Chapter 16: Chapter 16

The wagon jostled when the merchant got back on before it began to move along the path once more. They rode along for some time before veering off the rutted road. The vehicle jerked and bounced over uneven terrain, causing her head to bang against the wooden wall.

Merille groaned, dazed from the pain and disorientation. But shook off the agony as best she could when they came to a complete stop and pulled herself into a crouch.

“Be more careful! She can get hurt in there,” one of the men said in a hush voice.

“Didn’t the hole. Sorry,” the other merchant said.

“I’m going to check on her.”

Footsteps thudded over the wagon bed before coming to a stop in front of her. From the sound of his stride, the merchant was a large man. But she had taken out many men twice her size before and she was prepared to do the same here.

A knock echoed in the darkness, startling her. “Miss? Are you alright in there? I’m going to open the lid now. Don’t be afraid,” he soothed.

Silence fell for a brief moment before rope swished across the container she was kept in. The petite merc winced as light poured in when he lifted off the lid. She blinked away the spots in her vision and intended to launch an attack.

But paused when the masculine blonde just turned and staggered down the narrow path with the top part of the crate. It was made into a deep-bottom tray and topped with plenty of fruits which were secured with a net to keep them from falling out.

A common way for traveling merchants to hide precious items or money from bandits and thieves or for smugglers to conceal illegal products. It was not a foolproof method but it at least kept things out of sight. With luck, it would get overlooked and left alone.

“How are you feeling, girl?” a deep voice asked from the opposite direction, snapping her attention toward a plump, ebony-skin man with a balding head and a slightly uneven mustache.

The blonde came back and placed a hand at the rim of the box. “You poor thing. Did those men do this to you?” he asked and his brows furrowed with sympathy. “You’re safe now. We won’t hurt you,” he said, then abruptly pulled off his sleeveless shirt.

She jerked back, preparing to strike back if he grabbed for her. Instead, he handed the shirt out.

“You should put this on and turn around so I can free you,” he said with a kind smile.

She blinked, unsure if she heard him right. Then gingerly stood and let him put the clothes over her head before it slid down to cover most of her nudity. Warmth enveloped her in a soothing embrace and she nearly moaned from the unexpected comfort.

After hours of being naked in the cold, the heat beneath his soft fabric made her shudder with immense relief. Somehow she felt safe here. Safe for the first time in years.

Merille had been on her own even since Vince — the mercenary who saved her — died from an illness two years ago. To someone without memories of her past, he was her everything. A father, a mentor and a friend. He had taught her how to fight and survive the brutal world.

It was a struggle at first but eventually she found her bearing and made a name for herself as the Raven. However, being famous and feared did not keep one safe.

Danger lurked on every corner in her line of work. Be it the hot-headed fools who wanted to make a name by taking down the best or vengeful people who were wronged by the jobs she took. A slip up could cost her life…or worse her freedom.

The air around these men felt like Vince’s. A gentle kindness that was genuine. A soft breeze that filled her with a sense of calm.

“Here, let me untie you,” the blond-hair merchant said.

Without thinking, she turned around for him before realizing she had put herself in a vulnerable position in front of a stranger. Strangers. The men could jump her now and she would not have been able to defend herself.

His thick fingers caught her wrists before she could twist around and a cold shiver trickled down her back. He would slam her face into the wall to daze her and carry her out to do whatever the two of them pleased.

Her muscles tensed at the frightful imagination as she braced herself for the incoming assault. But it never came.

“Those assholes sure know how to tie a knot,” he grumbled while his fingers tinkered with the bind. “But knots are the first thing I learned as a merchant. There you go!” He pulled the makeshift rope free with a laugh.

The merc quickly spun around to face him, her instinct still remained on high alert even after the men showed no threat at all. She rubbed the soreness on her wrists under the shirt which fell to the middle of her thighs.

“Wh-Why did you help me?” she asked, still not believing they helped her out of pure kindness.

The two merchants exchanged a look. The bronze-skin man shrugged after his blue gaze shifted back to meet her violet. “We thought it was the right thing to do,” he said almost as if it was common sense.

“That right thing to do? You could have been killed for this!”

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“But we didn’t,” the plump merchant said from his perch at the front of the wagon. “We just can’t just leave you there after the things you’ve been through, girl.”

“How do you know what I've been through? We don’t even know each other!” she practically screamed at him but it was not anger that came out. It was confusion and genuine concern.

These men had inserted themselves into a matter they had no business messing around with. Cedrick could have killed them and took his time searching the wagon until he found her. Todd’s employer might even come after them if their involvement came to light.

A part of her protested that their safety was not her concern. They were merely strangers and if tragedy befell them then it was their fault for putting themselves in danger, not hers.

But she also did not want to see good people die. That was the reason she never took extortion or kidnapping jobs. And often offered her service to wipe out bandits and sabotage drug smugglers. If she had to kill, she would make sure to end the lives of scumbags and assholes.

“You don’t know what you’re dealing with here!” she growled, glaring up at the masculine merchant.

He crossed both arms over his broad chest and stared back at her without flinching. “What you said may be true. We can get into a lot of trouble for helping you but we can’t just stand by and do nothing.”

“You can just throw me out…leave me behind…” she retorted and felt her gut twisted at the thought of it happening.

“No can do, girl. That’s not how we roll,” the plump merchant interjected.

Merille snarled at him but the dark-skin man only chuckled nonchalantly in return.

“Look. You may think we’re stupid for sticking our necks out where we shouldn’t but we’re just paying it forward,” the blue-eyed man said, drawing her attention back to him.

“Paying it forward? Is that supposed to be a joke?!” She would throw up her hands if they were not inside the shirt.

“Believe it or not, we were saved by a girl about the same size as you, a few weeks back. We’d have been demon’s food if not for her.”

“That bastard gouged out a big chuck of me too,” the balding man said before lifting his shirt to reveal three red streaks of scars that were still healing on his chest.

She wanted to lash out at them some more. To scream that they were fools to meddle in her affair. To tell them that they were going to die a worthless death if they kept living with such blind kindness.

But the words would not come. Not when, deep down, she was grateful. The relief that flooded her was almost unbearable and she did not know what to do about it.

No one had extended a hand to her since Vince passed away. She was alone and she told herself that it was the best way to live. She did not have to worry about anyone or anything when she was alone. No friends or enemies, just herself and her survival.

It should have been enough. That was all I needed to keep living…so why…

Tears poured her face in hot rivulets as the walls crumbled and her petite frame trembled from violent emotions that gushed out.

The grief and sadness she had held back after losing the only man she could truly trust. The desolation and loneliness of being on her own for the past two years. The terror and fear of nearly losing in lust and being turned into a cock-craving cumdump by Salus.

Everything slammed into her all at once and no matter how much she tried the tears would not stop.

A pair of firm, comforting arms wrapped around her shivering shoulders as the blonde merchant pulled her into a soothing embrace.

“There, there. Let it all out. You’re ok now. No one will hurt you now,” he said softly as his large hand stroked the back of her head.

Merille melted against his warmth, losing herself in the peaceful quiet of the forest. And for the first time in two years, she felt the invisible weight on her shoulders evaporate away.

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