I’d never been one prone to fainting spells, but the smell mixed with the crowd suddenly made my knees weak. In the next breath I was hauled off my feet, carried to the safety of an empty alley. I squeezed my eyes shut, praying that my hero wasn’t my nemesis. “You smell atrocious.” I cursed the old gods. Prayers were for saints, not sinners, apparently. I drew in a few deep breaths, then glowered at the shadow of my savior as he towered over me.
