Chapter 308 Chapter 309

Chapter 308 Chapter 309
Chapter 309

Nina’s POV

I was still gasping for air from laughing at Nikolai’s playful response when a loud, chopping roar shattered the morning quiet.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

The heavy sound of spinning helicopter blades vibrated directly through the palm-leaf roof above us. The air pressure dropped violently, making the leaves of our small shelter shake and rattle against the wooden frame.

My heart did a massive, joyous leap inside my chest.

"A helicopter!" I squealed out, completely forgetting about my unfastened bra or the aching muscle pain in my back. "Nikolai, it is a rescue helicopter!"

Before Nikolai could even move his long legs, I scrambled toward the front opening of the shelter on my hands and knees. I burst out into the bright morning sunlight, running barefoot across the soft, damp sand toward the open shoreline.

Looking up into the clear blue sky, I saw a large, dark green military helicopter descending rapidly over the tree line. It was flying dangerously low, kicking up massive clouds of white sand and whipping the ocean waves into a chaotic frenzy.

"Over here!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, jumping up and down on the beach while waving both of my arms wildly above my head. "Over here! Come and save us! We are down here!"

"Nina! Get down!" Nikolai’s sharp, thunderous voice roared out from behind me.

Before I could wave my arms a third time, Nikolai sprinted onto the beach like a unleashed predator. He reached my position in a fraction of a second, his calloused fingers clamping around my wrist with absolute, crushing force.

He did not pause to explain. He yanked my body around with brutal efficiency, dragging me forcefully away from the open beach and pulling me straight toward the dark, intimidating edge of the dense rainforest.

"Hey! Let go of me!" I yelled out, stumbling over my own feet as he pulled me across the rough sand. "What are you doing? Nikolai, stop!"

The helicopter dropped even lower, its massive searchlight sweeping across the exact spot where I had been standing just three seconds ago. Nikolai paid zero attention to my protests. He kept his firm grip locked around my wrist, dragging me straight into the thick tangled vines, massive roots, and towering ancient trees of the jungle.

The cool, dark shadows of the rainforest instantly swallowed us whole. The heavy sound of the helicopter blades echoed overhead, but the dense green canopy above blocked out the bright morning sky.

Nikolai finally let go of my wrist, taking a step forward to part a thick wall of sharp jungle leaves with his bare hands so we could move deeper into the overgrown terrain.

"Damn it, Nikolai!" I shouted, rubbing my red, sore wrist while glaring at his bare, muscular back with pure fury. "Don't you want us to get saved? They were right there!"

Nikolai did not stop walking. His dark eyes scanned the dense foliage ahead, his chest rising and falling in deep, controlled breaths as he kept moving us further away from the coast. "Keep moving, Nina."

"No!" I snapped, my patience snapping completely.

I turned my back on him, spinning around on my heels and taking three fast, determined steps back toward the loud, echoing sounds of the hovering helicopter engine behind us.

"I am going back!" I yelled over my shoulder, my voice dripping with absolute defiance. "If you want to stay and live in this stupid jungle for the rest of your life like a caveman, that is completely on you! But I am getting on that damn aircraft!"

Nikolai stopped dead in his tracks. He turned his head slowly, his dark eyes narrowing into two dangerous slits as he watched me march back toward the open beach.

"Nina, do not be stubborn," Nikolai warned, his voice dropping into a low, deadly serious register.

"Watch me!" I retorted, taking another fast step toward the light.

Before I could take a third step, Nikolai closed the distance between us in a single, terrifying stride. He reached out, wrapping his massive, powerful arms around my waist, and effortlessly lifted my entire body up off the ground, throwing me over his broad shoulder like a sack of flour.

"Hey! Put me down! Put me down right now, you crazy lunatic!" I screamed, pounding my fists against his solid back as he spun around and began running at full speed deeper into the treacherous forest.

"Shut your mouth and listen to me!" Nikolai growled out, his boots slamming heavily against the wet dirt floor of the jungle as he navigated through the thick roots. "That is not a regular rescue helicopter, Nina!"

I stopped pounding on his back for a brief second, my heart catching in my throat at the intense, icy panic in his voice. "What?!"

"They are cannibals, Nina!" Nikolai spat out, his voice laced with pure, raw urgency.

"What?!" I gasped out, my jaw dropping in absolute shock and horror.

A sharp, disbelieving hiss escaped my lips as I tried to digest his terrifying words. "Cannibals? Are you completely out of your mind? Who flies a military helicopter and..."

Before my brain could even finish processing the insane reality of his warning, a sharp, terrifying WHISTLE cut through the humid air right above our heads.

THWACK!

A thick, hand-carved wooden arrow with a jagged bone tip slammed directly into the trunk of a massive oak tree right next to Nikolai's head, sinking three inches deep into the hard wood.

My eyes went wide as saucers, the blood draining completely from my face as I stared at the vibrating wooden arrow just inches away from my nose.

"Damn it!" Nikolai hissed through his clenched teeth.

Without dropping his pace for even a millisecond, Nikolai adjusted his tight grip around my legs, lowered his head, and dramatically increased his speed, sprinting through the dense, lethal jungle like a madman.

“When did cannibals start hunting for beast on helicopters !” Nina screamed frustrated