Deal with Handsome Saviour!!

**Nora’s POV**

The moment the barrier closed, separating me from my soul-mate, it felt as if someone had plucked out my heart and destroyed it. The blood-bond I shared with him crawled like insects into my veins and killed all the vitals. It seemed that my soul was forced through the gates of hell and subjected to unworldly tortures. I lost my consciousness and drowned in the dreams, the dreams which took me far away from the Land of Azra through the portals into the Lands of unknown... the Lands of Serpents…Crixus. They took me back to the day…the day I met Ornith!!

The day Rebekah met Ornith!!

**Rebekah’s POV**

My saviour’s piercing eyes were scouting my face. My body was still trembling in fear, and tears couldn’t stop their flow through my bruised cheeks. I clumsily lifted my shaky fingers to wipe the tears to drink in the view of the perfect being in front of me I had ever seen.

Holy Shit!!

He was a raw and masculine beauty, wearing loose pants strapped with leather and other sheaths for daggers and swords. His heavy boots were steel-toed. This man was incredible and too perfect like a Greek God sent to torture me for my sins. He had a sort of magnetic pull to him, something unnatural, almost haunting but utterly mesmerizing at the same time. I feel blood-bound to him. I gathered my strength and looked straight into his eyes, the most exotic and stunning shade of blue, with the thin specks of dark blue. I was not sure if I was drooling at the sight of him, but I must have done something embarrassing because the way he was looking at me, his smirk changed to an amused reaction, which took the form of a grin.

Shit!! All these expressions were killing me!!

Damn!! He can kill me now, and all I would do is keep blessing my luck!!

Aside from all these, another set of feelings was coursing through my body, the ones which I couldn’t understand. The nervousness gripped my body, and I tried too hard to stay firm on the ground. My heart was racing uncontrollably, and I was almost losing a war to control my breathing.

Am I still alive, or is it just a dream? This was the constant thought running through my mind, but I was quickly jerked out from it when I felt a soft velvety touch on my arms. His touch has been sending a warm pulse coursing through my veins, heating me from the inside. My skin tingled as though it begged for his touch.

What is wrong with me? This man could be anyone, maybe a hostile alien? I took a cautious step back. He was also watching me in amazement, as if he was trying to understand if I were real or not.

“Are you all right?” His voice sounded like velvet with a cutting edge. Smooth and soft, yet robust, dominating and authoritative. I was almost speechless like a mannequin, and his features were almost unreadable. I bolt out from my thoughts before he thinks of me like a retard.

“I’m…fi…fine,” My voice sounded something along the lines of choke and croak due to incessant crying, fear and nervousness.

Damn me!!

His lips curved slightly as though amused by my apparent shyness. The way my face blushed as if it felt like my flesh was seconds away from melting away from my cheekbones.

“What is your name?” He was getting closer to me as the words left his mouth. Perhaps he was trying to sniff me. His senses were on high alert, trying to catch in on my scent. Maybe, he feels the same attraction to me as I am feeling for him. I was backing away from him, and I don’t know why, but he intimidated me. My mind was conflicted, whether or not to tell him my name. But why does it even matter if I say my name to him? He is not going to know my identity and motives over a name. His blazing glare proved he was waiting for my reply.

“Rebekah!!” I said while looking down at my feet and trying to escape his dark penetrating gaze. This man gave me a weird feeling of ‘Prey and Predator’.

Of course, I was the prey!!

At the exact moment, my eyes fell upon a slithering motion of something illuminating beneath the orangish sand.

“No!” came the scream from my flustered mouth when the slithering motion turned out to be a neon serpent, breaking through the sand and closing onto me while hissing all the way.

The man was quick enough to act by penetrating the tip of his sword straight through the head of the neon crawly. It lay dead with its mouth open in mid-hiss.

“What’s… What’s this?” I cried, trying to move away.

“Ssh… Don’t make noise,” He warned, pulling me towards him. He snaked his long muscular arms around my body and lifted me, slumping me over his broad shoulders—the way he did it so effortlessly as if I was a weightless creature.

