The man, who for some reason knows my name, crouches at a safe distance from me, making an effort to look harmless. He doesn’t even flinch at the spear pointed at his chest.
Brave?Yes.
Stupid?Also, yes.
Moonlight plays a clever game of hide-and-seek, sneaking through the gaps between the trees before it finally bestows its soft hue on the face hidden by dark shadows.
I’m pretty sure I gasp out loud when my eyes land on the most beautiful pair of dark emerald eyes I’ve ever seen.
Mother. Fucking. Shitballs.
I don’t dare blink, afraid he’ll vanish before my eyes and end this daydream. I should be concerned about my shortness of breath, but suddenly staying alive isn’t my top priority right now. I’ll just not breathe for a few minutes. It’s fine.
Every bit of my pain and confusion is forgotten. I wasn’t even aware of how badly I was shivering from the harsh cold until my body came to a soothing halt from a single glance at this man.
His smooth ivory skin glows under the moonlight, and loose chestnut hair swaying in the wind locks me in a trance. I tighten my grip on the spear when my fingers itch to trace the sharp cut of his maddeningly perfect jawline. Plump, soft lips that—
Snap out of it, Nevaeh! He could be the enemy.
As if I wouldn’t let him stab me just to get him closer.
Why the fuck did I just think that?!
The way his hypnotic eyes reel me in or how an innocent tilt of his head crumbles my carefully constructed guard is terrifying.
The shameless staring contest between me and the skillfully sculptedAngel of a manfinally breaks when I catch his friend stepping in my direction from the corner of my eye.
I quickly shift my attention and my spear toward the man who had broken my trance, and I hit him with my deadliest glare.
The warrior instantly throws his hands up in the air, acting all innocent.
“It’s not polite to threaten someone who just saved your ass, Princess,” he says, clicking his tongue disapprovingly.
He scuffs the dirt with his boot, then drops to the ground, sitting with his legs crossed under him. How is he so comfortable with all those layers of armor on him?
He brushes off the dust from his shoulder, and I catch sight of his armor covered with colorful stickers. His entire ensemble looks like a children’s drawing book, and I would admit the smiling idiot is kind of cute, but he keeps gawking at me like I’m about to shoot rainbows out of my ass, and it’s getting creepy.
Angel guy drops his recurve bow beside him, and I catch a glimpse of ancient markings carved into it. The younger guy tosses his whips aside, which, albeit similar, aren’t what the Horseman of Famine wields. The markings are different.
When I’ve had enough of both of them staring at me cluelessly while my brain spirals out of control, I snap, “Who are you two idiots, and what are you doing here?”
“Introduction sprinkled with insults? You’re not very welcoming, Princess.” The sticker guy huffs.
I raise my spear higher, aiming right at his head. “How about I stab you as a welcome present,princess?”
“And that’s my cue to shut up. Anxo, your turn.”
The cartoon drags himself behindAnxo,who is now at the tip of my spear.
The prettier one, who I’m going to call Angel in my head, mumbles something under his breath. With a determined nod to himself, he stands to get closer, but I’m not taking anychances.
“One more step and your friend will be picking up your pieces from the ground.” Angel’s jaw ticks at my warning. I wait for him to lash out. Instead, he turns to his friend, and they start whispering to each other like I don’t have a weapon pointed at them.
“Fates, she is crazy. Maybe even clinically,” sticker guy hisses.
Angel pinches the bridge of his nose. “Tell me about it. And Dean said his daughter was the sweetest girl ever.”
Wait a minute...
