Page 42 of The Prince and His Stolen Groom
“Catch!” I called, throwing him the candle.
He caught it in midair, then looked at it incredulously. “Did you justthrowa candle? Do you know how dangerous that is? What if I’d caught it wrong and set myself on fire?”
“This oneismagic—the fire doesn’t burn human skin. You could smother it with your hand if you wanted to.” He still looked outraged and skeptical. I rolled my eyes and ignored him, swinging the paddle at the nearest creeping plant. “The vines don’t like the heat,” I continued, swinging again. A bit of clear … sap? … juice?—what was it called when plants bled?—hit me in the face, a sour taste filling my mouth. I sputtered and coughed, hoping it wasn’t poisonous.
I glanced at Brendon to check his progress and saw the plants relinquishing their hold. As soon as he was free, I grabbed his arm andhauled him back toward the tower. “If we lock the door, they can’t get inside,” I explained, aiming behind me to bat away another seeking thorn.
“Andthenwhat are we supposed to do? Wait them out?”
I had no idea, but it would at least give us a chance to calm down and think of a solution instead of running headfirst into that mess. “Just get inside!”
He stopped arguing with me and made it inside the door, holding it open for me.
I only got one foot over the threshold before my other one was yanked out from under me. I smacked onto the ground face first, the breath knocked out of me as something dragged me backwards, toward the dark, looming forest.
“Rick!” Brendon called, followed by the sound of the door smacking against the wall as he prepared to chase after me.
“Close the damn door!” The last thing we needed was for both of us to get caught up in the mess. “I can handle this!” I lied through a mouthful of dirt.
I clawed at everything within reach to try to slow my momentum—dirt, grass, sticks, and stones. Nothing worked. With a sharp heave, I flipped myself over so I could see where the vines were taking me. The forest had transformed into deadly, tangled briars. Something prowled the shadowy depths. A glimpse of wings. The stretch of a long neck. A reptilian hiss.“Is that afucking dragon?!”
A hand grabbed my wrist and yanked me backwards. The vines didn’t want to lose their prize and tightened their grip, wrapping around me a few additional times. Their thorns were too dull to puncture through my clothes, but a few clever vines had slipped between my boot and my pantleg, digging their barbed thorns into me.
“Don’t you have a sword or something?” Brendon asked as he and the vines played tug-o-war with my body.
“Why the fuck would I have a sword?”
“I don’t know what kind of play you’re into!”
“Not that kind!”But something occurred to me and I suggested, “Check the kitchen!”
“I can’t cut you out with abutter knife.”
“They’re serrated!” I replied, then yelped in pain as some of the thorns that had latched onto my leg pierced my skin.
Brendon’s hands tightened on me, and a muscle jumped in his jaw. “Okay. I’ll be right back. I promise. Don’t get eaten!”
“Why would you say something so ominous?”
The second he let go, the vines pulled me another ten feet. Even they seemed surprised by their success, pausing for a moment, before gleefully dragging me toward the forest and the evil creature lurking within.
Brendon returned with a pair of kitchen shears. I was only a few feet from the tree line when he lunged for me, skidding in the dirt so that he put himself between me and the trees. With a few quick snips, he freed one of my legs, but the thorns remained buried in my flesh. The vines thrashed in protest, trying to grab both of us. Brendon ruthlessly cut through them with one snip.
He helped me to my feet, and I almost immediately collapsed, my right leg burning and useless beneath me. Slinging one of my arms over his shoulders, he half-supported, half-dragged me to the tower.
A few vines had made it through the door, climbing up the frame. Brendon unceremoniously dumped me on the floor, then shoved the door closed. The vines fought him, waving their little plant limbs in protest until he severed them with one final push. They fell to the floor, weak and wilting, no longer a threat.
We took a moment to catch our breath, me sprawled on the floor, him standing above me, hands on his knees to support himself. The tower darkened as vines climbed over the outer walls.
“Are you sure they can’t get in?” Brendon asked, his eyes on the nearest window, already covered with a thick layer of foliage.
“I’m sure,” I replied, closing my eyes.
“Hey.”
I didn’t have the energy to respond.
“You can’t go to sleep yet. I have to look at your wound to make sure it’s not infected.”
