Page 14 of Bound to the Orc Guardian

“They’re getting desperate. Orcs and unicorns have allied with dragons and others to fight the sluagh,” I say. The vilest of fae live up to their name, stealing the souls of their victims and trapping them as birds, doomed to an eternity of servitude instead of peace. “We’ve killed many of their kind, so they’re moving to new hunting grounds.”

Her tiny eyes widen. “You have a way to kill them?”

“We do, but it won’t do you much good at your size.”

The leader scowls at me, and a sword appears in her hands. She brandishes the tiny yet sharp blade. “Sprites can fight.”

“Oh, I’m well aware.” Moon Blade Village now has resident flocks of both sprites and pixies, and the diminutive imps are as feral at heart as any Wild Fae.

Before she can say anything more, Selena steps close, her eyes fixed on the sprite in my hand. She brushes one careful finger over the shock of white hair on his head, and magic ripples through the air.

His listing wing straightens, and he jumps to his feet on my palm, raising his wings and giving them an experimental flap. Then with a shout of joy, he leaps into the air to fly in circles around Selena’s head.

She laughs, the sound rich like velvet caressing my ears, and her eyes sparkling with delight.

Goddess damn me for a fool. The sound pierces straight to my heart, the music of her joy making my pulse race. I don’t need Faerie Fruit to be intoxicated. All I need is her, her youth, her joy, her enthusiasm.

My cheeks stretch into what feels like my first true smile in years.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Selena

My breath catches in my throat. A scowling Sturrm is handsome, but his smile… his smile makes him downright gorgeous. And the way he’s looking at me… Ay! It could go to a girl’s head! He stares at me in fascination, like he’s never been happy before and I’m the first person to bring him joy.

I love it, even as it makes my heart ache. Why is he so grumpy and sad? I feel like I’m seeing the person he could be, one who’s able to smile and enjoy life.

It almost makes me forget I’m mad at him. Almost.

Why’d he slap thatblackberry from my hand? Rude!

But the first heat of my mad has faded, and logic takes over. He’s not a mean man—look at how he held the little butterfly boy who couldn’t fly. So Sturrm must have had a reason. What if they’re not blackberries, after all? I’m not exactly nature girl over here, and blackberries don’t grow in south Florida. Carajo! Did I just eat something poisonous?

I run an internal checklist for the typical symptoms I memorized for class last semester. No nausea or stomach pain. No dizziness or trouble breathing. No slowing or speeding of my heart rate. No abnormal sweating. No feeling of weakness. Without a mirror, I can’t check my complexion to see if I’ve gone pale, but nothing feels off.

I point to the bushes and mime eating berries. “Are those okay?”

The little faeries stream over the bush they coated with glitter and bring me several more. They surround me in a swirling cloud of iridescence, like tropical flowers caught in a miniature hurricane. Their voices ring with excitement, their tiny faces beaming.

Sturrm, however, scowls and barks something at them that makes them shriek and dart back to the bush. He takes my arm and leads me to a different patch of blackberries, ones that haven’t been touched yet.

He plucks a purple berry and tosses it into his mouth, his expression serious as he chews. Then his eyebrows relax, and he picks several more berries, holding a fat one up for me.

It’s sun warmed and soft on my lips, and his eyes latch onto my mouth as it brushes against his fingers to take the fruit. The tart, sweet berry bursts across my tongue, juicyand delicious, and I lick my lips, chasing every last drop, and loving the way his dark eyes heat.

Who knew eating could be this sexy?

I grin, and he startles as if realizing he’s been ogling me.

He picks up my hand and pours the rest of the berries into my palm. His touch is gentle, but the calluses on his fingers rasp lightly against my skin, sending shivers through me. I remember the way they moved over the leather, competent and sure and full of power.

If I close my eyes, I can feel him, my body hyperaware of his. Something tells me he can sense me, too. Is it something to do with magic, or is it him?

My money’s on him.

He turns back to the bush and plucks more berries for both of us. Over and over, I find his eyes on me, making sure I eat. Then he gets out a leather waterskin and offers it to me.

The med student in me wants to ask about water-borne organisms. Most people think bacteria are all you have to worry about, but they’re not. Parasites and other things can live in untreated water.

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