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“I don’t know the first thing about riding a horse. Trust me, it’s better if I walk.”
He snorts, eyeing me up and down before grabbing my wrist and tugging me along. Luckily, my wounds have all healed from the king’sfamily timeand Loric’s grip isn’t tight enough to hurt, but it does prevent me from falling behind... or running away.
“I’d prefer to be off the mainland as soon as possible.”
“Fine, I’ll jog,” I say, stumbling after him. It's pointless to fight him. The only way I'd win is to kill him with my magic and I have no idea where to go. As much as I hate to admit it, being with Loric and his friends gives me a shot at surviving. On my own, I'm not powerless or completely lost, but my oddsare significantly lower. There’s only so much you can learn from stories.
Loric stops suddenly, turning around to face me as he lets go of my wrist. I stop within inches of colliding with him.
“You're forgetting that I’ve seen you run. If anything is a risk, it's you attempting to use your feet. Now, you’re getting on the horse.”
Staring past him, I grimace. Those don’t look anything like the horses in the photos Asmo showed me. Their coats are pale with patches of fleshless bone, and beneath it, they’re hollow except for swirling, green plumes of magic. It’s like they’re phantoms, held together by spells alone. They tower over us, and my head doesn’t even reach their spines or the seats of the saddles on their backs.
“How do you steer it,” I ask, arching away from the creature’s head as it swings around to look at me, drawn to my voice.
“What’s wrong, dungeon girl? Asmodeus didn’t teach you that?” His eyes gleam as he shoots me a cocky smirk.
“My name is notPrincess,and it’s certainly notDungeon Girl.” Narrowing my eyes into slits, I scowl at him. “It’s Calamity. You don’t have to like me, but you’ll call me by my fucking name.”
Loric’s eyes flare for a moment and the silver rings catch the light as he tilts his head. Asmo did his best to teach me how to be civilized. My sisters had tutors and teachers that showed them the correct way to hold a fork, how to curtsey, dance, speak, and everything else a princess should do to uphold our family name. I didn’t, and when you spend most of your childhood surrounded by criminals, their slang becomes an innate part of you.
“You’re right,Chaossuits you better.”Is this a joke to him?Maybe it’s his form of payback for being forced to put up with me.
I take a step closer, not caring that his friends are watching us as if we’re their new form of entertainment. “For your information, Calamity means disaster, not chaos. And the very definition is a dead ringer for my life.” I probably should’ve kept the last bit to myself…No taking it back now.
He steps closer, lowering his head to look me in the eye. The air between us seems to charge, and I can feel his power dancing against my skin. It’s a warning… Some animals growl to tell others to tread carefully, but the monsters who live in this realm have an aura. It’s invisible to me, but it doesn’t stop me from feeling it.
“Same thing.” Loric grips my hips and I draw in a sharp breath. I'm whirled around until I face away from him, and next thing I know, I’m being lowered onto the saddle. My hair is scattered across my face, and I don’t know where to put my hands.
Something jerks the saddle to the side before I can contain the dark wisps and I blindly grapple for anything to hang on to. It’s all I can do to avoid tipping over and meeting the ground up-close and personal.
Warmth covers my spine and my body spasms like I’ve been struck by lightning.
“Would you calm down.” Loric's breath ghosts over my neck and his arms wrap around my torso as he grips the saddle and adjusts his seat, scooting ever closer to me.
I’m already shaking my head before I can formulate words. “Nope. There’s no way I’m sharing a horse with you. Get your own.”
“Get my own?” I can hear the humor in his tone. “Two minutes ago, you weren’t sure how to steer.”
“I’d rather die trying to learn.” I swat at his hands and arms as they attempt to settle against the tops of my thighs, reaching for the reins.
"What? Now you're concerned about being close to me? It didn't seem to bother you when you sniffed me earlier."
My eyes round. "I did notsniff you. I was enjoying the fresh air of the forest."
"Call it what you want," Loric says, ignoring my demands as he adjusts his hands on the reins.
A man chuckles off to our right. I turn, intending to figure out who the boisterous voice belongs to, but the wind sends my hair swirling. Only this time, it's not just my face the black tendrils attack. Loric gets to feel my pain, too.
A huff of air caresses my neck as he yanks my body against his chest. Surprisingly gentle fingers thread into my hair, and before I can protest, he's gathered it into a ponytail and has started securing it in place.
“Do you braid hair too?” I ask, my lips tipping into a smirk.
Without warning, he wraps my hair around his fist and tugs back until I’m forced to stare up at his face. Loric’s silver eyes meet mine from beneath long, dark lashes, I swallow hard.
“Keep it up. There’s plenty of time to get the ropes and right now, gagging you is sounding better by the second.”
“The last man who tied me up died.” It’s probably the wrong thing to say at this moment, but it’s the truth. I might be able to taste his power in the air, but my father was one of the most powerful creatures to exist in this realm.
