Spellbound in His Arms by Angel Sefer

uncontrollably inside. She felt him
leaning over her and unconsciously clenched her teeth, resisting the urge to
scream.
    Jackie heard another noise coming from somewhere outside
the cave. The noise seemed to draw the assailant’s attention, and Jackie sensed
him move away from her.
    She remained still for a moment longer and hearing
nothing, she let out a deep breath and opened her eyes. She couldn’t see much,
as it was getting dark outside so she just laid there praying.
    It seemed like hours before she heard something moving
again outside. Or maybe it was just minutes. She wasn’t sure anymore. Agony and
fear had made her lose track of time. She held her breath, too scared to even
breathe.
    “Jackie!”
    She heard Michael’s voice and her heart skipped a beat.
    “Jackie!” Yes, it was him all right and not her
imagination playing games with her.
    “In here!” she yelled, with as much strength as she
could muster, feeling tears of relief run down her face.
    A couple seconds later, Michael bent over her and cut
the ropes confining her with a knife.
    As soon as her arms were free, Jackie threw herself in
his arms and started sobbing uncontrollably.
    “Is he gone?” she asked in a broken voice.
    Michael held her in his arms, caressing her hair and
whispering in her ear, trying to calm her. “Yes, he’s gone” he reassured her.
“Are you all right?” He pulled back to look at her face in the fading light.
    “I’m fine now” she said and reached for him, not wanting
to let go.
    “Can you walk?” He slid the knife into his boot and
helped her to her feet.
    “I think so,” she replied and took a few steps, holding
onto his arm to prevent herself from sliding once again to the ground. Her
knees felt weak and her walk was unsteady, but she wanted to get out of there
as soon as possible. Deep down inside, she was worried that the man might come
back, and then they would both be in danger.
    Michael squeezed her arm reassuringly. “Don’t worry!
Everything is fine.”
    “I was so scared,” she admitted and looked at him with
eyes wide from fear.
    “I’m here now and I’ll never leave you out of my
sight again,” he promised and looked at her tenderly. “I’ll always be here for
you, Jackie.”
    She drew a deep breath, feeling her pulse accelerating
and a sizzling sensation spreading all over her body. Everything else seemed to
fade away, except Michael’s eyes staring into hers, holding her captive.
    ***
    Michael seemed to be the first to recover from the
intensity of the moment. “We need to get back to the mansion” he said, drawing
his pistol from its holster. He wanted to get her inside as soon as possible. He
didn’t want to scare her, but on the other hand, he wasn’t sure who else might
be out there and what exactly he had to face. Being inside would give him an
advantage, at least for now.
    “But who was he? Did you see him?” she insisted,
shivering.
    “No,” Michael replied and this was partly the truth. The
man had seen Michael approaching and decided to flee. But Michael had gotten a
glimpse of him, as he approached the area. He wanted to go after him, but at
the moment he was more anxious to find Jackie and make sure she was all right
than anything else.
    The figure he had seen tonight, though, looked nothing
like the previous two intruders. What’s going on? Who were all these
people and who was hiding behind them? Was it Manos, as Michael suspected, or
was it someone else?What got him even more puzzled was that the
well-built, muscular figure he’d seen tonight seemed vaguely familiar. Who was
that man and why had he kidnapped Jackie?
    “Michael…” he heard her calling and realized that he was
squeezing her arm hard.
    “I’m sorry” he murmured and immediately loosened his
grip on her arm. Then he led her outside the cave and back to the mansion
through the woods.
    ***
    Jackie felt safe and relieved walking next to him in the
dark. Even though they had no flashlight and