The new voice that had spoken was laced with apathy and didn't belong to any of the three men surrounding me.
Jarvis straightened to a stand as his friend, Elion, answered the man. "Out by the fields. I suggest you start heading that way if you don't want trouble."
I turned my head to seek out the stranger who had a glimmer of hope fluttering in my chest despite how unbothered he seemed by the situation before him. He could have left without a word if he truly was.
Straining my neck back, I found the man standing a few meters away. He wore a grey button under a dark coat and had a hand tucked into the pocket of his black pants while the other held a cigarette between his bowlike lips. Lowering it, he blew out a cloud of white smoke that had tendrils curling over his angular jaw that was covered in dark stubble. It was the same color as the short, tousled waves on his head, a saturated and dark auburn. It stood out against his pale skin that seemed to glow in the moonlight, given some warmth by the light from distant lanterns.
"It seems trouble has a way of finding me," he said, his bored eyes locking with mine.
"Walk away, Fae," Jarvis warned. Turning to face the man completely.
"I don't think I can," he said not pulling his gaze away.
My chest dropped with a relieved sigh as the hope that had bloomed grew.
"Why? Something wrong with your legs?" The shortest of the men, Quinn, stepped forward to inquire.
"No."
"Then use them and scram," he snapped, prompting the man to shift his attention towards them again.
The man shook his head, taking another drag of his cigarette as his lips pulled down into a frown. "I'm not leaving without her," he sighed, not seeming too pleased at being troubled by my predicament.
Jarvis narrowed his eyes. "She's not going anywhere."
"She doesn't seem like she wants to be here," the man remarked calmly as he stepped forward, his pace slow and lazy.
"Turn around," Elion warned, mirroring his steps. "This is your last chance."
"Likewise," the man responded with a stony expression as he flicked his cigarette to the ground.
But it never reached it.
A sharp gust of wind had it curving up and launching toward Elion. The red cherry that moved through the air gleamed brighter before it struck his eye and sizzled out. Tendrils of smoke rose into the air as the large man let out a roaring cry that had me flinching. He reached for his eyes while his friends stood shocked, blinking at their friend sounding his pain.
While they looked shaken at the sudden and unexpected development, the man who had stopped his approach appeared unfazed and indifferent.
Before Jarvis or Quinn could decide their next move, Elion released a snarl and rushed forward. He pulled out a curved blade from the inner pocket of his worn jacket as he charged the man with an anger-filled cry. His actions spurred his friends to follow. They clutched their blades in their hands as they joined Elion in his attack.
Despite having three men rushing him with weapons drawn, the man stood with his hands tucked into his pockets, calm and unperturbed.
It quickly became clear why when Elion reached within striking distance of him. He barely had a chance to draw his arm back to strike before he was thwarted to the side by an invisible force that had him slamming into a wall. The multi-story building shook at the impact, freeing fine dust and rubble from the brick as Elion dropped to the ground unconscious.
The man who looked upon his body indifferently hadn't moved a muscle.
Jarvis and Quinn stumbled to a stop.
"Elion!" Jarvis called, but his friend who lay crumpled on the ground didn't move.
He snapped his eyes back to the man who stood a few steps away. Adjusting his grip on the handle of his blade, he strode towards him, coming to a stop once they stood toe to toe. I expected the man to fling him away in a similar manner to his friend, but instead, he let him reach for him and grab him by the collar. A button popped off as he jerked the man who stood taller than both him and his friend toward him and lifted his knife.
The man's brows furrowed in annoyance as his eyes followed the button that rolled to a stop on the ground and toppled over. He seemed more bothered by it popping free than the blade pressed to his neck.
I turned my body, lifting my head in worry. For him and myself.
Quinn drew closer to Jarvis as he opened his mouth to speak, but instead of words, all that escaped was a choked noise followed by silence.
"Jarvis?" Quinn called, his voice shaking.
Jarvis didn't respond. His eyes widened in panic while the blade slipped from his hand to join the man's button on the ground. His hand released his shirt to claw at his throat as he stumbled back into his friend who was asking him what was wrong. His face grew flushed as his mouth opened and closed, unable to answer him or breathe.
