me sideways.

Did he justpraiseme?

And what the hell was happening to my anger? It was fading away so fast…

Wait, no—come back!

“Oh.” The word slipped from me just to break the awkward silence that followed. For only likea second,but still.

“It was very obvious that you’ve never ridden before.”

Oh, this guy…

My cheeks flushed. “And Seelie horses can be quite a lot to keep up with.”

Why was my brain the biggest fucking douchebag in the universe? Because he was talking about riding horses, and I was thinking about…other things.

“They are.” I cleared my throat, looked away from his face.Damn it, Nilah.

It was okay, though. I was only having atiny bitof trouble getting myself under control because he was hot. Hotter than any guy I’d ever seen. Hotter than Brad Pitt.

It was that—and the panic and the fear.

See?Plenty of stuff to blame my reaction on.

“And it was lucky that Aro ran away. He was distressed. Afraid. But he didn’t hurt you.”

Well, no, he hadn’t—because this guy here had caught me in his arms when Aro jumped to get me off his back. Literally.

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