SPELLBOUND

A slight smirk curved on Azrael's face, finding that thought funny. Unless the red-haired human has a secret magic or hidden trump card, her, turning the tables around was just impossible. 

Time ticked by and the little prey had actually managed to reach where they were hiding. But she was just ten steps away from them when the man behind her caught up. He grabbed her fiery red hair violently. 

A painful yelp escaped the girl's mouth, but she nimbly turned and tried to kick him in the groin. But the man seemed to have anticipated that move from her and caught onto her ankle, keeping her stuck in that awkward position.

"Whore!" the human male scoffed, and he swung her away. She fell on the ground. Hard. 

Once again, Azrael looked at Gideon. Still there were no signs of him doing anything soon. Should he just step up and interfere? He would not be able to stand watching this any longer. One thing he hated the most were beings who abuse weaker, helpless creatures. 

Usually, he would have already rushed over and beat the nasty human male the moment he violently grabbed the girl's hair, but he stopped himself. For some reason, he had the feeling that Gideon would actually interfere. He wanted Gideon to do something. Because he thought that maybe, just maybe, something will change in him if he saves this poor little creature. He did not know why he had thought that way, but he will willingly hold back even his principle even if it meant creating a chance for something positive, even just a little, to happen to this friend of his. 

Clenching his fists tight to stop himself from launching at the human male, Azrael kept himself rooted to the ground. 

They both watched the human male grabbed her feet as she tried to scramble on the ground to get away. He dragged her back to him like she was some lifeless thing. 

Then he straddled her back as her stomach was pinned to the ground. 

The girl did not cry nor scream for help. Why? Why would she not scream for help? Azrael thought that it would probably make Gideon move if she begged for someone to help her. But she did not do that. All she did was struggle, futilely doing everything she could to save herself. And her struggle was just… the scene was just getting tedious it was unbearable even for a man like him to watch. 

"You dare escape, you bitch? Your mother already received my money. You are sold to me starting tonight. You are my whore now! I wasn't planning to ravage you in the woods, but you need to learn a lesson, whore." He then spat at her before he began to undress. 

Azrael's jaws worked hard, and he had barely stopped himself from launching himself at the wretch. However, he had noticed Gideon's fists slightly curved into a loose fist. This only proved that he was being affected! Though his expression did not show any changes, that simple movement gave Azrael a tiny tinge of hope. 

When the man started to unbuckle his trousers, Azrael almost wanted to shout at the human girl to ask for her. But he saw her hand now gripping something, a sharp stone. Wait… is she trying to…

Just as the human male grabbed her skirt to lift them up, the girl slammed the stone hard onto the man's head. But it was not enough to knock him out. It appeared that the girl was too weak. 

The human male blazed in rage, but the girl had already moved to pull at his sword. She pointed the sword at him as she sat on the ground, her entire body trembling hard. 

Speechless, Azrael barely stopped himself from laughing out loud. What in the blue blazes just happened? Did the table just turned?! Really? What a miracle! This little red creature seemed to be something not to be underestimated!

He looked at Gideon and saw his hands were back to their relaxed state again but for some reason, there was a sudden complexity in Gideon's eyes. 

When Azrael returned his gaze to the girl, he saw her now circling around the human male. The blade was still trembling in her tiny hands, but Azrael somehow felt that she was now prepared to kill. It might only take a slight provocation from the brute, and she would slash right across his meaty neck.

"Drop the sword, Miss Ansley. Do you think you will be able to get away if you harmed me?" the human male warned, stepping aside while the red girl came after him. 

She did not speak. She simply stared at him with those pale blue beautiful but seemingly emotionless eyes. She had the eyes of someone who had lost all faith and hope in life itself. Her hands were still shaking but unyielding. That moment, Azrael had realized how awful she looked. She had small wounds and bruises all over her, not to mention the concealed part of her body. Most of her wounds were still very fresh and bleeding. Even her full and luscious lips were torn and bleeding.

"Trust me, once that sword draws even a small drop of blood from me, you'll die. So, I am giving you a chance to drop it now." the human male continued, and she stopped. He smiled maliciously at her. "I knew you'd never be able to kill a person yourself, Miss Ansley. An innocent soul like you can never kill." 

And suddenly, he launched himself at her in a bid to snatch back the sword. She shut her eyes tight and suddenly swung the sword in a wide arc. And everything stopped. Her hands were shaking so hard now. 

Slowly, she cracked open one of her eyes, expecting to see horror. She was a murderer now. But to her surprise, something… no, someone was right before her, his one hand was holding her sword and the other hand was wrapped around the man's neck. She then heard a sharp snapping sound and in the next second, the man's dead body tumbled to the ground in a heap. She only stared at the unmoving body in silence. 

And when the mysterious stranger turned his face and looked at her, a pair of blazing blue eyes rendered her immobile.

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