Unknown Arrows!!

**Nora's POV**

"Rorik!" I gasped. I could see and feel he was not himself, along with his eye colour; something else is also changed in him, giving him a dangerous and unpredictable aura, as if a beast has woken up behind the veil of his skin and ready to crawl out and mark its prey. He looked like a hungry predator, waiting to leap out and swallow down its prey. The way he stared at Ronin, something inexplicably dark arises in my chest. His stare was black, cruel, evil, obsessed and addicted.

Dangerous!!

My instincts were screaming that something terrible would happen, and the worst part was a strange feeling erupting through my core. I couldn't explain it, but it's kind of thrilling. My body is reacting strangely. Rorik turned towards me, and our eyes met. My breath shortened, and my blood caught fire as if his pitch-black Orynx gaze was igniting my body, and then came the most dreaded part.

My Arousal!!

It was in the air. It's not only that they both are attracted to me, but it's the other way around also as I am also attracted to them. I knew of this feeling, and I fucking loved it, as I had experienced it many times before, with Ornith and Ozarius as Rebekah and Ronin and Rorik as Nora. A strong urge to hold them and never let them go is messing with my senses. I know it's a sin to be with one and think about the other, but it is something beyond control. I am blood-bound to these serpents and cannot defy the strong attraction force pulling me towards them. Their proximity unlocks the hidden sexual desires, and all I am dreaming is of wild orgasms when their lips lock mine and their aroused length nestled inside me.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Ronin barked at Rorik, kicking me out of my sinful thoughts.

"I should be the one; asking you the same question." Rorik retorted back with anger coating his face.

"You were the one; creeping on us?" Ronin couldn't hide his disbelief.

"You already knew that she was wearing the necklace given by me, yet you kissed her? You already knew that I had kept that necklace for someone special in my life, yet you didn't bother to talk to me and jumped on the first opportunity to snatch her away from me? And the worst thing is, you lied! You said you found that necklace somewhere on the floor, but it was in your chamber when you touched her with your filthy hands." Rorik shouted at him.

"I only accepted that necklace because I didn't know its importance in your life. Please, Rorik, try to understand that Ronin and I love each other, but trust me, you will always hold a special place in my heart." I took his hands on mine and caressed them softly.

"No! It's not okay; you will never understand. I love you so much; I can't live without you. I can't withhold my emotions which I feel for you; I can't suppress the feeling of touch, which I crave from you, I can't fight the feeling of lust, which I harbour for you. I can never forget the way you touched me that day." Rorik confessed and slumped on the ground as tears rolled his eyes.

"Ssh…" I whispered and held him tightly in a warm embrace, "You will, one day, trust me!"

"Enough!" Ronin shouted, leaning over and grabbing Rorik by his collar.

"Stop it! Ronin! We can talk!" I held Ronin to stop him.

"Is there anything left to talk about?" He snapped back with his murderous gaze still piercing Rorik.

"Ronin! Please! He is not himself. Something is wrong in him since Dark Prince took over his body!" I spoke this as a last resort to stop them from fighting. Ronin loosened his grip on Rorik and turned to face me.

"What do you mean?" Ronin asked in bewilderment. I was about to answer, but before I could, Ronin gripped my wrist. I looked at him in shock.

"Ssh! There is someone in the woods. We need to leave." Ronin looked around in caution, trying to sniff the air and catch the movement as his serpent instincts kicked in. We rushed to the caves.

"Zach, take on attacking position!" Ronin commanded him.

"What happened?" Zach asked, throwing guns at both Ronin and Rorik.

"We are being watched and probably under attack!" Ronin replied.

"How do you know?" I asked back.

"There were many shadows behind the bushes!" Ronin replied.

"Ronin!" I called him with concern.

"Nora! Stay here with Meghan and Liam!" Ronin instructed me; and then turned towards Sypha, who was holding a gun, as well.

"Sypha! Guard the cave! I, Rorik and Zach will try to finish them off on the outside." Ronin told her, and she nodded in response, taking her position at the gate.

In the next moment, I heard a rumbling as if many horses were charging towards the cave, and the sound of gunfire echoed through the cave walls.

"Ronin! Our bullets are not working; we need swords," I heard Zach's voice.

"Lure them to you and snatch their weapons!" Ronin shouted at him, and then the sounds of the steel clashing echoed through the air.

"Look out!" I screamed at Sypha as one of the attackers entered the cave. He wore a black tunic with loose baggy pants and a belt that moved across his waist, shoulders and back, holding weapons. His face was concealed, with a black cloth. Before Sypha could act, he flung his sword around and hit her on the head with its handle, making her lose balance as she fell on the floor. I was watching in fear as he flipped his body around and grabbed me from behind, hitting Liam on his face when he tried to help me.

