Page 9 of Bound

Ruby shook herself out of the shameful daydream. “Yes! Sorry, yes.”

She slipped her hand into his. His fingers were huge and cool, his claws pressing gently into her skin. His hand utterly enveloped hers, and not for the first time, Ruby was consumed by the idea of him holding her down. He would cover her completely. She would be helpless.

It terrified her. It excited her. But, before she could decide what she thought about it, he turned away from her and led her out of the forest.

It took a surprisingly short amount of time for the castle to reveal itself.

Ruby gasped and came to a stumbling stop.

The castle was huge, with giant black spires stretching toward an ever-darkening sky.

It wasn’tdecaying. Not quite. But it was coming close. Moss crept over the walls, and vines worked stubbornly through the stones, spilling shadows. It was obvious the Bygone—Slate,she reminded herself—didn’t take much care of this place.

“Mortal,” Slate prompted, irritated. He tugged at her hand, as he had done several times throughout the walk whenever she dared walk too slow.

Ruby resumed her brisk pace and determinedly didn’t shudder as she passed the crumbling doorway.

Slate led her through a maze of twisting hallways. They turned so many corners Ruby stopped trying to keep track of where they were going.

Finally, he pulled her into a dark, cavernous room lined wall to floor with dirt-streaked stones.

Only then did he let go of her hand. It flexed at his side, his tail lashing. Ruby expected him to berate her for walking so slowly, but he said nothing for so long that it made her wonder if he was talking himself out of eating her again.

“Strip,” he said finally. “I will fetch the ritual oil.”

Ruby fought a blush. Of course, she would need to be naked, what else had she expected?

“Of course,” she mumbled. She wanted to keep meeting his eyes, prove she wasn’t afraid of him, but her gaze fell to the sleek floor as she untied her cloak.

Slate turned and walked out a door into a hallway that looked just as broken as this room.

The door was massive, Ruby noted. Like the rest of the castle, it was much bigger than a Skullwalker required. Maybe Skullwalkers like their architecture to be twice their already huge size.

Ruby unlaced her dress and thought back to the nest she’d found him in front of. The feather he had woven through it, the fur lining the edges.Thathe took care of. In contrast, the castle was falling apart.

Ruby pulled off her dress and shivered. This room was even colder than the forest. She clutched her clothes to her chest, trying to find someplace to set them down that wasn’t covered in filth or plant matter.

The giant door opened. Ruby jumped, dropping her bundle to the mossy stones.

If Slate noticed her nakedness, he didn’t show it. He placed a bowl of viscous blue liquid on a nearby table, which—much like the door—also looked too tall for him.

Slate dipped his fingers into the dark liquid and drew them out dripping. Then he turned to her and stopped.

“Arms down,” he instructed.

Ruby looked down. She had been covering her breasts. She hadn’t noticed.

She lowered her arms, fighting back a shiver. She was breaking out in goosebumps. Hopefully, he thought it was the icy air and not her racing heartbeat or the giddy lurch in her stomach that was only partly fear.

She took a deep breath and raised her eyes.

Slate was staring down at her, as she knew he would be. His face was unreadable behind his skull mask, but hiseyes…

Her breath caught. People in her town glanced at her, at best. They never looked at her like the world was narrowing down into her. He still looked hungry, but there was something else in his expression now. She couldn’t tell what.

“Good,” Slate said quietly. Then he paused like he hadn’t meant to say that. He lifted his dripping fingers to her face and retracted his claws. “Hold still.”

She swallowed, her dry throat clicking. “Wait!”

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