Chapter 12: Predator & Prey (2)
The man rubbed at his rope-burned wrists, his eyes trained on their surroundings. The hairs on the back of Nova's neck prickled. Was there something out there?
Nova also searched for this potential invisible threat. Invisible because she couldn't see much past the pit or the looming trees above. The forest was also gradually getting darker.
Stepping to the side, she watched the man carefully. His head shifted slightly as if he could hear her silent footsteps, but his gaze was still fixed on something in the distance. The man didn't deem Nova a threat.
Who would?! Especially compared to someone of his stature.
He didn't waste any more time, so he leaned forward and yanked the nails out of his feet with a grunt. Nova gasped as blood pooled from the area. Without thinking, she rushed towards him, kneeling. "You need to put pressure on them. Oh gosh." She covered her mouth at the sight of blood. The man's head snapped up, eyes sharply on her but he didn't move, his gaze turning curious and a little bewildered when she ripped at the hem of her dress.
She gently grabbed his huge foot. The man's chest rumbled with a warning growl. "Don't give me that," Nova scolded, seriously wondering at this point if she had hit her head because how was she scolding a man who could possibly crush her skull in one fist?
He did nothing else but growl. Nova tied the material around the wound, tightening it. He watched her curiously again, frown lines deepening between his brows. While he watched Nova tending to wounds he knew would heal within the hour and wondered who this strange, beautiful creature was, Nova's focus was on helping him and zoning out about something Chad hadn't considered when building a resort here...
Where was the closest hospital? Did he plan to build one on this island as well? Had he thought it through? Her hands had paused on the man's foot, preoccupied now with thoughts about Chad. Was he alive?
Nova swallowed down the sudden thickness in her throat and distracted herself by asking this giant tree of a man, "What happened? Who did this to you? Why did they do this to you?"