"Time to meet the Shadow Prince!" He snarled in my ears, holding the sharp edge of the sword on my neck and dragged me outside the cave.

"Let me go!" I said, trying to struggle and twist in his hold and fight against him, but giving up quickly when I felt the edge of his sword pressing against my neck and a line of blood oozed out. I saw Ronin trying to get to me, but each time he tried, he was attacked from a different angle by seven to eight attackers, who he was currently fighting.

"Stop struggling! We won't hurt you if you cooperate." He warned me, distancing the blade from my neck. Ronin finally found a way towards me as he swung his gleaming sword around single-handedly and struck the shoulder of the attacker who was holding me firmly. The attacker writhed in pain as his body met the ground. The six other men rushed to us and continued down into the fight. Ronin took a swipe and cut down two of them in three swift moves. He ran towards the other one, grabbed him from behind and plunged his sword deep into his back. Rorik rushed to take out two attackers by luring them towards him and, at the last moment, stepped aside and kicked them from their horses, stabbing them in the chest.

"More are coming!" One of the attackers spat out the words before the last breath left his body. The loud rumbling rammed through our ears as close to fifty men marched swiftly on their horses in our directions. Ronin, Rorik and Zach moved forward in attacking positions.

"Nora! Run in the cave!" Ronin shouted. I took swift steps towards the cave, but one of the attackers took this opportunity and blocked me from entering the cave. I ran in the opposite direction towards the ravines. After running for a few minutes, the acid built up in my muscle and breathlessness took over. I slowed down, holding my stomach. The attacker on my trail jumped on me; I tried to dodge aside but instead fell on the rocky ground. I screamed in pain as the attacker grabbed my feet. I kicked on his head, making him lose his grip. I stood up weakly, holding a pointy twig and plunged it deep inside his shoulder. He kicked me on the feet, and I went down, crashing on the ground and rolling towards the edge of the cliff. I tried too hard to balance myself but stumbled upon the rock and cling on the edge of the cliff, which ended into the deep ravines of Azra. I gripped the stone on the edge of the cliff tightly with all my might trying to lift my body. Ronin and Rorik rushed to my side, but they both were busy fighting about fifteen to twenty men simultaneously. My sweaty palms were slipping through the rock.

"Hold on! Nora!" Ronin shouted, stabbing two of the attackers simultaneously.

Suddenly, the sky turned dark and filled up with loud screeching noises. I looked at the sky to find it infested with a group of around twenty to twenty-five Viridian Clawz, the scavenger birds similar to Dasan's flying ghoul. Something blurry dropped from the air, glinting brightly, coming fast and getting bigger. The blur struck the attacker in the chest. It was an arrow, which got deeply embedded into his body, and he fell dead on the ground.

One of the scavenger birds closed in the distance to the ground, and I saw someone jumping off it and reaching to me. I was losing all of my energy and was about to give up. The last of my finger was ready to lose the grip and my mind to embrace the death. The feeling of déjà vu took over me, transporting me back to the time; when, instead of ravines, the crater of neon serpents was awaiting my death.

*I was clinging at the edge of a cliff filled with neon serpents, screaming, shouting and scrawling for help. My breath was accelerating with terror. I was feeling distressed. The hissing of neon serpents below was terrorizing my body. My eyes were full of tears, my face fawny and my heart racing in dread and fright. My attempts of climbing out of the crater were turning into failures. My body was hurting due to my uncoordinated and desperate movements to sway up. My fingernails and knees were bleeding due to constant collide to the rocky edge of the cliff. My body was palpitating, juddering and teetering. I had almost lost all energy from my body, along with the hope of survival. My body was about to lose its consciousness and my hand its grip. I was trying to gather the courage of letting my hands go and embrace death. A hand extended towards me, gripping me tightly*.

I jolted out from my vision, when the hand gripped me. I felt like, I was lifted from the cliff and carefully placed on the ground. And then I opened my eyes. All I could see was a silhouette of the back of a man wearing baggy pants. His naked torso revealed the; herculean and tenacious body. I moved towards him, glancing at his tattoo, a serpent sitting on the crescent moon. I almost touched it with my trembling fingers. He turned his face towards me. The kind of face that stopped me in my tracks. He chuckled at me. His muscular body, long jet-black hair with a half ponytail, stunning blue eyes, strong jaw, Romanesque nose could make any women fall for him. I have known him for centuries. He touched my cheek with his fingers, caressing them while slowly trailing his fingers off my shoulder to the length of my arm. All this while, his piercing eyes were scouting my face.

"Ornith!" I whispered.