Page 48 of Lifebound

“Whoareyou?” I asked because there was more to him—so much more. It was all written in the maps in his eyes, that thin silver line that was shaped almost like a daffodil bloom in his right eye, and a more rounded version of it in his left.

The corner of his lips turned up just slightly, and he came closer and closer, and I looked at his lips—so perfectly mauve and smooth and kissable.

I held my breath as I waited…

“The guy who saved your life a few hours ago.”

Fucking prick.

My eyes closed and I knew I deserved that—I had no idea what the hell had gotten into me—but that didn’t mean that I wasn’t dreaming of kneeing him in the dick. Unfortunately, before I could make up my mind to do it, he moved away. Held up my backpack.

“I used your clothes, cut them and threw them around to confuse the grogs. Tell me your decision.”

I grabbed my backpack—lighter. He had definitely thrown away my only change of clothes.

I was fuming from the ears. “Take me to the prince, asshole.”

Part of me thought he’d be pissed. Part of mewantedhim to be.

But Rune just gave me a lopsided smile instead, and said, “This is going to be fun.”

Then he turned around and walked away.

fifteen

I wasway out of my depth here. Regret made my insides feel like they were literally melting with every step we took—in what I could have sworn was the wrong direction, but what the hell did I know? I followed behind the guy who walked like he thought he was on a catwalk—Jesus, man, fuck.I wanted to sniff the hell out of him as much as I wanted to make him trip and fall on his face, just to humble him a little bit.

So infuriating—and I hadn’t been here a full day still.

My backpack was strapped to my back and my arms were around my torso, and it wasn’t warm by any means, but my blood was boiling so my leather jacket wasthisclose to being discarded in the woods.

Then I saw the lights.

Holy shit, we were definitely going in the right direction because I could see the lights ahead, and my legs moved, took me forward faster until I was walking right next to Rune. I held my breath and almost gripped his arm because the closer to the edge of the forest we were, the more I saw howvastthis place was.

“Oh, my God…” I whispered when we finally passed the last tree and stopped.

We were atop a steep hill and we were looking down at what could have been a town or a city, but it was at least four times the size of Lavender Hill. The sky had lightened to a pale grayish blue, though most lights in that city were on still. The buildings weren’t skyscrapers, but some of them were big, wide, most made out of something white—wood or stone, I couldn’t be sure.

It was vastand it was endless, and far in the distance I saw the reflection of water on the left, and more trees on the right, mountains rising up on the horizon, going all the way to the west.

It was awhole worldhere.

“This is the Neutral Lands,” Rune said. “All kinds of creatures and species live here. They are self-governed so the rules of any kingdom in Verenthia don’t apply here. You steal, your hand gets cut off—or worse. You owe someone anything at all, you’re their prisoner.” He turned, and the way he looked down at me nearly suffocated me. “How much do you know about Verenthia?”

“I-I-I…” I shook my head. “Not much, I don’t think. Just what Helid told me—that-that it’s a continent, and-and Emer and Reme and the stars, and…five days. That’s what he said—three to four days to the Seelie Court, and he-he?—”

“Nilah.”

My mouth clamped shut.

I wondered if they had restraining orders against someone saying your name here.

Because I could do ungodly things if this guy kept calling my name in that voice. Not a whisper, but so, so close. So dark. So goddamn sexy.

“Calm down,” he said. “It takes about three days to get to the Seelie Court on horseback, and we will try to find horses, but most of this journey will likely be made on foot. We won’t get to the Court for about seven days, give or take.”

Seven days.My eyes closed. “I was supposed to be home in eight.”

---