The chi blast was strong enough to blast her off her feet.

She found herself flying through the air unchecked. It took her about half a second to realise that she was flying backwards into a forest, and another half a second for her to turn her body so that when she hit the tree, she could bounce off it. Bamboo was a lovely material when it came to things like these. She knew she had to time it just right though; do it wrongly and she was liable to either slam into the bamboo, break it, and fall to the floor in an undignified heap; not an experience she wanted to relive again.

Of course, she half-expected her opponent to try to keep up with the speed she’d been flung at, and he did not disappoint. She folded her arms across her breasts, even as he aimed the punch squarely in her chest. The physical blow had the effect of changing her tracjectory, but it also took out some of the momentum of the first blast, so she was in (marginally) more control than she was before this. At least this time, when she hit the tree, she was able to do so without breaking her legs, and still duck down as the man swung another punch at her.

It flew over her head.

She hit upwards, hoping to connect to something, and she did. The crack of her fist against his jaw was satisfyingly crunchy, but the man only stumbled back a little. It was enough. She bolted to the side, running as fast as she could through the bamboo forest. Her desperate run was noisy and messy; she made no attempt to keep quiet. There was no need to; he would have known where she was anyway. Getting to sanctuary was her only option now. He was more powerful than she had given him credit for, but it was not his power that frightened her.

It was his desire.

His desire for her was no ordinary one. If it were, she would have been able to manipulate it. It was something more, something more primal, more brutal… something that lighted the fire in her belly as well. In any situation, she would have welcomed it. With any other men she would have been more than happy to give in to his desire, but not with this one. Not this one. He would devour her, drink of her soul, eat of her flesh… and she would enjoy every minute of it.

As she ran, she was aware of a familiar sound. In her panic-stricken mind, she tried to place it, even as she ran towards it. Just as she burst out of some bushes, she caught the sight of something shiny.

A river! she thought. I’ll be safe there!

She dived into the river.

He watched her swim away from him as he reached the river bank. It was a large river and the currents were swift, but he had no question that she would survive it. She would have to. He watched her get to the other side and climb out. She looked back only once, and then she was back to running again.

“Next time, little Fae…” he whispered.