The Hunter's Angel

chapter 2

Seaira's pov

They all stop and back up. I take aim one by one. Then the first man I saw walks toward me but stops a few feet away. I aim at him. He looks at me with relief.

"Claim." He says again. With a husky southern voice. He doesn't have his crossbow raised.

"Daryl gets her all to himself. Back off boys." The leader says. He walks up to the Daryl guy. "Don't be all night. We leave in the morning." He says. I furrow my brows even more. Locking my jaw I get mad. I'm not to be claimed nor am I going to be takin advantage of.

"No." Daryl and I say in sync. "No." He repeats. "She's coming with us. She's my responsibility. Yall ain't gonna touch her." He says clutching his fist at his side. Trying to suppress his anger of what they do.

I'm confused. If he is with them why doesn't he do what they do? Is he not apart of them? Tagging along?

"What is a claim? I don't belong to no one." I speak up.

Daryl looks at me but the leader ignores me. "We do not take in women Daryl they don't survive." He says. "She just kicked yalls ass. She's a bowman she has a bow. Look at how she holds it, her poster. I know a hunter when I see one Joe. Besides, I claimed so I decide what happens." He says standing his ground.

Joe, the leader, sighs an nods. "If she gets one of us killed your responsible. We'll do what we want to her and you'll watch. Then we will kill you." He says. I get scared then. I didn't show it but I'm terrified of these men. I just got away from a bad group an I'm forced into another one?

Joe whistles a spins his finger. The men walk pass me giving glares to Daryl and I. Daryl walks to me. He puts his hands out signaling that his hands are free, nothing in them. I lower my bow.

"I'm Daryl, ya gotta stay by me. I can't let them do anything to you, I won't. I don't believe in that. Just stay by me and you'll be fine." He says to me, his eyes go soft.

I look at him in the eyes, reading his body language. I nod an step to him. I hug him making sure the group doesn't see.

He tenses at first. Not expecting the hug. "Thank you... I don't know what I would've done.  Thank you." I said holding back tears. Just the thought being... I couldn't.

He put his arms around my back an gently rubbed. "Your welcome." I pull back. "I'm Seaira." He nods. "C'mon. Its getting dark." He says. We walk to the first house I went to. Someone is in the shower. And they block the front door once we step inside.

We look around and someone's laying on the couch an a few people in the kitchen. We head upstairs an someone's in a bedroom. We find another room empty. "Claim!" He shouts. Making me jump. "Take the bed. I'll take the floor." He points, closing the door. An putting a chair under the knob.

I look at him. "It's so they don't come in. I don't trust them. Let them think whatever." He says. I nod in understanding.

I give him covers and a few pillows. He sits his crossbow next to his makeshift bed that is next to my bed. He's closer to the door.  He looks out the windows an sits on the window seat. Looking out.

The sun is behind the trees now. I take my bag off and set my crossbow and hunting knife next to the bed. I put my gun under my pillow. I take out a bottled water an took a few sips. I offer it to Daryl he takes a few sips as well he and tries handing it back but I shake my head. "Keep it, I gotta few more for us," I say. He nods an tosses it on his bed.