Threadbound by KM Avery

Author:KM Avery [Avery, KM]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: KM Avery
Published: 2024-04-26T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter

Thirty-Three

Jamie had never been so utterly terrified in his entire life. Not when he’d first felt the back of Bill Eckel’s hand, not when he’d had two baby teeth knocked out by Bill Eckel’s fist, not when he’d been attacked for holding Christopher’s hand, not when he’d interrupted Bran being beaten… Not ever.

He’d also never traveled to another world. Much as Edinburgh had felt like a different world from Maynardville, Tennessee, it was nothing in comparison to being ripped through some sort of magical doorway to a place where the grass itself was alive with flowers that had literal eyes, blinking and glowing in a wash of moonlight so bright it hurt to look at. A place where a butterfly had four too many wings and teeth that showed in a flash as it ate something that might have been a mouse or maybe a small bird.

Nothing was what it should have been—or, rather, Jamie was definitely not where he should have been. Not Kansas, not Tennessee, not even Edinburgh.

“Jamie.” Bran’s voice was a rasp, yet it was the only familiar thing Jamie had to cling to as he hunched over, gasping, his eyes closed tightly against the several impossible things that he’d just seen. He tried to respond. Couldn’t.

A hand touched his arm, and Jamie flinched, unable to help himself. He’d just upended everything he thought he knew about the world and how it worked—he’d known, in theory, that he was traveling by magic to another plane of existence… but it was one thing to think it in theory and another thing entirely to actually make the journey. His skin and soul felt raw and exposed.

“Breathe,” came the next word, and Jamie struggled to obey. He needed air. He knew this. His brain wasn’t completely convinced that there was air here, or, if there was, that the air wasn’t going to sprout claws and try to rip its way out of his lungs, but he didn’t actually have a choice. His lungs were going to breathe whether he wanted them to or not, and it was probably a better idea if he let them do it before he passed out. Passing out seemed like a terrible idea.

“That’s it,” Bran soothed, the roughness of his tone evening out a little.

Jamie opened his eyes again, less because he wanted to and more because it had occurred to him that he should probably be able to see what was coming at him so that he could avoid having his face eaten by a butterfly-monster or something else equally horrifying.

He tried to straighten up, breathing a little better when he found Bran standing directly in front of him, looking completely normal. That, at least, was a relief.

Then he realized it probably wasn’t real.

“You—this isn’t what you really look like, is it?” Jamie asked, nervous.

“This is my human form,” Bran answered. His lips quirked. “I thought it might be better if I were… familiar.”

The fae was probably right. Jamie wasn’t sure if he could handle Bran being… something else right now.

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