2. Trapped

Fiora's light brown eyes widened in disbelief.

Five...? Five Seed Donors?!

Without realizing it, she shook her head, her face pale with shock.

"P-Please... don't joke about something like this," she whispered, unable to take her eyes off the soldier standing before her.

"I'm only a Seed Carrier! I only need one healthy man to fulfill my assignment—not five!"

The soldier's expression hardened, clearly irritated by her growing panic.

"Our job is simply to carry out the Leader's orders," he snapped. "And your assignment, Fiora, is to serve as the Seed Carrier for five men on this island. Accept it, stop whining, and don't cause any trouble."

Fiora bit her lower lip. Damn it. She had been deceived.

What was this supposed to mean?

Had they reduced her to nothing more than a prostitute expected to satisfy five different men?

Although becoming a Seed Carrier meant offering her body without expecting anything in return, Fiora had always believed her duty was honorable.

She was helping save civilization.

Helping create the next generation that would keep humanity alive.

"No." She shook her head firmly, meeting the soldier's eyes with defiance.

"I want to go back to the shelter. Let me speak to your Leader myself. There has to be some kind of misunderstanding, and~~"

Before she could finish, the helicopter door beside her suddenly slid open.

Fiora had barely turned her head when a powerful shove struck her from behind.

She stumbled out of the aircraft and crashed into the shallow, crystal-clear seawater below.

Splash!

Warm saltwater soaked her dress and crimson hair within seconds.

For several moments, she simply sat there, frozen in disbelief.

They had... They had actually kicked her out.

Those bastards!

She scrambled to her feet and rushed toward the helicopter, intending to climb back inside.

Too late. The door had already been shut and locked.

With growing frustration, Fiora pounded both fists against the metal body of the helicopter, ignoring the pain spreading through her hands.

"Open it!" she screamed, struggling to make herself heard over the deafening roar of the engines and rotor blades.

"Open the door! Let me in!"

Panic seized her as the helicopter slowly began to lift off.

She reached desperately toward it~~

Only for a pair of powerful arms to wrap around her waist.

Before she could react, her body was effortlessly thrown over someone's broad shoulder.

"No! Put me down! Put me down!"

She kicked and pounded against the muscular back carrying her away from the shoreline.

Her resistance accomplished nothing.

Growing desperate, Fiora lifted her head just in time to watch the helicopter disappear into the distant sky.

No...

They had truly abandoned her here.

Thud!

She let out a muffled cry as her body was suddenly tossed onto warm, dry sand.

For a brief moment, she lay motionless. Then she looked up.

A tall, powerfully built young man stood only a few steps away.

His clothes were just as soaked as hers.

His crimson eyes slowly roamed over every inch of Fiora's body without the slightest hint of restraint.

The wet fabric clung tightly to her curves, revealing far more than it concealed.

A crooked grin spread across his lips as he realized she wasn't wearing any undergarments beneath her dress.

His gaze drifted lower... To her slender waist... Then lower still.

The darkness in his eyes deepened.

"W-Who... are you?" Fiora finally managed to ask, her throat dry and tight.

The man didn't answer. Instead, he crouched beside her.

"Not bad," he murmured while studying her delicate face, the faint freckles dusting her cheeks, and her naturally rosy lips.

"This time... they sent us something younger."

"...And alive."

Fiora's heartbeat became even more chaotic.

Before she could ask another question, the man suddenly pinned her to the sand, trapping one of her wrists above her head with a single hand.

"Relax," he said in a low voice that somehow made her even more nervous.

"If I wanted to hurt you, your body would've been broken long before now, Red."

His hand tightened against her chest before he captured her lips in a rough, possessive kiss.

Pain shot through her. Fiora clenched her teeth, forcing herself not to scream.

For some reason... She was certain that struggling would only make him more dangerous.

"Darius."

Another voice suddenly echoed across the beach.

It was colder. Deeper.

Darius pulled away and turned toward the source of the voice.

So did Fiora.

Not far away, another man stood beneath the shadows of the trees.

He was even taller and broader than Darius.

His face was just as striking... Perhaps even more handsome. He looked about the same age.

But what caught Fiora's attention most was his hair.

It was long... And silver-white.

The man approached with calm, measured steps.

Yet the closer he came... The stranger Fiora felt. A peculiar warmth stirred deep inside her chest.

It wasn't fear. It was something else.

Something her body recognized, even if her mind couldn't understand it.

The silver-haired man stopped a few steps away from where Darius still towered over her.

"Let her go."

It was a simple command.

Yet somehow, the air itself seemed to grow heavier.

Darius clicked his tongue. "You really know how to ruin the mood."

Even so, he didn't immediately release Fiora's wrist.

"I found her first, Vael," he said firmly. "So I should be the first to enjoy her."

His crimson eyes flashed with irritation.

After a long moment, however, he finally let her go and dropped onto the sand beside them.

Slowly, Fiora pushed herself into a sitting position.

Her legs were still trembling too badly to stand. She lifted her gaze toward the man called Vael.

And once again... She froze. It wasn't only his silver hair.

His eyes... They were different colors.

The right one was emerald green. The left, a brilliant sapphire blue.

Under the sunlight, they shimmered like polished gemstones.

Fiora felt as though her heart had dropped straight into the sand.

Why were the first two Seed Donors she had met already so... inhuman?

Would the remaining three be just as extraordinary?

Darius frowned as he noticed Fiora staring silently at Vael.

Jealousy flared instantly across his face.

He reached out, grabbed Fiora by the arm, and leaned close enough for his lips to brush against her ear.

"Welcome to the island," he whispered.

"And congratulations..." A slow smile curled across his lips.

"...because you'll never be able to leave."

***