Chapter 1 1
Fat raindrops splashed against Elena Walsh's skin, a little sharp but cool and refreshing. She glanced up at the sky, now heavy with storm clouds and streaks of lightning, then lowered her head and kept explaining to her viewers. "This one's Burdock Root, a root that helps clear heat, cool the blood, and nourish the body. We usually harvest it in autumn. It's only July right now, so it's not ready yet."
She aimed her camera at a purple-red flower blooming in the tall grass. The video was clear, her voice light and lively. Up in the corner, the viewer count was already over two hundred thousand.
Comments were flying in nonstop.
\[I love Chief Elena so much. I even went to her city for treatment, and she actually cured my tendonitis.\]
\[Me too! Her herbal medicine is amazing. I felt better after just a few doses.\]
\[Is it raining over there, Elena? It looks like a downpour. Quick, take cover.\]
Elena agreed. The rain was coming down harder now, and she had already picked all the herbs she needed. She started walking toward the thick shade of a nearby tree, saying, "It's really coming down here. That's it for today. I'll stream again another "
Before she could finish, her foot caught on something, and she crashed to the ground.
Grass filled her mouth and nose. She spat and muttered a curse, frowning as she pushed herself up. Her fall had already ended the livestream. Setting her phone aside, she caught her breath and turned to see what had tripped her up.
She expected a branch or a root. Instead, she found a man.
He was lying in the thick grass, dressed in a black suit. With the sky so dark and the rain pouring, he almost blended right in.
Elena stared, taken aback for a moment. The man's features were striking, sharply carved and handsome, like something out of a magazine. But his eyes were shut tight, his brows drawn in pain, his face was ghostly pale, his lips a deep, unhealthy purple.
Elena frowned. He was poisoned.
Out here in the mountains, that usually meant a snakebite.
She shifted closer and lifted the fabric on his pant leg. Sure enough, a nasty, swollen black-purple bite marked his left ankle.
He was in real danger.
"Well, looks like you got lucky running into me out here," Elena muttered, slipping off her bambooz basket and pulling out a small medical kit from the herbs. She always carried medicine and antivenom, just in case.
She grabbed a scalpel and cut open the wound to let the blood flow. Her hands moved fast, not exactly gentle. The man groaned as pain jolted him awake.
Elena didn't even look up. "Stay still if you want to live."
Damon felt like his left leg didn't belong to him anymore. He couldn't move it at all. His vision was hazy, his mind swimming, but he could feel someone working on his legit hurt, but he could handle it.
About fifteen minutes later, Elena had wrapped up the wound and given him a shot of antivenom. He was out of immediate danger.
"I've treated the bite. Call your family," she said, her voice brisk. She didn't bother asking what he was doing alone in the woods. That wasn't her problem.
Damon Clifford's forehead was slick with cold sweat, but the rain had drenched him so thoroughly it was impossible to tell sweat from rain anymore.
He tried to make out who was standing in front of him, but everything just stayed hazy, no matter how hard he looked.
“No signal...” He forced out the words, breathing heavily.
Elena frowned at him. Great, just what she needed.
"Where's your phone?"
"In my pocket."
She bent down to search, her small hands moving quickly over Damon's broad chest. Before she could get too far, Damon grabbed her wrist, his grip weak and voice even weaker. "Inside, right side."
Elena shot a look at him. He looked like he might faint again at any second. Still, she reached into his suit's inside pocket and pulled out his phone.
Damon kept his eyes shut, barely whispering, "First contact."
Elena opened his contacts, didn't bother checking who it was, and hit call. The phone rang once before someone picked up, panicked and breathless.
"Sir! Where are you? It's pouring on the mountain. Are you alright?"
Damon didn't answer. After a moment, Elena spoke for him. "He's hurt. You need to come and get him, fast."
The person on the other end sounded like the world had ended. "What? He's hurt? Miss, please, how is he? Where is he right now?"
"I've taken care of his wound. He's..." Elena looked around, taking in the hills, then spotted a patch of hawthorn trees not far away. "There's a hawthorn grove west of the halfway point up the mountain. There's a small path next to it. Come get him there."
It wasn't much to go on, but everyone around here knew about that wild hawthorn grove.
She hung up, just as the phone's last bit of battery died. Elena slid it back into Damon's pocket. "Feel any better? Want me to help you over there?"
Damon nodded. "Yeah."
Ever since this girl appeared, he'd started feeling like he might actually make out alive!
The creeping sense of death had finally started to fade.
Elena bent down to pull him up, surprised at how heavy he was. She liked to think she was pretty strong, but he was no lightweight.
For the first time ever, Damon found himself leaning against a girl for support. She was small, soft, and yet, somehow steady enough to hold him up.
He couldn't help himself. "What's your name?"
If she hadn't shown up tonight, he probably wouldn't have survived till morning.
Elena was exhausted and not in the mood. "You don't need to know."
From the second she saw him, Elena could tell he wasn't someone she wanted to get involved with.
Complicated people meant complicated problems, and she had enough of her own.
Damon pressed on, saying more to her than he ever had to any girl before. "You saved my life. I can give you whatever you want."
She didn't hesitate. "Medical fee is eight hundred and eighty-eight. Most payment apps are okay with me, but no IOUS."
Damon just stared at her, stunned. He was the richest man in the Capital, and this village girl was acting like he might not be able to pay?
"I'll pay you as soon as I get back..."
"Forget it. I have things to do. Wait here for your people. I'm leaving."
With that, Elena dragged Damon over to the edge of the path and left him in the grass. She slung her medicine basket onto her back and turned to go.
Damon was too weak to follow, but as she started to walk away, he used the last of his strength to grab the edge of her shirt. Elena wasn't expecting it and lost her balance, falling right on top of him.
And somehow, impossibly, their noses
bumped, lips pressed together, with her on top of him.