Chapter Four

Violent wind blew through my hair as my hand held on to a stick that was wedged in the wall of the ditch that was way below the ground.

My heart thrummed with fear as my legs dangled in the air. I was fighting to keep my hold tight on the stick.

“HELP!” I yelled, hoping someone was out there and would be willing to help me. “SOMEBODY HELP ME!” I yelled again. The strain between the stick and my hand was beginning to weaken, and I said a silent prayer to the moon goddess.

A tear dropped from my cheek at the thought of my body colliding with the hard ground. A shiver of fear ran through me, and I raised my voice louder. “SOMEBODY, HELP ME!”

It was only silence that responded back to me as I dangled. I let out a curse as my palm around the stick started to slip.

“No, no, no, no,” I whispered repeatedly, tears flowing freely like a dam had broken in my eyes, dreading what would happen if I let go of the stick.

“Don't worry, I've got you.” A man's voice brought me out of my panic, and my eyes went wide with relief.

I couldn't see his face clearly, but I could make out the outline of his body. At the top, he bent down, stretching his hands towards me and clasping them around my arm. With a grunt, he pulled me towards him, dragging my body all the way out of the ditch.

A sob escaped my lips as soon as my feet touched the ground above, and I immediately moved to wrap my arms around my savior. “Thank you so much,” I said, sniffing. “I thought I was going to die. Thank you so much.”

He gave a nervous chuckle, the sound vibrating in his chest. “You're welcome.”

For some reason, his voice did something to my stomach, and I released him from my grasp. When my gaze collided with his hazel ones, my heart flipped—something that confused me because I'd never felt that way before.

His hazel eyes, swimming with intense emotion, weren't the only thing that made my heart flip. It was all of him.

His dark hair danced on his head, making my hands itch to touch it and put the strands in place. I was sure his chiseled jawline could cut steel, and his lips were almost the same shade as strawberry.

I swallowed as I let my eyes roam the remainder of his body. Goddess, was I allowed to have lewd thoughts about a stranger who just saved me from dying?

The white t-shirt on his body did little to hide his muscles and—

“If you're done checking me out, you can tell me why a female like you is out here alone in the forest.”

My gaze whipped to his piercing ones, and I fidgeted under his gaze. Do I tell him I was being chased because I killed a man? That would be a terrible idea. “I wasn't checking you out.” I let my eyes roam everywhere but his.

He snorted. “And pigs fly.”

A flush crept up my neck, and I shifted on my feet.

“I'm expecting an answer sometime this year,” he said impatiently, tilting his head as if to study me.

I opened my mouth to speak.

“Well, well, well, if it isn't the crazy freak.”

My eyes widened as Gideon appeared from behind a huge tree, behind the man who saved me.

The man immediately turned to take in the intruder. Behind Gideon, the men that he had sold me to came into view, and my heart dropped.

The man—I was going to start calling him my savior—took stealthy steps back, getting to my side before giving me a side look. “You know these people?”

Gulping, I nodded vigorously, my heart immediately racing. “That's my brother.” I jerked my head toward Gideon. “Those are the men he sold me to.”

My savior raised an eyebrow. “A happy family reunion, I see.” The sarcasm in his voice was not missed as we both inched backward.

“You have a choice, Selena. Come to us peacefully, or you won't see another day again.”

My saviour scoffed, “That was lame. Try again.” He called out to my brother, whose vein appeared on his forehead.

Gideon glared at my saviour. “You stay out of this and mind your business, or you'll join her,” he spat.

“In what? Not seeing another day?” My saviour mocked. The smile on his face showed he was enjoying this a little bit too much.

“Hey, stop it.” I sent him a loud whisper. “You'll only agitate him more.”

“Even better.” A wicked grin stretched across his face, and I ignored the fluttering in my chest at the sparkling of his teeth under the moonlight. “Hey, dufus.” He gestured to my brother. “What do you want?”

The vein on Gideon's head became more prominent. “That girl there murdered one of my men. She's dangerous and not something to be taken lightly. So, if you like your life, you should stay away from her.”

I whipped my head to my saviour. “The man wanted to take me to be his slave, and I didn't mean to kill him,” I said in haste, somehow wanting him to take my side.

“You want me to believe that a scrawny woman of that size took down one of you who are more than three times her size?” he said, keeping a deadpan gaze on them.

Gideon scowled. “I don't care if you don't believe me. Just hand her over to me, and who knows, you might be compensated.”

My heart raced as slight worry took over my thoughts. What if my savior handed me to them? I took a cautious look at him.

“No, I won't,” he replied to my brother, with a glint in his eyes. “That would be cruel now, would it not?”

My shoulders sagged with relief.

The scowl on Gideon's face deepened. “Then anything that happens to you is your fault.”

With that, he and the other men charged towards us. My eyes widened, and I staggered backward as I saw that Gideon's men were no longer just three; they were... I blinked... many.

My stomach coiled with fear. Had he seriously gotten this many men to capture me?

That energy that had surged within me earlier made its appearance again, and I gladly accepted it, watching as the men surrounded I and my-

“You need to tell me your name?” I said loudly as our backs touched while the men surrounded us in a circle.

“You want to know my name in this situation?” Disbelief was in his tone as he took a fighting stance.

I raised my hands, pointing my palms at the men in front of me. “Yes.” I was sick of calling him my savior.

“Kai. I'm Kai Stormrider.”

One of the men charged towards me, yelling, and in a second, the beam of crimson light made a reappearance from my hand, creating a dent in his head.

Everyone halted, including Kai, who had turned around to protect me.

Half of the man's head was non-existent, leaving one wide eye and a half-opened mouth on the other half of the head that remained; the stench of copper filled the air.

“What the fuck?” It was Kai who whispered in astonishment, his eyes widening in shock.

“Nice to meet you, Kai. I'm Selena. Selena Ashford,” I said as I tried to catch my breath.