Claimed

Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

Reyla didn't know what to think when she came across the bloodied man in the middle of the clearing, groaning and thrashing in the grass. He was obviously in pain. She moved swiftly from behind the bush, her knife out in case the man got any funny ideas. Carefully, she stepped toward him, never taking her eyes away.

He jumped as he beheld the woman before him. It must've been a sight to see- a human woman traveling unaccompanied, willingly showing herself to a fae male. She knew it wasn't the smartest of things, but she couldn't bear the thought of leaving him to die alone in the field. Surely he didn't deserve this fate.

He scrutinized her with a wary glance. No trust here from either side. Reyla crouched a few feet away, a kind expression on her face. She wanted him to know that she wouldn't hurt him, not without reason. "Are you alright?" She asked quietly, lest anyone else hear.

His eyes were wide and his hands were firmly pressed against his abdomen, where all the blood seemed to come from. Reyla tossed her knife to the side, not too far away, but far enough to show that she wasn't going to use it on him. "Let me look at it."

He scowled at her, baring his teeth. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly. "You done?"

He leaned his head to the ground in defeat, obviously in too much pain to fend her off. Reyla gently removed his tanned hands from his stomach and lifted his white shirt. Underneath, his skin was scarred and still beautiful. He was honed just like his warrior brethren. Reyla knew he was a warrior due to the silver tattoos up his chest, arms, and neck. A few swirls covered the sides of his cheeks, other than that, his face was spotless of ink.

The gash on his stomach was deep, hopefully not too deep. "What happened?" She asked, trying to distract him as she began to clean the wound with her supplies from her bag. Yes, she carried medical supplies. You never know when it might come in handy, especially when on your own.

His only response was an irritated grunt. He stared up at the sky with his emerald eyes. Reyla thought he was exceptionally beautiful but she would die before she admitted that to some arrogant fae male. He had short black hair, slightly curly. His jawbones were harshly defined and he had a straight and pointed noise.

A large hand gripped her shoulder to shove her back just as she began to pour a disinfectant on his wound. Reyla snarled at him and batted his hand away from her. "It's going to get infected!" He glared at her, setting his arm back to his side.

"Do you speak the common tongue?" She asked as she went right back to work.

His only reaction was a blink. He was either really good at lying or he really didn't understand her. She couldn't tell yet.

Pulling gauze out of her bag, she gently began to wrap it around his torso, finding it difficult to get it around his back. She had to force him into a sitting position and he began to growl at her. "I'm trying to help you." He didn't seem to care.

When she was done, she went around to reach for his arms so she could drag him somewhere safe. He started yelling at her in some foreign language, swiping at her with his long arms. "Do you want to be left in the middle of the woods to fend for yourself? Because I have no problem leaving you here." It wasn't true of course. She would feel terribly guilty but what choice would she have if he didn't let her help him. She supposed she could always come back when he fell asleep.

The man grunted again, grabbing at his bloodied shirt. His eyes squeezed shut and his muscles relaxed slightly. He must be falling unconscious.

Reyla quickly shoved her knife in her pocket and reached for the stranger. She grabbed under his arms and hauled him through the clearing. She knew of the perfect place she'd be able to keep him.