Her feet carried her as fast as they could, but the wet forest floor made it difficult to escape. She hitched up her long skirt, desperate not to trip. 
  she halted when she heared a soft  sound  almost playful, a whistling tune she knew too well. It slithered through the trees, chilling every nerve in her body, the kind of melody that unsettled the human heart, capable of compelling it's listeners.

Her fingers tightened around the dagger she was holding, She lifted her gaze to the direction of the tune.

  There he sat perched on a branch above, watching her with unreadable eyes.

He jumped down, landing with a grace that made her stumble back taking a protective stance, he stepped closer to her which made her throw the dagger which he dodged effortlessly,a faint, knowing smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

She lunged forward, hand raised to strike, but he caught her wrist mid-swing. In the next breath, her back hit his chest, everything seemed to come to halt as the world shrank until there was nothing but his warmth pressing against her.

“Instead of fighting me,” he whispered, his breath brushing her ear, “why don’t you worry about the creatures hunting you?”

Her chest heaved. “I don’t have to.”

He tilted his head, already knowing. “And why is that?”

“Because you’re here,” she said, her voice trembling yet steady, “and you always will be.”

I wanted to take a moment to talk to you directly and let you know what's going on. For the time being, I won't be uploading new chapters of this book as frequently as I usually do. The reason is that I want to focus on my very first book and push it forward until I reach a certain chapter milestone. Writing two projects side by side takes a lot of time and energy, and I don't want to give you rushed work or chapters that don't live up to the story you deserve.


This doesn't mean I'm abandoning this story far from it! I love this project deeply, and I'm truly grateful to everyone who has been reading, commenting, and supporting it. Your encouragement has been a huge source of motivation for me, and I don't take any of it for granted. I simply want to make sure I'm giving my best effort to each book rather than stretching myself too thin.


So please be patient with me during this short pause. I promise that when I return to uploading here, the chapters will be even better, with more thought, emotion, and detail poured into them. In the meantime, I hope you'll continue to support me by keeping this book in your library, leaving your thoughts, or even checking out my first book if you haven't already.


Thank you so much for your understanding, your kindness, and most of all, your patience. You all mean more to me than I can express in a simple note. This is just a little break, and I'll be back before you know it, ready to take you further into this story's world. 


I'd still be updating, but not frequently.


Stay safe, take care, and I'll see you soon with new chapters. 


I also want to say a personal and big thank you to JENNIFER GOLIAH And ELIZA. Thanks for the support. 


Chapter 11 - Authors note