Chapter 7: A Hero Returns!!...

*He pretended that he didn’t care, but he did!!...*

**Proserpina**

“NO!” I screamed, jolting out of my nightmare. The moment I opened my eyes, Vlad and his shadow Dracula had gone. And I was in the cave beneath the Northern palace, surrounded by snarling shadows. They were gawking at me with their mouths hung open, exposing their fangs. So, I screamed again like anyone would when faced with so much death. However, I wasn’t the only one screaming. The shadows were also screaming as if mimicking me.

“Ssshh, someone’s coming!” One of the shadows hissed.

They all stopped screaming at once and pinned their red eyes on me as if I was responsible for the intrusion.

“Oh, my Gods, no!” I screamed, backing away to try and get away from them.

“Yes, it’s working! She’s scared, and now we will feed from her!” the one giggled.

“No! Please don’t…please,” I pleaded, and then something started happening to me. I felt like I had drunk my body weight. I felt numb and paralyzed, as if my energy was slowly draining. My body was restless, and my mind was confused between nightmares and reality. My vision was getting blurred, and my fingers started to tingle.

“Let me go!” I screamed as I tried to fight my way but had hardly any energy to resist, so I surrendered. Then suddenly, I felt ripped away from those shadows. At first, it didn’t quite register what happened, but then he spoke.

“Calm down, Kora!” It was the same deep voice of the saviour who always finds me when I need rescuing.

*My mysterious stranger!*

He held a fire torch and hurled it at the shadows, making them back off. The top part of his body was exposed, displaying the solid muscle mass that rippled fiercely when he shifted on his legs to face the shadows approaching him.

“Hey, big man, give up the girl, and we won’t kill you. You can walk away,” the shadows giggled.

“Well, that doesn’t sound like much fun,” he commented dryly as if these shadows were a joke. He grunted a laugh and cracked his neck to one side.

“You all are already dead for touching my girl, so time to disappear…and quickly,” he said before spinning into action.

I swear I saw the yellow glint flickering in his finger. My mind was too hallucinated to differentiate between visions and reality. He was moving at impossible speeds, and I think I saw three heads or something. My vision was starting to blur. I rubbed my eyes in disbelief, only to slam them close at the scorching light of the flame in his hand. I don’t know where that flame came from, but it looked too bright and seemed like drawing power from his body. The motion was such that it appeared that sharp rays of lasers were moving haphazardly. They were incinerating the shadows. The fight didn’t last much longer as I could see those shadows evaporating like smoke.

“Well, it’s been nice knowing you,” He said as the last of them disappeared. But by then, my body was shaking so violently that I felt I would break into small pieces. I felt a muscle-clad body loom closer.

“Be still, woman!” My stranger snapped, calming me enough with the sound of his voice.

“Turn around and hold on to me.”

“Uh…why?” I asked.

He gripped the bottom of my dress and dragged it upwards. His hand was between our bodies. I shuddered as the coldness hit me just under the breasts where his hands touched.

“Uh…what are you doing?” I asked. He looked at me and said, “I thought it was obvious.”

“I am not going to have sex with you! Do you think that I would have you your way to save my life? And when you’re done with me, you’ll hand me over to the guards.”

“Undress.” He spoke indifferently.

“Excuse me?” I mumbled.

“Ssh, calm now. Your body is shaking from the cold, and your energy is drained. It will shut down if you stop me from what I’m doing… don’t fight me on this,” he replied.

“Oh, I thought you….” I tried to clarify, but he cut in and said, “I know what you thought, woman.” I mouth the word *woman* behind his back, wondering if his ex has cheated him for being such an ass?

In the end, I found myself just giving in. I was too exhausted to fight even if I had wanted to. He waited until I relaxed and then removed my dress. I had a bra, but it was more of a rag, barely clinging to my shoulders but just enough to cover my nipples. He looked directly into my eyes rather than any other part. His eyes flashed yellow, his smooth movements fumbled, and his fingers stiffened. I knew he was struggling to control his feelings. He scanned over me, and I could see the hint of pain in his eyes as he noticed my broken state.

