Chapter 61 - Caught By A Vixen

Slowly, the color of sky was changing. The hues of red were piercing the darkness like hope emerging from the thick clouds of gloominess. 

Santiago and Emanuel were walking towards their destination, carrying the ammunition, the small weapons along with the packed food they could find in the hut to survive the deadly wilderness. Since none of them had ever been to this side of the country and had no idea about what kind of danger they might be facing later, they were prepared to deal with them the best they could. 

They were now walking towards the south where Santiago had asked Persephone to wait for him until dawn. He truly had no idea if he would find her there or not. After all, Persephone had a tendency to run away as soon as she got the chance. It didn't matter to her if her decision would land her in big trouble. 

"How much do we have to walk to reach the creek?" Emanuel's voice jolted Santiago out from stupor. 

"Just a few more minutes," Santiago answered in a tired and lazy voice. "Walk faster. We have to reach there before dawn or I am afraid that we won't find her there." 

"I don't think she will leave you alone behind," Emanuel said with a look of confusion. This man had taken the risk of saving her life at the cost of his own. So, she wouldn't leave him alone behind, would she?"

Santiago sneered,"Clearly, you don't know her well." 

Emanuel shrugged innocently,"Of course, I don't know her like you do. After all, she is your woman not mine."

Emanuel's words made Santiago pause in his footsteps. He glanced at the young boy and said,"She is not worthy to be my woman." 

To be honest Santiago's words didn't surprise Emanuel.He had long acknowledged that he was a little crack in his head. After all, what same man would put his life in danger for a mere woman? 

They walked and walked and walked and then...they finally reached their destination, the creek. 

But just as expected Persephone Marino wasn't there! 

"She is actually not here," Emanuel said, staring at Santiago to find at least a flicker of surprise but it wasn't there. "Why would she run away from here? Do you think other men approached her before us?"

"No, I don't think so. If they had entered the forest, they still wouldn't have been able to reach the creek before us" Santiago placed the weapons on the dry land near the big rock. All around him, he could see big and small trees, bushes and tall grass. 

"Then, why did she run away?" Emanuel was still confused. Someone tell him the backstory also. 

"Apparently, I am her very first kidnapper. And as old school as it may sound, you don't follow your captor but escape him," Santiago said and walked to the other direction after gesturing to the dumbfounded boy to look after their stuff. 

"Red!" Santiago shouted and his deep voice echoed in the forest. 

"Red!"

His voice echoed in the dense forest once again. 

"Villain?!" She shouted back. 

He heaved out a long suffering sigh as he heard his voice. 

"Where are you?"

"On your right." Persephone's voice came from.his right. 

Santiago walked towards the source of the voice. And when he reached there, his eyes widened as he beheld the scene playing before him.

Persephone Marino aka his damnation was naked and swimming in the cold water. Behind her on the two huge rocks, she had placed her clothes or the maid uniform. The water of the creek was so clear that he could see the tiny pebbles lying on the bottom and also… her naked body. 

His body felt hot even though the wind at that time of the day was cold. 

"Stop staring," Persephone uttered. "It's creepy." 

An unknown look appeared on his face."Persephone Marino! What same woman would jump in the freezing water when she knows that she is getting hunted in this deadly forest? Are you crazy or what?!"

"I don't know about the enemies after us but I can say that if I didn't bathe I wouldn't surely end up dying because of that horrifying stench" Persephone smiled and immediately grabbed to get out of the water. "Moreover, I know my knight will save his damsel in distress." 

"You have a misconception here, Red. You may not be a damsel in distress but I am surely a villain in distress right after the moment I met a walking and talking definition of trouble," Villain replied, his gaze focussed on her wet face. No, he was not staring at her tanned and smooth naked body. Yeah, he definitely was not! 

"Oh." Persephone snorted. "If you know I was trouble, then why did you drag me with you to your nasty world?"

"Are you sure that you want to argue with me in this condition?"Santiago shamelessly ogled her. 

"You!!" She was at a loss for words. Still, she did nothing to cover her body. What was there to be ashamed of when they had done more dirty things than this?

"Why don't you go back? I have to wait for my clothes to dry," Persephone said and Santiago looked back at the uniform to find it wet. She had rinsed it in water to eliminate the stench. And it really worked for her. But now the problem was lack of clothes… 

"You are too silly," Santiago uttered. He couldn't help but poke her head to remind her that she was nothing but another dumb woman he had the misfortune to come across. "The temperature here is certainly lower than the capital. It's dawn for God's sake and you were swimming in the cold water. And in a few minutes, you will start shivering. Is it a new way to die, woman?"

"What die?" Persephone looked horrified. " You stupid man! Don't you ever use die and Persephone in the same sentence." 

Santiago didn't say anything. It is normal for him to see this reaction from her. Apparently, this woman hated death more than anything else in the world. 

She looked at her adonis again. When she was dying to think about various ways to cover her body, her eyes fell on him. She couldn't wear leaves like tarzan to hide her private part but she could borrow his shirt for a few hours right? 

Moreover, her stockings and tights along with undergarments weren't wet. She could still manage. 

"Don't…" Villain warned her. 

"What?" Persephone feigned innocence. 

"Don't even think about my clothes. I didn't give you the super intelligent idea of jumping in the water." 

She smiled seductively and blinked those long eyelashes at him. "Please, Villain. You are the most dangerous yet handsomest man in the world. Won't you pity me?"

"Please---"

"I don't care."

"Don't be so cold hearted."

"I said no."

"How about a blowjob in exchange for a shirt?" This was her last resort.She grabbed his arm and started massaging it . She was shameless and she knew it. No need to remind her. 

"Persephone Marino! Are you a nymphomaniac or what?!" Was this woman seriously thinking she could bribe him with a blow job? Like seriously a blowjob? Well, she wasn't wrong either… 

"You call it nymphomaniac behavior?" Persephone snorted. "I call it survival tactics!"

"Did you forget that you told me that you would rather die than let me touch you? '' Santiago fired back." If I remember correctly, you said I disgust you." She pursed her lips and started looking down at her feet. He was such a petty man. Continuing, he said,"Plus, where is your dignity as a woman? Is this how a dignified woman should behave?"

A bewildered look flashed on her face as she stared at him. "Dignity? What is this concept? Can it feed me? Can it put clothes on my bare body? Can it give me money to survive? Most importantly, will it give me freedom to make decisions for my life?"

"Okay, you made your point," Santiago said at the end. 

"Mister!!"

Emanuel's voice echoed. 

"Who's he?" Persephone whispered. 

"A boy I saved from those goons, " Santiago answered while looking back. 

"Oh, I found you. Wait, I will be coming to you," Emanuel said loudly. 

"Damm," Santiago cursed. "Wear some fucking clothes."

Persephone shrugged innocently. "I am a poor woman at your mercy." 

"Jesus Christ. When I said you were trouble, I was wrong. So fucking wrong. You aren't a trouble. But my damnation," Santiago muttered while removing his coat jacket and then his black shirt before handing it to her. "Make sure, you don't appear naked before him. Or I will kill both of you." 

Persephone inwardly grinned but outwardly she just shook her head like a good girl. 

Santiago headed to Emanuel leaving an elated Persephone behind. 

"Umm...you were gone for a long time," Emanuel said as soon as he saw Santiago coming towards him. "I thought some wild animals caught you." 

"A wild animal may not have caught me but a vixen sure had."