“You can’t run from me, and you can’t hide from me,” Jason said snidely. “Did you really think that I wouldn’t find you out here? There’s no place that you can go that I can’t find you.”
I took a deep breath before responding. “Jason, you need to leave me alone. I told you a long time ago that I did not love you and did not want to be with you. You need to find somebody who can love you. That somebody is not me. Please, go home and forget about me.”
“I can’t forget about you. I love you. We belong together. You belong to me,” he said. He tried to sound cajoling, but instead, he sounded menacing.
Trembling with anxiety and some fear, I took a deep breath.
“You need to leave. Please just leave,” I begged.
“No,” he screamed. “I am not leaving here without you. You belong to me.”
Suddenly, Jason pounced on me. He wrapped his huge hands around my wrists and squeezed. I cried out, afraid he was going to break the bones in my arm.
I tried to pull away and yelled at him to let go. “You’re hurting me,” I said, jerking my arms away. That made him squeeze even tighter, and his fingernails carved deep half-moons in my skin, bringing out tiny droplets of blood.
I kicked at him, trying to hit his shins and anywhere else I could reach.
Out of nowhere, a huge man suddenly appeared. He grabbed Jason by the arms. Jason was so startled, he let go of me. The man lifted Jason off the ground and threw him several feet, as though he weighed no more than a child’s toy.
“You do not ever put your hands on my woman,” the huge man growled.
Jason looked up at him from the ground. “She is not your woman. She belongs to me,” Jason yelled back, brushing himself off as he stood up.
Ignoring Jason, this large man turned his back to him and looked down at me, holding both of my hands in his.
“You are my woman,” he said softly. It was a statement, not a question.
I looked up into his eyes and was instantly captivated. Automatically, without thought, I answered, “Yes, I am your woman.”
Green vines wrapped around our arms, binding the two of us together. It felt more than just a physical bonding. I felt as though I was one with this man, this stranger who stood in front of me.
The world had disappeared. I stared into his eyes and saw the stars, the moon, and the sun. I saw the oceans and mountains. I saw a large, beautiful grizzly bear standing in a forest of trees.
I saw myself and this man intertwined as one amid all of it.
1
Luka
As I stood, staring into the eyes of this man who had entranced me as though he had cast a magic spell over me, I felt a flood of emotions flow through me with raw power and certainty. Warmth and a sense of safety came over me. I did not feel as though this man posed any danger to me, although he had come from nowhere and claimed me as his own.
I felt as though I had known him forever. Something about him seemed so familiar. Not just his physical appearance, but something beyond that. Yet, I had never seen him before. At least, it felt as though I hadn’t seen him in this lifetime, and I wondered if I had known him in a past life. Known him as a friend or maybe even something more. Instinctively, I knew that I could trust him with my life—and my heart.
My skin tingled, and butterflies began to flutter in my stomach. I felt everything I imagined would encompass me when I fell in love.
I was so focused on the visage in front of me that I had completely forgotten about the monster who had appeared out of my nightmares to haunt me.
I heard a faraway voice yell, “Hey! Over here!”
The voice sounded familiar, but for a moment, I couldn’t place it. The voice called out again, and reluctantly, I moved out of the world I found in this man’s eyes and back to the front porch of my cabin. I stared at the purple-faced man who glared at me and the stranger next to me. I was in such shock at my new feelings that I didn’t even recognize this angry little man who stood a few feet away from me. Then, it hit me like a ton of bricks.
“This is the Neanderthal you left me for? Are you so pathetic and desperate that you would cling on to the nearest brute who gives you a second glance? I always knew you were trash. But don’t worry. I’ll still take you back. Let’s go,now,” Jason roared.
Even from this distance, I could see Jason’s nostrils flaring. He bared his teeth as though he were a rabid animal about to bite. For the life of me, I could not figure out what I had ever seen in him.
I looked at Jason, at his close-cropped bright red hair, pasty white face, and scrawny build. He seemed so delicate compared to the tall, dark, muscular man who stood next to me.
As soon as Jason’s words left his mouth, the man next to me stiffened with anger. It was as though I could hear his blood roaring through him in a rage. My knight was about to destroy the demon who stood in front of me. I put my hand on his chest, and instantly, I could feel his boiling blood cool. His heart rate slowed, and he began to breathe normally again.