I relaxed in his hold, and my head drooped onto his chest. His hand ran up my neck, his fingertips caressed my hair, and I groaned at how soothing it felt. I felt his hand slide down my side and then across my belly. His calloused fingers graze the skin there. He flushed his body to mine, and his arms snaked around my waist. My stone-hard nipples were rubbing against his toned abs. I could see him looking down at me, and those silent minutes were unbearable.

“Wh…at happ… need to me?” My voice broke due to shivers.

“Those shadows feed from your fears, drain you of all the energy and then leave you for dying.” He spoke.

“I’ll die!” I asked in a painful voice.

“No…if you just let go of the fear… I’ll save you.” He spoke, flushing his body to mine. I felt like my veins were powering up as he was fuelling my body from his. The strength started to seep into my body. I felt as if my blood is burning.

“Just breathe,” he whispered. I blinked twice as a nod. His eyes flashed yellow in response. I moaned in fear. Deep down, I knew he wouldn’t hurt me, but his fear was about something else. I have never been this close to any man before. He seemed to be touching parts of me that had never been touched. My muscles clenched, and the shivering stopped. I could feel my body working again as if nothing had happened.

“What did you do to me?” I asked with doubt.

“Just gave you the warmth.” He replied.

I know it was more than just giving warmth. He healed me. ‘Is this even possible?’ I asked myself.

“Come on. We need to leave.” He spoke, handing me my dress.

“Once we are out of this cave. I’ll go my way, and you yours,” he told me.

“Uh, I beg to differ on that one, as I am coming with you,” I told him sternly while putting on the dress and spun around to face him. He briefly looked down at me before walking past.

“Did you hear me? I said I am coming with you,” I told him again.

“No, you’re not,” he told me, pushing his hair away from his face, and he was utterly and annoyingly breath-taking. His eyes looked at me, and his muscles flexed as if he was feeling something strange and not liking what it was, or the sight of me was making his skin crawl.

“Look, you may not like it, but you can’t do anything to stop me from coming with you,” I told him, and he raised an eyebrow at me, making me want to roll my eyes back at him.

“I don’t think so, little raven.”

“I don’t understand; why go to all the effort to rescue me if you are just going to leave me here stranded?”

“I have no answer”, he spoke as his eyes glowed yellow. He folded his arms across his chest, making his biceps bulge in that mouth-drooling way.

‘Focus, Proserpina! You need to convince him to take you along! Don’t think of the kiss you desperately want to plant onto his mouth!’ I thought to myself.

“Do you have any idea who I am? I have gold hidden somewhere in the forest. I’ll give it to you once you help me out of this damned kingdom.” I told him. He looked me up and down as if I had grown three horns on my head. He merely shrugged before saying, “Goodbye, K.O.R.A.”

I finally lost my mind and screamed at him while stamping my foot on the floor, “Look, I don’t care what your issue is with me. But if you leave me now, they will send me to Prince Vlad’s harem. All I am just asking is one chance. Just help me to the dark woods forest, and then, I’ll never get in your way.” His muscles flexed, and he seemed to be fighting to control his feelings, for one part of him wanted to protect me at any cost. In contrast, the other part was still confused and tried hard to understand the feelings.

“Understood.” He said, quickly increasing his pace as if reluctant to face me.

“Good, it’s settled then!” I spoke with a sense of relief.

“Now, do you know which way to the palace gates?” He asked.

“We won’t be able to escape through the gates. The basement stairs on the kitchen’s left side will lead to the secret tunnel to the dark woods.” I said, pointing him in the left direction.

“You look as dumb as you are.” His words made me frown.

“What do you mean?”

“I would have rescued you to the dark woods in the blink of an eye if you had told me about the secret passage sooner. I wasted ten minutes arguing with you,” He spoke.

I couldn’t help but mutter “pussy” in my anger.

We continued along a series of steps.

Once in the basement, I saw Mira in an opposite room.

“Mira” I screamed and rushed over to her.

“Kora,” the mystery man shouted. “Don’t. It’s a trap!” His last words reached me, but it was too late, and I was already inside the room. The guards surrounded me, with Sigurd aiming his sword at my neck. I peeked outside for the mystery man, but he seemed to be nowhere in sight, as if lost in the shadows, and here I was,

*‘Abandoned and fucked!!’*

*“Nothing is permanent in this world except for my troubles!!...*