Page 39 of The Evernight Court

Something came at us with such an incredible speed that I heard it, heard the air rippling,feltit approaching as if I was looking right at it.

But what blew me completely away was how the girl moved.

One second she was shocked as she looked at me, and the next, she leaned her head back just slightly and raised her other hand in front of her face—and caught something.

An arrow.

She caught the arrow that had been coming for her head like it was nothing.

Then she jumped to her feet and turned toward where the arrow had come from, dropped the bag of coins on the ground, and she ran.

Was she running away?

Fuck, I was dying to find out, but I barely managed to turn to the right to see where she’d run off to while keeping myself from swinging to the sides—and also keeping Grey’s jacket off my face at the same time.

The girl had definitely not run away.

Instead, she was fightinga man at least two heads taller than her—and winning.

“No way,” I whispered to myself because there was no way I was seeing right. The way she moved was incredible. She jumped and supported herself on her hands with such ease, kicking the tall guy in the face too many times to even count. Then she was behind him, and to the side, her fists impossibly fast as the man tried to catch her with a bow in one hand, and what looked like a dagger in the other—but was far too slow.

I swung to the sides and missed most of it, but I saw the end—when she slammed her fist to his jaw, then fell back on her hands and kicked him on the chest with both feet like a damn ninja.

The man hit the ground on his back with a weak cry. I moved to the side and lost them for a second, and by the time I swung their way again, he was already running away.

The girl turned to me. “I amsosorry!”

My anger was gone, disappeared into thin air. I didn’t even mind that I was hanging by the ankle anymore, too stunned by what I’d just witnessed that I hardly felt it when she strode over to me and began to cut the thick rope holding me up with a small knife.

Before the minute was over, I fell against the ground on my side, and it hurt, but I was still very much distracted by this tiny thing that had movedlike that. Like gravity didn’t apply to her and normal speed didn’t tie her back like it did the rest of us.

Pushing myself to sit up, I took a second to look around us, to see if that man had maybe returned, but he wasn’t there.Just the trees and the light coming from the town at the edge of the woods—and this girl who put the bag full of coins on the ground by my feet and slowly backed away with her hands raised as if in surrender. As if she was scaredof mewhen she’d just kicked that man’s ass masterfully all by herself.

“I apologize. I had no idea you were an Evernight bride. I had no clue—I’m so,sosorry for all of this,” she said as she slowly backed away toward the darkness of the woods.

“Wife,” I said, rubbing my ankle where that rope had bitten into my skin. “I’m Grey’s wife.”

She stopped for a second. “Same thing.”

“No, it isn’t.” Grey said so. He said I washis wife,not his bride,and that there was a difference. So, that’s what I was, even if I never technically married him.

“Right,” the woman said. “Right, of course. So. Your gold is right there—I didn’t take a single coin. Feel free to count. I’m just gonna be?—”

She pointed her thumb back toward the woods, moving farther away still.

“Stop,” I said, and with the bag in my hand, I stood up.

I expected to be dizzy. I expected the view to at least tilt a little bit considering I’d spent a good few minutes hanging by the leg, swinging to the sides—but no. I was perfectly intact.

“Hold on a minute,” I said. “What’s your name?”

She swallowed hard and suddenly looked like she wanted to burst into tears. “I didn’t know who you are,” she whispered. “Please, okay? I had no idea?—”

Fuck, she looked absolutely terrified. I almost laughed.

She wasthatafraidof me?

“I’m not going to hurt you or anything. I just want to know your name.” With the way she moved, I couldn’t hurt her if I tried, if my life depended on it.

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