Page 89 of Lifebound

Oh, that was delicious.Chef, please, another!“Is that a threat?”

He didn’t bat an eye. “Yes.”

I laughed—this guy. “You can’t just threaten me?—”

“I said you’ll killyour distraction,” he reminded me, as if I hadn’t heard him the first time.

You’d think I’d feel bad about it, or at least a little panicked or afraid, but no. I was still enjoying it more than should be humanly possible. Like he put the entire world into my hands right now.

“Careful, Mr. Moody. Someone might think you’re jealous,” I whispered, and my eyes fell on those lips again. Now that I knew what he tasted like, the need inside me had turned feral. It had grown the size of a monster within seconds, and it wanted him so badly it hurt to hold myself back.

“Why would I concern myself with worthless opinions?” he asked. “I made a promise. I plan to honor it. Until I get you to the Seelie Court, nobody will touch you.”

I didn’t likethispart all that much. I’d have preferred it if he’d admitted that he was, in fact, jealous, and swore his undying love for me as he fell to his knees right here and now—but whatever.

“Right—I keep forgetting you’re afraid of the prince,” I muttered, no longer half as amused as a moment ago.

“I’mnotafraid—” But I already knew he wasn’t, and he already knew I was teasing him, so I didn’t let him finish.

“What was that woman talking about when she saidthe prince’s bride?” Because now that I remembered it, I felt a little unease. Uncomfortable with the idea—veryuncomfortable.

And Rune had told her right away that Iwasn’tthe prince’s bride, but the way his smile dropped now and how his eyes turned even more murderous—that made me uncomfortable, too.

“What? What is it? Is the life-bond some kind of a relationship or something?” Because I was not prepared for that.

Yeah, the boy in the meadow had been cute, but I’d been a kid—and also, I liked them tall anddark.

I found that out the moment I laid eyes on Rune.

“It isn’t. It never has to involve any kind of feeling, romantic or otherwise,” Rune said, looking to the side, to the doors where the woman had gone off to.

“But?” I asked because it felt like there was a “but” there.

“But there have been cases in the past when Lifebounds became lovers after.”

My heart skipped a beat. “Holy shit.” Rune closed his eyes. “Are you serious right now? I don’t want to end up in a romantic relationship with the prince!”

I didn’t know the guy, and he was fae, andstay the hell away from me!

Rune turned to me again. “Why not? He’s a prince.”

“I don’t care—he’sfae.” A different species from a different world. Ask anyone and their mother and they’ll tell you that that kind of relationship wouldneverwork. “He’s…he’s…Helid never told me about this, damn it!” And now I was shaking again.

“Calm down,” said Rune. “Like I said—life-binding does not equal a romantic relationship. Remember, you choseto come here.”

Yes—beforeI knew what the hell I was getting myself into.

“It’s fine,” I whispered before I started to lose control again. “It’s fine. It’s fine, I’m fine.” And I’d say it as many times as I needed until I believed it.

But lucky for me, the woman finally came out of her cottage with plates in her hands and a smile on her face, and I didn’t need to think about being the prince’s bride again the whole day.

twenty-four

The food was actually delicious.She’d made some kind of stew and she had roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes and carrots that tasted so freaking good. She had homemade bread, too, that tasted so different from back home but delicious, nonetheless. She also brought us tea that had thatalmost-peppermintsmell, but Rune didn’t let me even touch it until Miriam swore a formal oath that no spell or curse or poison or magic of any kind laced anything she’d brought for us here at the table.

I ate so fast it could have been funny. Rune ate, too, slowly, watching me every now and again, smiling the way he did—just a ghost of a smile touching one corner of his lips. He was probably thinking he’d seen wildcats eating with more manners, but I didn’t mind.

And secretly I kind of liked the way he looked at me. You know, when he wasn’t murdering me with his gaze.

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