Page 20 of Lord of Ruin

“I have few friends. Who the fuck are you talking about?” I might sound brave, but I was shaking in my tennis shoes, praying harder than I had in my life.

He grinned and that’s when I noticed the man had a gold tooth. Who allowed that kind of shit any longer when there were so many other choices? Oh, bad guys. Really, really bad men with dangerous pasts.

“The one who took a fancy to you last night.”

A fancy? Had I been transported back in time? “What the fuck are you talking about?” Oh, God. The mysterious savior/killer had come back to haunt me.

Before he could answer, I took my one chance at getting away, slamming my hands against his chest. The surprise and momentum were enough that his fingers broke free, and I tumbled to the floor only to will my muscles into action, fighting to get to the door while I screamed all over again.

His backhand was swift and severe enough that the moment I was driven into the wall, I was certain I was going to pass out.

I heard the thudding of my heart just seconds before two heavy footsteps as he closed the distance, crouching down in front of me.

“I thought there might be a chance you were an innocent flower, but I can see I was wrong. Unfortunately, you’re going to die but not before I have a single taste of you.”

Who the hell announced their plans, even a horrible asshole like this? And what about a taste? When he jerked me to my feet once again, tossing me against the receptionist desk and wrestling with the bottom of my scrubs, my scattered brain registered what he was talking about.

The bastard was going to rape then kill me.

No. No fucking way.

I did everything that probably the experts would say was stupid, fighting him with everything I had, able to get in a few punches before he yanked down my scrubs. There was no training ground for these ugly moments when I was about to be raped. I felt a strange sense of helplessness that was so overwhelming all I wanted to do was choke on tears but I hated myself for showing weakness. There were no aspects of self-defense that could work effectively with someone with a body built of muscle and testosterone who outweighed me by almost a hundred pounds. And there was certainly no rationale that would explain why I had gotten to a point where I just wanted it to be over with.

The only reason I continued to fight was knowing in my heart he would make good on his threat to kill me.

In my mind and in my gut, I knew without a doubt this had to do with the man who’d saved then accosted me. Sadly, he wasn’t a superhero, a man who cared about anyone but himself. I was being victimized for a second time because I’d made the mistake of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I continued flailing, making it hard on the asshole, but when he wrapped his hand around the back of my neck, squeezing to the point the lights started to dim, I knew I was lost to the violence and circumstance.

The ringing in my ears was horrific, the pounding of my heart already starting to slow down as the monster began to rip the life from my body. But I could swear I heard another noise or maybe I was having an out of body experience. I cinched my eyelids shut, waiting for my life to flash in front of my eyes when something amazing happened.

The pressure and weight of the bastard’s body was suddenly gone and very slowly I began to slide to the floor, my legs like noodles. I landed softly as pounding sounds occurred from every side of the facility. I managed to pull my knees against my chest, blinking several times to try to alleviate the fog.

As the images started to become less blurry, I realized what was happening. Two other men had entered the location, the asshole who’d attacked me seconds before being tossed around like a rag doll. Brutal hit after hit was issued, blood flying everywhere. Or maybe it was just wishful thinking.

I wasn’t certain at all what I was seeing, until I noticed the flash of a blade. There were moments in time when you weren’t certain if you were dreaming or not and this was one of them, but there was nothing nice or serene about the moment. What I was seeing, blood flung against the walls and across the chairs in my reception area, was the thing nightmares were made of.

The noise was horrific but suddenly it stopped. Now the silence left another type of ringing in my ears. I lifted my head as I heard muffled words being spoken. Greek. The words were being said in Greek. I issued an unwanted whimper and suddenly, a huge figure crouched in front of me.

The light brush of a hand was followed by a single growl. “My mageménos.” His whisper was hoarse, full of anger.

“What? What did you say?” I was shocked hearing the sound of my own voice.

“I called you my enchanted one. I am so sorry. You’re safe. No one will ever hurt you again.”

I wasn’t thinking clearly nor was I able to process what had occurred or what I was thinking and feeling. But as the powerful man gathered me into his strong arms, I couldn’t help myself but nuzzle against his neck, shuddering from the heat building between us. He held and rocked me in his arms, the feel of being there far too comforting.

Tension started to release, my mind still foggy but all I wanted to do was curl up in the stranger’s arms. That was… sinful.

“Christos. Lock up after me. We’re getting the fuck out of here,” my savior growled.

Wait a minute. Hold on. That couldn’t…

“No. No! I can’t leave,” I muttered, fisting my hands and coming more alive than I’d been, punching him in the chest. “Let me go!”

“Jenna. Calm down. You’re in no position to fight me and you continue to be in danger.” But he eased me onto my feet, using a single finger to lift my chin. “Stay right here. Okay?”

It was him. I lifted my head, staring into his soulless eyes. I hadn’t been dreaming. Danger. Danger. Danger. “Why? What is going on? Why are you here?”

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