Page 14 of Seduced

A raw scream sliced the cold air.

The boy was now hanging onto Wilder’s arms for dear life, his head dangling over the water.

“I’m falling,” he whispered.

Alexei could see at a moment that it was true: in a second, the boy would be in the water.

Gritting his teeth against the unpleasant sensation of touching another human being, Alexei quickly grabbed Wilder’s upper arm and pulled with all his might. Using all his strength, he pulled two of the boys away from the edge, and they, staggering, sprawled across the pavement. The last child resisted for a while, but Alexei was a good pugilist and finally his strength prevailed. The gang member steppedback, falling to his knees on the ground, and Wilder followed him at once, trying to restrain him and the other children.

Alexei had barely enough time to reach forward and grab the falling boy’s hand over the railing, before he was plunged into the ink-black water. His feet were already splashing in the dark waters, but he had tucked Cerberus between his elbows, and had locked them around the animal, not letting go.

At least Wilder had righted him before leaving him to Alexei.

They boy’s face was inches away from his own, white and thin and terrified.

It was little more than a pair of huge green eyes.

“Look up at me,” Alexei commanded, hoping the boy would understand past his panic. “Don’t look down, look at me.” The boy obeyed at once. His cheeks were dirty and pale, and a few soft curls were escaping his felt cap. God, he was young. “Good,” Alexei said encouragingly. “Good; now give me your other hand.”

The lad’s teeth were chattering badly, but he bit his lips in determination and did as he was told, bringing up his hand to Alexei’s. Alexei caught it in a firm grasp, even though it hurt him to do so.

“No, don’t move, I’ll lift you up,” Alexei gasped. He dragged the lad up as though he weighed nothing, and pulled him over the railing.

Immediately the boy let go of Alexei’s hands and rolled over on his stomach on the street, taking deep shuddering breaths. Alexei braced his hands on his knees and gasped, flexing his arm muscles.

Touching the boy had taken more strength out of him than pulling him over. Panting, he looked over. They boy was not moving. At all.

“Are you alive?” Alexei asked the still form.

The young man—the boy, really—took a moment to answer. He still wasn’t moving, and a hint of panic was beginning to grip Alexei, when he slowly sat up on trembling limbs and looked around him, tucking his torn shirt into his too-large trousers, and straightening his dirtied cap.

Cerberus, damn him, peeked from inside the boy’s shirt, orange ears perked up, checking to see if the coast was clear.

“Where’s them sick bastards?” the boy said, attempting to get up. It took him three efforts before he finally managed it.

Alexei did not move to help him.

“Gone,” he replied, dusting himself off. “My man is taking care of them. You and the c-cat are all that’s left.”

His voice wobbled on the ‘cat’, and he hated himself for it.

You are not a damn kitten, Mikailoff, he told himself sternly.Not anymore, anyway. Stop being such a baby.

But he still couldn’t stop shaking; and it didn’t look like he was about to in the near future.

“Oh,” the lad said, dropping on all fours and burying his dirty little face in the cat’s fur. “You’re safe.”

Alexei would swear he heard tears in the lad’s voice. He turned away, half-moved, half-disgusted.

“This is my cat you’re fondling,” he said in a tone meant to sound bored, but which ended up sounding more choked up than anything.

For God’s sake, pull yourself together.This is not you the boy just saved from drowning. It’s just a miserable old cat.

“Yer welcome, Yer Lordship,” the boy replied, unfazed, and proceeded to sneeze loudly.

Alexei saw that his pants were drenched up to his knees. He cursed under his breath.

“Ungrateful little traitor,” he said to the cat, reaching out his foot to the cat’s whiskers.

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