g for oxygen that couldn't enter. A hot tear slipped from the corner of

ng to be crushed into pa

falling limply to her sides. She waite

ever

striction stopped. The snake was holding her firmly

re forearm. The movement wasn't violent. It

t be a

It was incredibly deep, raspy, and resonated with a

in perfec

n. She jerked her head up, fully expe

only the massive, terrifyi

edatory emptiness she expected to see wasn't there. Instead,

ed around her waist began to

d until her spine hit the t

egan to emit a blinding, silver light. Catherine threw

bones breaking, shifting, and reknitting together at li

glow faded, th

e knee in the dir

mpletely naked, but the shadows of the forest clung to him. His hair was pitch black, falling in messy wa

e's breath catch. They were the exact

ess the information. Her lips tre

e a single,

eeding cut the flying rock had left. His jaw instantly clenched so hard

his knuckles scarred. He moved his ha

rs twitched. He looked at his own hand as if he was ter

survival instinct flared. She flinched hard, pulling her s

saw he

He shifted his weight, taking a deliber

t of it, trying to sound as harmless as a man his size possibly could. "This is

ed at him. The

wasn't on Earth anymore. She had fallen through a stage and landed

a fire-breathing dinosaur with one hit, but right now, he was lookin

began to thaw. The sheer absurdity of t

r slowly leaving her eyes. He leaned forward slightly,

ike sandpaper. She shook her head. "I don't

mon's golden eyes. He blinked, instantly buryi

in, bringing himself closer to her eye lev

, his voice a low rumble. "A fragile female like you will not surv

massive, scarred chest. She remembered th

till trembling slightly. "Do you..

n f

mouth twitched upward into the faintest ghost of a smile. The heat

voice thick with a heavy, solemn vow. "I w

e flip. It wasn't fear. It was something else. She knew she ha

a small,

ing grace, closing the distance between them. He bent down and

uddy ground as easily a

re skin was burning hot. It didn't feel like a cold-blooded reptile at all. Th

chest. A second later, the bli

was no longer in a man's arms. She was sitting high off the

ts golden eye checking on he

ake moved like a shadow, carrying her dee