Soulbound Read Online Free PDF

surged through me. I was going to make it. I was going to beat this thing. My dad would be proud.
    The toe of my shoe found a root and I lurched forward. Down I went, my newfound confidence disappearing in a puff, squeezing my eyes tight as I fell, not wanting to be witness to the monster’s mouth closing over me. I was dead, DEAD if that thing got a hold of me with those enormous jaws and monstrous teeth. Flipping over, I scrambled up the hill in a blind crabwalk, trying to delay what I knew was coming. The beast’s hot, terrible breath was on my face. It stank like rotting meat and spoiled vegetables.
    The thing squealed and I clamped my hands over my ears but couldn’t block out the sound. It shook me to the core—its battle cry, no doubt. The last thing I’d hear before I died.
    Something slick and wet spattered my cheeks and I let out a scream. Drool. Oh God, it was drooling on me, ready to devour me whole, its razor-sharp teeth closing in…
    “You can open your eyes now. It’s dead.” The stranger’s voice again. Calm, cool, collected. As if this was an everyday occurrence.
    It took a moment for his words to sink in, but when they did, I opened my eyes. Well, one eye really. The left one. And only halfway. But as soon as I realized he’d taken the Graplar down, I opened both wide. The immense monster was lying no more than three feet from me. Most of it was, anyway. Its head was in the brush several feet to my left. I looked at my savior, who was slipping a katana into the sheath on his back. His silver hair was stuck to his forehead and cheek, held in place by thick, red blood. “It should have known better than to travel alone. For that matter, so should you.”
    My hero was dressed in black from head to toe. His pants clung tightly to his legs; his jacket donned patches of armor. He had short, silver hair and dark eyes. His skin was sun kissed, but just barely, and his figure was lean and strong. He was clearly a fighter. And even in the growing darkness, I could see that he was beautiful.
    I swallowed hard. “Are you…Maddox?”
    I immediately rethought my plans to kill him.
    The corner of his mouth twitched slightly as he helped me to stand. After a moment, he said, “No. I’m not Maddox.”
    There was clearly offense in his demeanor, and I wasn’t exactly sure what I had done to spark it. I was about to ask when he said, “It’s not safe here. You should get to the south gate before we have anymore unwelcome guests. Graplars like the night life, if you know what I mean.”
    A small smile touched his lips then, as if even he couldn’t resist his own charms. I probably would’ve smiled too, if he hadn’t just told me that the danger wasn’t over yet. I wiped at my face, which was still sticky. As I pulled my hand away, I noticed my palm was covered in red. It hadn’t been saliva that spattered me, but blood. Gross. But it could have been worse. It could have been mine. Still shaking, I said, “I don’t even know your name.”
    His smile wilted and I felt sorry I’d said anything. I dropped my gaze and noticed the crimson slash on the left side of his chest. “Oh, you’re hurt.”
    Instinctively, I reached out my hand to pull the fabric away from the wound. His hand closed tightly over my wrist and our eyes locked. I relaxed, pulling my hand away, but he held fast.
    It took me a few seconds to find my voice again. “I was only trying to help.”
    After a moment he let go, pushing until I staggered backward, as if he wanted nothing further to do with me. When he spoke, his voice was filled with venom. “I said, go, Kaya.”
    Distrusting, I slanted my eyes. “How do you know my name?”
    “What part of ‘it’s not safe’ are you having trouble understanding?”
    My eyebrows came together in a glare. “You don’t have to be so rude.”
    “Listen, damn it. I don’t have time to play twenty questions with you.” His eyes slanted too, like he was trying to outglare me or