Page 77 of Mama Si's Paradise

Eventually, angry tears began to spill down my cheeks. Eventually, my legs slowed down even more and my muscles screamed in protest and my head throbbed harder.

I must have run for at least an hour, if my sense of time could be trusted in these conditions, and the light wasn’t getting closer even though I’d been moving in its direction. Onthe contrary—it seemed to have moved farther away as if to spite me. To laugh in my face.

Releasing a long breath, I sat on the ground and closed my eyes for a second, wiped my cheeks. I was no longer cold, and my dress didn’t feel wet anymore, either. My feet were bleeding in several places, but they were numb so I didn’t feel the pain, but I was fed up. So fucking donewith all of this that for a moment, I considered sitting here until I passed out again just so I could catch a break.

But who knew what lived in this place—besides those dragons? Who knew how long I had until I was found?

No, I couldn’t sit here and wait. Iwouldn’t.

Off I went again, this time walking to make sure I didn’t miss anything, and didn’t hurt myself even more. Why had that light gonefartheraway from me when it should have been much closer? I was determined to figure it out, but…

Ten minutes later, I felt eyes on the back of my head like a physical touch.

I stopped in my tracks instantly, my body shutting down for a second.

Heart in my throat, I turned around, expecting to find a dragon or Mama Si or a fucking siren coming to devour me.

There was nobody there.

Chills ran up and down my body as I continued to walk, but the feeling never faded away. It just became more prominent. With each new step I took I was painfully aware of someone watching me, and it made me sick to my stomach.

Then, I began to hear it, too. Twigs snapping. Footsteps. A whooshing sound, different from the whispering leaves at the top of the trees. Somebody was there with me, and they were taunting me, playing with my fucking sanity, and I’d already had enough of being played. I’d already had enough ofeverything.

So, I stopped in front of a tree and I rested a hand againstit for support. Then I took in a deep breath, and shouted as loudly as I could, “What the hell do you want?!”

No idea whom I was talking to, whether it was a dragon that was following or an actual human being.

Scratch that—anEnchantedbecause I was in their land now. I was in Ennaris.

Just yesterday, this had been my dream, but now? It had turned into a fucking nightmare.

No response. No sound of footsteps. No nothing, just those whispers coming from over my head. My shoulders shook as I squeezed my eyes shut, though I wasn’t exactly sure whether I was laughing or crying. Neither would surprise me.

“Just where do you think you’re going, human?”

Once more, I froze in place and waited a good minute to see if I’d really heard the voice of a man or if it was all in my head. Then I turned around slowly, eyes wide and unblinking, searching, every inch of my skin covered in goose bumps.

Was he invisible? Because I sure as hell couldn’t see anyone around me, until…

“Up here.”

I followed the sound of him and our eyes locked the next second.

A man was sitting comfortably on one of the thicker branches up a tree not five feet away to my side. A young man, possibly close to my age, with dark hair and dark eyes and dark clothes and darkeverything.The contrast with his pale skin should have made him look scary—like a ghost or worse. Instead, it made him look like he was carved out of marble, possibly the most beautiful piece in the world.

“Well? Are you going to answer me, human?”

That voice again, just like the dark cloud hiding this place away from the world. Like the whispering leaves on these trees.

Then he jumped, so easily and with such grace that it shouldn’t have been possible from fifty feet up. Hestraightened his shoulders, running a hand through his dark hair, and he slowly began to approach me.

Fuck. I almost asked him if I could take his damn picture.

Good thing I still had some common sense left, so I stepped back because he was already closer than I was comfortable with.

He was taller than me by at least a few inches, definitely over six feet. Not exactly muscled, but the short sleeves of his black shirt showed his curvy biceps just fine. He must have been toned as all hell underneath.

Chills ran down my back and I just about started running, when something moved fast from our side, so incredibly fast it was like he materialized out of the air.

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