Serahina’s POV
When I ca to, I was hanging upside down in my seatbelt, my head throbbing and warm blood trickling down my forehead. The car had co to rest on its roof in a shallow ditch, steam hissing from the crumpled engine.
Through the spider-webbed windshield, I could see boots approaching. Heavy work boots that moved with deliberate, unhurried steps.
Fear shot through like ice water as I realized my situation. Alone, injured, trapped in an overturned car in the middle of nowhere, with whoever had just run off the road walking toward like they had all the ti in the world.
I fumbled for my seatbelt release with shaking fingers, gasping as the chanism finally gave way and I tumbled down onto the car’s ceiling in an undignified heap. Glass crunched under my hands as I tried to orient myself, tried to find a way out.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"
The voice was rough, amused, and completely unfamiliar. A man’s voice, though I couldn’t see his face through the damaged windshield.
"Looks like a pretty little thing got herself into so trouble," another voice added, and I realized with growing horror that there were at least two of them. "Good thing we happened to be driving by."
I managed to crawl toward what had been the passenger side window, now partly open thanks to the crash. If I could squeeze through, get into the forest, maybe I could hide until they gave up looking for .
"I wouldn’t do that if I were you, sweetheart," the first voice said, and suddenly a hand was grabbing my ankle, dragging back from the window opening. "It’s dangerous out there in the dark. Bears and wolves and all sorts of nasty creatures."
I was yanked from the car and hauled to my feet, swaying as a wave of dizziness nearly sent back to the ground. Two n stood before , both wearing flannel shirts and jeans that had seen better days. The taller one had greasy brown hair and a scraggly beard, while his companion was shorter and stockier with an little eyes that reminded of a rat’s.
"Looky here, Dale," the shorter one said, circling like I was livestock at auction. "She’s even prettier up close. Nice car too, before we ssed it up. Bet she’s got money."
"Please," I said, trying to keep my voice steady despite the fear clawing at my throat. "I don’t have much cash with , but I can get you whatever you need. Just let go."
Dale laughed, the sound harsh and grating in the quiet forest. "Oh, honey, this ain’t just about money. Though we’ll be taking whatever you got." His eyes traveled over in a way that made my skin crawl. "But a pretty little thing like you, all alone out here... well, seems like a waste not to have a little fun first."
The shorter man, whose na I didn’t want to know, stepped closer and reached out to touch my hair. I jerked back instinctively, and his expression darkened.
"Now, now," he said, his voice taking on a threatening edge. "Don’t be unfriendly. We’re just trying to help a lady in distress."
There was sothing else in the air. Another scent, cleaner and more powerful, approaching fast through the trees.
The sound of breaking branches and rapid footsteps made all three of us turn toward the forest. Soone was coming, moving through the underbrush with purpose and speed that suggested either extensive wilderness experience or supernatural ability.
"What the hell—" Dale started to say, but his words were cut off as a figure burst from the tree line.
The newcor was tall and lean, dressed in dark jeans and a black leather jacket. But it was his hair that caught my attention first—golden blond, almost white in the darkness, catching the light like spun silver.
"Gentlen," the stranger said, his voice carrying a cultured accent that spoke of education and refinent, though there was an underlying tone of barely controlled violence that made my would-be attackers take an involuntary step backward. "I believe the lady would prefer that you leave her alone."
"This ain’t your business, pretty boy," the shorter man snarled, though I noticed he was keeping his distance from the newcor. "Walk away and pretend you didn’t see nothing."
The blond stranger tilted his head slightly, as if considering the suggestion. "I’m afraid I can’t do that," he said pleasantly. "You see, I have a terrible weakness for damsels in distress. It’s a character flaw, really, but there you have it."
Dale pulled a knife from his belt, the blade gleaming wickedly in the darkness. "I said back off. There’s two of us and one of you. Do the math."
"Mathematics was never my strong suit," the stranger replied, and I could hear the smile in his voice even though I couldn’t see his face clearly. "I was always more of a hands-on learner."
What happened next was too fast for my human eyes to follow completely. One mont the stranger was standing twenty feet away, relaxed and conversational. The next mont, Dale was on the ground, his knife spinning away into the darkness while he clutched a wrist that was bent at an unnatural angle.
The shorter man tried to run, but the stranger moved like liquid lightning, intercepting him before he’d taken three steps. There was a brief struggle, a pained grunt, and then he too was on the ground, curled up and whimpering.
"Now then," the stranger said, brushing invisible dust from his jacket as he stood over the two groaning forms. "I suggest you gentlen return to whatever hole you crawled out of and forget you ever saw this lady. Because if I hear about you bothering innocent travelers again..." He left the threat unfinished, but the nace in his tone was unmistakable.
Dale and his companion didn’t need to be told twice. They scrambled to their feet and disappeared into the darkness, leaving behind only the sound of crashing branches and fading footsteps.
I stood there in the sudden silence, my heart still hamring against my ribs, trying to process what had just happened. The stranger turned toward , stepping into a patch of moonlight that finally illuminated his features.
He was breathtakingly handso, with classical features that looked like they’d been carved by a master sculptor. High cheekbones, a strong jaw, eyes that seed to shift between blue and gray in the moonlight. But it was his hair that truly caught my attention—that impossible shade of golden blond that seed to glow with its own inner light.
"Are you injured?" he asked, moving toward with fluid grace that spoke of predatory power barely held in check.
"I... I think I’m okay," I managed, though my voice was shaking badly. "Thank you. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t shown up."
"I have a fairly good idea," he said grimly, his gaze flicking to my overturned car. "Can you walk? We should get you sowhere safe and call for help."
I took a tentative step and imdiately swayed as pain shot through my left ankle. The stranger moved forward instantly, his arm sliding around my waist to steady , and the mont his skin touched mine, I felt a jolt of recognition that nearly knocked off my feet.
"Easy there," he said gently, his voice softer now, concerned. "You’ve had quite a shock."
"My na is Seraphina," I said, my voice barely above a whisper as I continued to stare at him. "Seraphina Knight."
The mont my na left my lips, the stranger went completely still. The arm supporting tightened almost imperceptibly, and I heard his sharp intake of breath.
"Sera?" he said, his voice filled with shock and disbelief. "My God... Sera? You’re really Sera?"
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