Ren let go, allowing herself to fall from the tree.
Gravity claimed her instantly. The cold night wind roared, slapping viciously at her face and exposed skin as she plummeted. The sheer force of the descent immediately snapped the flimsy vine holding her messy bun together, freeing her fiery red hair to whip violently around her head in a chaotic frenzy.
Ren's eyes were clenched shut so tightly they ached. Her heart was hammering a frantic, deafening rhythm in her ears, competing with the howling wind.
'I am going to die,' Ren panicked, bracing for the bone-shattering impact. 'I am going to be a fleshy crater!'
But the impact never came.
Instead of slamming into the unforgiving earth, Ren felt a sudden, powerful jerk. A pair of extremely warm, muscular arms wrapped securely around her waist and under her knees, snatching her right out of mid-air. She was cradled effortlessly against a rock-hard, incredibly warm body.