"I liked this shirt," the man commented under his breath as Jarvis fell to his knees before him, his face turning blue.
"Stop! You're going to kill him!" Quinn yelled, pleading for his friend when he realized there was nothing he could do for him as he clawed his skin bloody.
"Killing you lot isn't worth the trouble," he answered as Jarvis slumped to the ground at his feet. He pulled his eyes away from him to pin them on the last of the trio that stood standing. "Now, do you want to join your friends or scram?"
I watched Quinn's throat bob as he swallowed hard. His mouth opened and closed wordlessly as his eyes bounced between the unconscious bodies of his friends, unable to hide the fear residing in them. Or the fear that had him shaking. He slowly rose from beside his friend, his blade still in hand. But, instead of using it, he kept hold of it as he rushed past the man, leaving a wide berth between them as he abandoned his friends and raced back to the safety of the crowd they had stolen me from.
My eyes followed him. The moment he turned and vanished from sight, a relieved breath rushed out of my lungs.
Returning my gaze to the man who had come to my aid, I found him watching me from where he stood. To my relief, he made no move towards me.
Returning my attention to the two unconscious bodies on the ground, I kept an eye on them for any movement as I struggled to make my way up. Keeping my arm crossed over my aching stomach to hold my broken side, I placed a hand on the ground to push myself up. I ground my teeth against the burn of pain but was unable to contain a grunt of pain that slipped free as I maneuvered myself onto my knees where I had to pause to take a break. My breaths came out labored, having grown strained from the effort it took to move.
The harsh pants that filled my ears explained why I hadn't heard the man approach until he was crouching down in front of me.
Without a word, he slipped his hand inside my coat and under my shirt. A gasp escaped my lips as I jolted at the press of his cool palm against my skin over my injured side.
I reached for his forearm, aiming to try and pry it away as I jerked back. "What the-"
My protests were cut short as his other hand rose to grip my jaw and force my eyes to meet his. This close, I could make out the gold flecks in his hazel eyes that were framed by thick lashes. I tried to pull away, but his grip tightened.
"Stay still," he said, narrowing his eyes when I gave another futile jerk to dislodge his hand.
Keeping his grip on my jaw firm, he reached his thumb up my cheeks and swept it across the blood that warmed it. It grew even warmer at his touch. My side too where his hand was pressed. It started pleasant, tempting me to lean into it, but gradually it grew. My eyes clenched shut and my jaw tightened in his hand as the warmth at my side grew into a heat that bordered on unbearable. My fingers dug into his arm as my discomfort peaked. When it began to fade back to a pleasant warmth, pain no longer present, his hand shifted towards my stomach. It lingered for a moment. Caressing my skin and warming it before he pulled away taking the remaining faint ache with his hand.
My eyes fluttered open to meet his as his fingers slipped away from my jaw. Blinking as I looked into his eyes, my hand rose to my cheek to trace over the fading warmth of his touch. The skin under my fingers was smooth and free of the cut. My eyes widened before snapping down to my side. I lifted my shirt, reaching under it to probe at my ribs that had just been broken. Disbelief had my breath catching in my throat when I found no pain.
Lowering my shirt, I shifted my focus back to the man in front of me. "Thank-"
As I raised my eyes, my words cut off as my gaze locked onto a familiar sight that had my heart skipping a beat. His missing button had his shirt parting to reveal a white crystal that hung on a thin sliver chain.
It was identical to the one I had seen Cedric use to open the portal that brought me here.
Well, almost identical. It was slightly larger in size and I could make out faint black lines that carved a crest into the crystal's milky surface. I hadn't gotten a close enough view of Cedric's to know if it held the same distinct markings.
Transfixed on the potential key hanging around his neck, I flinched at the soft graze of his fingertips over the rounded shell of my ear. I jerked back, fear slamming into my chest as my wide eyes locked with his that were narrowed.
Taken is complete and available on Patreon.
Captive, book 2 of The Blood Stone Series, is currently being updated. Read more at:
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