He held the sword in his other hand and moved through the sand in caution, killing all the neon serpents who came in his way. His movements were quite yet cautious. His senses seemed more alert and focused than an average person, the way he was quick to react even before the serpents made their way to us. I wonder how was he so quick to react as the visibility was too low due to the deadly green mist. The way he was moving his sword proved that his weapon handling skills were swift and clean as if he was a master.

He is a warrior!! A deadly one!!

Soon we were out of the lands infested with creepy crawlies. He lowered my body, and as he put me down, his hands slid from under my legs, and his face touched mine. He was so close to me and his gaze fixated on me like glue.

I was barely breathing!!

“Are you alright?” He spoke in a soft and steady voice as not to scare me. I just nodded in response. After walking for a few paces, he led me over to a massive beast…A pet of his!!

“Ssh, easy boy,” he cooed as his horse flicked his long wavy purple mane around as if showing off. Calling it just a horse would be an understatement. I had never seen such a massive and exquisite creature in all my life. He was the shade of darkest purple with a feathering of hairs around his lower legs that looked so soft to touch. His long mane and tail were a mass of unruly waves of purple hair.

“Don’t be so scared! Manu doesn’t harm people unless told to do so,” he said, looking over at my scared face. Okay, so Manu was his horse’s name.

“Here we go!” He said, wrapping his arm around my waist and putting his foot in the strap. He gripped a horn-shaped handle at the front of the saddle with his other arm so he could pull us both on the horse. He moved his other leg across the saddle and sat facing the front while I was dangling sideways like a damsel in distress carried away by the knight in the shining armour.

We moved through the desert, and I could see shadowed images in the distance as the wind blew the orangish sands into a small tornado that caressed the ground.

“Malibru deserts,” he said as we approached a big sand dune overlooking the sand-coloured city.

‘The walled city of Westfall’, I thought to myself, and the sooner I ventured into its high walls, the sooner I would be able to complete my mission.

“So, where are you heading to?” he asked, breaking me from the trance.

“Oh…uh…yeah…The city of Westfall,” I replied, trying to sound cool, but failed miserably, garnering a smirk from him.

“Then what made you end up at the Isle of Death?” he asked. I raised an eyebrow asking him a silent ‘What?’ “Well, the place of serpents!” he said.

“Oh…yeah…uh…I got lost,” I replied, but by going through his expressions, I was sure he was not convinced, and I cannot blame him for that; I mean how the person wanting to go to Westfall lands at some creepy place infested with serpents and deadly mist. Whatever! Why do I even care if he believes me or not!

Soon we were facing the tall iron gates of the city of Westfall. Those tall, rusty and impenetrable gates surrounded the large stone walls, intriguing me of what the town looks like inside those barriers. I looked up and saw four intercoiling metal serpents with their heads protruding out and fangs showing, and the dark eyes watching over me as if ready to gulp me down.

My first concern was will I be allowed through the gates? Many people were standing in the queue for the entry, shouting and quarrelling. The moment they saw us approaching, the commotion came to a sickening silence, and people started moving aside, giving us space. The guards on duty allowed us to pass without asking anything; they even saluted him.

This man seems important, perhaps holding a high position in the military. Maybe, he can help me to meet Prince Ornith.

Soon we were walking through the narrow streets of Westfall. The city was still in the developing stage. The streets were not paved and were dirty and muddy. We passed through the large stone buildings, which may be either be public buildings or belonging to the elites, but the one thing they had in common was the carvings of serpents through their pillars and domes.

Next came the cluster of stone houses. Some even huddled together. The houses faced each other inside lanes and were two-storied. The city seemed overcrowded. Dasan had told me that due to the ghouls’ attacks, many people take refuge beyond the defensive walls of Westfall, thus over-populating it. I could see people were struggling with space. But what surprised me was the few people coming out of their houses to look at us as if we were shitting neon serpents, or maybe he is someone important.

