Page 82 of Bound to the Orc King

The dark fae’s leader hangs still in the air but for the silent beating of his smoke wings. He’s turned toward May, his eyes fixed on her.

I block a blow and look her way.

May still stands with her eyes closed and Naomi holding her arm. But I no longer interpret my bride’s stance as one of injury. I can finally see what’s really happening. She’s using her magic to stop him.

May just saved my life.

With their leader distracted, we rally. I fight with renewed purpose, my sword singing through the air, slicing so many shadows in two that the silver-haired fae emits pained grunts with each of my strikes.

“We’re coming in!” Starfall calls out in warning.

Then the unicorns are among us, Starfall taking her place by my side.

“Watch out!” I yell as a tendril spears toward her head.

She slashes her horn through the heavy black smoke, severing it. At my shocked look, she snorts with amusement. Slicing tendrils all around her, she says, “Why are you so surprised? How could you think anything is superior to a unicorn’s horn?”

“I should have known better than to doubt you, my friend.”

“Indeed you should.”

A feral grin stretches my mouth. We’re going to win!

Then a sound carries over all the noises of battle, cutting straight to my heart truer than any blade can.

May’s pained cry.

I spin in time to see her fall backward. “No!”

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

May

My consciousness slams into my body at the same time my body slams into the cold ground.

“Oww.” My butt’s bruised, but I landed on moss, so it’s not as bad as it could have been.

“May!” Naomi’s worried face blots out the sky. “Are you okay?”

“I just got shouted at by a god.” I touch my throbbing temple and wince. “But I didn’t pass out this time, so that’s something. Go me.”

“What?” Her hands dive under her cloak to pat at her clothes. She pulls out a couple of red crystals and presses them to my icy cheeks.

The pain instantly recedes, the loss of it making me a little giddy.

“Is this the new facial that all the best spas rage about?” I joke, adopting a commercial announcer’s voice. “Our aestheticians will massage you with Faerie crystals, imparting a magical glow you can’t get anywhere else.”

She chuckles, then shoots me a mock glare. “Stop making me laugh when I’m supposed to be worried about you!”

“No regrets. I love making you laugh,” I say. “The extra crystals are helping, thanks. I have a couple on me, just in case, but maybe I need to carry even more?”

“Maybe. The rest of us aren’t dealing with celestial beings. Taylor would probably say you need a god-level power up.”

A roar jerks my attention back to the battle. Aldronn! He’s trying to get to me. He clocks a fist to his opponent’s head, sending the silver-haired fae reeling, but shadows snap toward him from the burly one.

Severin lands in front of the door. All of his shadows suck back into his tattoos like a video run in reverse. He gives an impatient come-along wave. “With me!”

Right before he dives through the door, his voice fills my mind.“All I wanted was to show them the trees.”

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