Page 117 of Mud

Of course, I was—I was stuck between two deadly predators, one more dangerous than the other, but the vulcera had all those teeth…

Teeth that she had bared atTaland.

I did a double take, and so did he.

The vulcera was standing to my side, half her antennas still without color where I’d ruined them, and she had her head down, eyes on Taland, tail pin-straight and sharp behind her.

For a second, I thought I was hallucinating again.

Then Taland started laughing. “Don’t look so shocked. You bonded.”

I shook my head, sure he was wrong, because… “I don’t have magic.”

“You showed her that you’re worthy, that you’re capable of protecting her without it,” Taland said. “Showedme,too.” And he stepped back. “Looks like I’m not the only one concerned with you keeping your head on your shoulders now.”

I raised my brow at him. “You’reconcernedabout me?”

It was my way of distracting myself from everything else he said so I had a second to breathe.

“Absolutely.” He flashed me a wide grin that I was starting tokind oflike.

I mean, it looked good on him. He was so beautiful it fucking hurt.

“I’m not going to help you, Taland,” I said, and he put his hands in his pockets.

“You know, now that I think about it, I’ve missed the way you say my name.”

“I’m serious. I won’t break you in or out of anywhere,” I insisted.

“But you could do it so easily.” He leaned his head to the side, never even looking at the vulcera, like he truly wasn’t afraid of her in the least.

“I won’t. If you want to kill me, do it. I won’t stop you. I won’t fight you.” Words that cost me to say, but I needed to say them anyway. “But do it quickly because she, apparently, is not going to like it.”

“Oh, I’m not going to kill you, sweetness. Not yet,” he said. “But I’m sure we’ll see each other again.”

I stepped back and the vulcera stepped back with me, no longer tense. She was looking at me now, instead, and I could have sworn she wanted my attention.

“I’m sure we won’t,” I said, moving back again, and I saw my gun and my knife on the branch where they must have slipped from my hands when I passed out. Luckily, they were still there, so I slowly lowered down to pick them up—while the vulcera sniffed my ear.

That my soul didn’t leave my body in those moments was a mystery. But maybe it had something to do with the fact that nothing in the world was more dangerous to me than Taland—and not because I could lose my life at his hands.

“Of course, we will. I’ll be there once my familiar finds me. You wait for me, sweet Rose. I’ll be there.” Lightning fast,he stalked toward me, grabbed my chin in his hand, and kissed me on the lips.

The vulcera bared her teeth again and roared, about to bite him on the leg, but he moved away just as fast as he’d come closer.

Smiling. Grinning. Cheeks dimpled and flushed.

Meanwhile I couldn’t breathe.

“Until later, sweetness. I can’t wait to see all that you’ve become.” And he jumped.

He jumped to another branch with ease, then continued to walk below it and farther away—fast, like he was suddenly in a hurry, and he left me to stare after him until I couldn’t even see him anymore.

Only after he was gone did I notice the dark smoke fading away through the corners of my eyes, but when I looked, it would be gone already.

Magic.It had been Blackfire magic I hadn’t even noticed because I’d been too focused, too terrified by both the man and the beast to pay attention to it.

He’d put magic on us to talk to me, to keep prying eyes away—and cameras, too—which meant he was serious. Which meant he wasreally, really real.

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