The narrow, muddy street took us to the marketplace. The most-overcrowded place I had ever seen; in fact, I had never seen these many people in my life as I was always confined inside the walls of the Temple of Sanctum. It looked more like a flea market with people shouting to garner the attention of the passers-by. Again, we didn’t have any issue moving through it as his presence was enough for people to move back and give us the way. But the suspicious glares of people intimidated me. I was surprised, for these were the same people who welcomed the refuges; then what made them wary of me. If going through by their suspicious glare,

I was an unwanted outsider or maybe a hostile intruder for them!!

I clutched his hand, and I don’t know why but somehow, I had started trusting him.

My instincts screamed at me that he was my protector!!

He seemed shocked at my sudden action. His body flinched a bit as his rippling muscles tightened on my touch. His feet paused for a moment while his eyes scanned the area where my arm was glued to his wrist. A mixture of emotions flooded through him as if he was in heat, and a string of words were fighting to release from his mouth, but he chose to be quiet.

“So, Rebekah! We are already in Westfall if you know of where to go, or you are just enjoying walking with me?” He asked, trying to keep the amusement from his voice, but I know better.

“Uh…uh…Royal Palace!” I stammered, still looking over at the people who were eying me as if ready to gulp me down.

“Why do you have to think much before answering…Wait! What!? Did you say Royal Palace?” He grabbed my other hand and jerked it around so that he could have my attention.

“Yes! Royal Palace!” I spoke. He raised his brows as if asking me to elaborate.

“To see Prince Ornith!” I replied indifferently.

“Come again!?” He asked. His feet halted in the tracks and his gaze widened on me as if I had grown another head.

“I said Prince Ornith! Don’t you know who is he?” I asked, trying to decipher his expressions. He looked pale as if drained of all the blood but was quick enough to return to his senses.

“I know who he is, everyone does, but the question is, why do you want to meet him? Do you know him?” He eyes me warily. His senses were on high alert, as if he was trying to sniff truth from me.

“Well! I don’t know him, but let’s say that I have a deal to offer to him!” I chose my words very carefully to not give too much information to him. He eyed me from face to toe as if scanning every inch of my body.

“I wonder what you have to offer him!” He asked with a half-smirk curled through his face.

“Not what you are thinking of. I have a better deal than to offer my body!” I taunted him. His face almost fell instantly, as if I was rejecting him.

“Okay! I am sorry! But I was wondering about the business deal! What can interest him more than….” He trailed off before continuing, “You can trust me. I know him personally; maybe I can be of help!” He spoke. My hopes soared high when I heard those words.

“I would be grateful if you could just arrange my meeting with him, be rest assured, you will be rewarded handsomely,” I said.

“What do you have to offer me?” he spoke, again eyeing me from head to toe. I know where his thoughts were going. I quickly jerked him out from his not so naïve thoughts.

“You will be rewarded with riches and status by Prince Ornith!” I spoke with a confident grin.

“Say that again!” He asked, eyeing me as if I was shitting gold.

“Set my meeting with the prince, and I will make sure you are rewarded with gold and riches,” I said with irritation as this man was testing my patience.

“Oh…Okay!” he chuckled.

We were standing in front of the Palace gates. Surprisingly it was not fortified. It was large but two-storied, except the keep used to defend the palace during the enemy siege. We were allowed through the gates. The interior boosted the stone walls with large windows. We moved through the series of dark passages which opened into a hall. It was large and decorated, representing the monarchs’ prestige, richness, and authority.

It was the throne room!

The iron throne was nested on a high platform with steep stairs in front. It was so dark in that area that all I could see was the silhouette of a person sitting on it. My breath hitched, and a lump formed in my throat; an unexplained fear paralyzed me and crawled up my veins as the silhouette reminded me of Dark prince.

“Who are you?” The hoarse voice echoed through the stone walls. I almost jumped in fear as if the voice was sucking the life out of me. I looked over at my saviour as if pleading for help. Shit! I don’t even know his name!! He gestured me to answer calmly.

“Rebekah, from Land of Azra!” I spoke.