Chapter 152

Though all three men had razor-cut hair, the ringleader had neatly trimmed sideburns, mutton chops style.

“Don’t hiss, Catnip,” the younger man to the left of Sideburns crooned with a disarming smile, like he was trying to calm a cornered feline. “We won’t hurt you, I promise. But if you bolt, I’ll catch you. I love to chase. My name is Shade.”

Shade had boyish good looks, like Romeo. I blinked, frustrated that I could remember Romeo’s name and other useless information.

My memory may be junk right now, but at least I wasn’t a fool.

I knew when people promised that they wouldn’t hurt you, they were usually lying. However, I kind of believed this guy. I could tell by his aura that he was more of the lover type than a killer.

Tall and muscled, he bore a resemblance to Sideburns, but Shade’s complexion was more golden, with deep blue eyes and stylish, short blond hair. I wanted to call him Canary, a fitting name for him.

Canary could be a hot underwear model even wearing such a uniform, but Sideburns was hotter for some reason. But he looked too serious about himself, as if he was the owner of all the lands.

The third man to the right of Sideburns looked like he could be Sideburns’ uncle. The sides of his hair were peppered with grey, and his brown eyes that regarded me uncompromisingly were hard yet clear, like a man who held no secrets.

Sideburns turned to glare at the men outside our little circle and barked, “Lower your voices. We have a traumatized girl here!”

I could imagine how I looked to them. Homemade bandages wrapped around my wounded leg, tainted by dried blood. My tattered sleeping gown barely covered my thighs. My hair was wild, full of grass and twigs, and some strands still stuck to my dirty face. Even though I’d washed myself by the river, some residual blood still stained my clothes and skin.

And no normal girl would sleep in a shrub in the wilderness.

The men outside our circle quieted down, and Sideburns returned his stern attention to me.

“Who are you?”

All three men narrowed their eyes on me as if I were an exotic animal that had just escaped the zoo.

 That was the worst question they could throw at me.

The fuck I know, I almost blurted in annoyance while I glared back at them. Turns out I also have a bad attitude.

An idea swirled into my mind. I needed to send this lot on their way as soon as possible, and I must get on the road before the hunters caught up with me.

I looked like a beggar and a wild thing. And the men were high and mighty, literally. It wouldn’t be hard to persuade them to fucking leave me alone.

A tactic formed. No one would be interested in a mentally challenged girl if I took advantage of my unkempt and undesirable appearance and the situation of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I cowered back and grabbed my hair with a hiss. “Boo-booo! Boo!” I thrust a hand at them to fend them off, demanding they go away. “Wahdudd!”