Page 7 of Bound

She nodded. A strand of raven hair fell over her face, catching on her lip.

“I’m Ruby,” she said in a rush. Like she was afraid to give it but determined all the same. Just like everything else she had done since stepping through that portal into his void.

“What will you have of me?” the witch continued. “After you grant me my boon.”

He watched the stray lock of hair resting over her lip. Another urge rose in him, just as powerful as the urge to lunge and devour her whole: he wanted to reach out and brush the hair from her face.

“I haven’t decided yet,” he said.

Three

Ruby woke up cold and alone on the forest floor.

It was still evening. At least, itlookedlike evening. But it couldn’t be. She had walked through the forest for hours before finally giving in and curling up against a tree.

Maybe the forest went on forever. That was what she heard, anyway. But, apparently, childhood stories weren’t as reliable as she thought.

She sat up, tightening her cloak around her shivering shoulders. Aguide. She had never heard of the Bygone as a guide. Just an evil Skullstalker, luring victims to their doom.

Apparently, they had gotten much wrong about him. He hadn’t evenheardof a Bygone. What else had they made up about him over the generations?

Ruby touched her cheek. Slate’s tongue had been massive, pink, and long as it trailed down her face. Ifeverythingabout him was that big, she couldn’t see how they could ever complete a mating ritual.

Maybe he’ll force it in, whispered a worried voice at the back of her head.Maybe he’ll split you open.

The words sent a strange heat pooling between her legs, the same thrill that had started when he loomed over her that first time. There was fear there, of course. But there was also something else… She had dreamed of it last night: the loincloth pooling on the forest floor. Those huge hands prying her thighs apart, claws pricking into her tender skin, those black eyes boring into hers as he pushed inside, impossibly big.

She supposed her nervous excitement didn’t matter. The thrill would fade once the agonizing pain set in.

Ruby’s stomach growled. She hadn’t brought any rations with her. She had assumed she would be dead before she needed them.

She stood and cleared her throat timidly. “I don’t suppose there are any lost souls around who can point me toward some food or water?”

Silence. Ruby sighed and started walking, glad that she had brought her sturdy boots.

She had barely made it two steps before something rustled in a nearby bush.

Ruby froze, her hand flying into her dress pocket to grab her dagger. “Hello?”

The dog spirit burst out of the bush, its tail wagging.

Ruby sagged with relief. “You almost gave me a heart attack! Where have you been?”

The dog spirit ambled up, tongue lolling. It gave Ruby’s knee a friendly nudge, and Ruby smiled in wonder at the strange, light weight of its furry head. If they were in the human realm, its head would have gone right through her knee.

She stroked the dog spirit, her smile growing at the barely-there sensation of its fur. “You don’t happen to know where I can find some food, do you?”

The dog spirit sat back and cocked its head.

“Didn’t think so,” Ruby said. “Want to come, anyway?”

The dog spirit barked, tail wagging harder.

Ruby laughed and led it further into the forest.

She sat down sometime later with a meal of bright orange eggs, surprised to find her fear had died down to a low simmer.

The dog spirit helped. Its cheerful disposition made the shadowy trees look less terrifying.

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