{ Avina }
Turning back toward the trail, a low branch caught him square across the forehead with a sharp crack. His head snapped backward so abruptly that Soldier reared, throwing his balance completely off. I watched in stunned disbelief as he pinwheeled both arms in a spectacularly hopeless attempt to recover before sliding clean out of the saddle and disappearing into a pile of leaves with a grunt that echoed through the trees.
For one long heartbeat I simply stared. Then I laughed. Not the polite little laugh I’d been trying to hold back all afternoon.
Real laughter.
The kind that made my stomach hurt and tears blur my vision until I had to cling to the saddle just to stay upright. Jace eventually pushed himself onto one elbow, leaves tangled in his dark hair while a bright red mar
