Page 94 of Bound to the Orc Guardian

Or read on for a sneak peek atBound to the Orc Warrior:

I peek over the edge of the stone, and the ground is way, way below me. Too far. I’m not exactly the best with heights. “God, I want to be on the ground.”

My crystal necklace warms on my chest. Blink. I’m standing on the moss-covered ground, the pillar of rock rising above me. From down here, the heavy forest blocks my view of anything but the closest pines.

“What. The. Actual. Fuck?” Did I just… what’s the word? Did I justteleport?

I look up. As scary as it was to be so high up, at least I had a better view, more of a chance to figure out where I am.

As soon as I think it, my crystal flashes. I’m there, standing on top of the pillar again.

“Shit!” My arms pinwheel as I try to catch my balance, my heart pounding like a drum in my ears. As soon as I stabilize, I stand completely still, not daring to move.

“Think, think, think, Naomi,” I mutter. “You watched that one episode ofDoctor Who. You got this.”

Though most of what I remember is him trying to get a human baby back from a flying ship of goblins. I glance up at the bright-blue sky just in case a big wooden ship sails overhead. Nope, no ship.

So I’m stuck in the middle of nowhere, completely alone, with nothing but a distant flock of birds in sight.

“This isnotwhat I meant when I said I wanted to see new places.”

Instead of scaring off the birds, my voice seems to attract them. They cry out, rough caws filling the air, and wheel around to fly toward me, their movements eerily synchronized.

As they get closer, their bodies are no longer a solid shadow against the lighter sky. Inky-black feathers cover them, but their eyes, beaks, and claws are bright splashes of blood red.

Again, moving as one, they dive toward me, clawed feet extended, beaks open on terrifying screeches.

I throw up my arms to protect my face, and pain flares in my forearms. The damned things bit me!

“Oh, hell no!”

In a blink, I’m on the ground.

And I’m no longer alone.

A green elf runs out of the trees, all pointy ears and fangs that stick up from his bottom lip. He’s drop-dead gorgeous with a sharply chiseled nose and cheekbones for days. Tall and muscular, he’s dressed in tight brown leather pants—major yum—and a light-blue shirt.

Then he pulls a sword—afreakingsword with a blade so sharp it glints in the sunlight—and bellows angrily.

He leaps past me, slicing a bird in two. The body parts fall, dissolving into nothing before they even touch the ground. Again and again, his sword flashes through the air, cutting the birds trying to get around him.

Trying to get to me.

“Oh, hell no. I appreciate the save, and you’re really hot, but no.” Whatever any of this is, I don’t want it.

I want to go home.

In a blink, I’m standing in the middle of a different clearing, the trees surrounding me covered in blue leaves. What the hell kind of tree has blue leaves? It’s a campsite, complete with a crackling fire and a circle of tan leather tents.

And a hell of a lot more of the green elves.

They leap to their feet, all talking at once in a language I can’t understand, and a deep voice answers from right behind me.

I whirl around.

It’s the guy from the stone pillar! He reaches for me. He’s put away his sword, but something else flashes in his hand.

“No! I want to go home!”

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