Cherreads

Chapter 7 - chapter 5

Absolutely! Here's a polished version of the scene with improved grammar, natural storytelling flow, and vivid imagery—while maintaining the original tone and building on the previous parts:

Ruhi stood up and brushed the dust from her trousers. With a composed breath, she made her way to the door and flung it open.

"Well, if you all are done playing hide and seek, you can come in now," she called into the fading light. "Welcome to my humble abode."

Her voice echoed into the stillness—and then, one by one, shadows moved.

The first to emerge was a tall, winged male—ruggedly handsome, his presence nearly overwhelming. His large, bat-like wings were marked with countless scars, the kind earned over decades of battle. Despite the way he tried to hold himself back, his power rolled off him in waves, brushing against her skin like a storm wind.

But it wasn't his power that hit her first—it was the scent.

Blood.

He reeked of it. Not fresh, not violent—but aged and permanent, like it had become a part of him.

His eyes met hers—sharp, focused, and unmistakably that of a soldier. Yet his aura held a strange, almost surprising warmth. Easygoing, perhaps. Happy, even. It was an odd juxtaposition to the iron forged strength that oozed from every part of him.

Ruhi narrowed her eyes. He walks like a general. Confident, proud. Must be someone of high rank.

His shoulder-length brown hair was tied into a bun, and embedded in his clothing and jewelry were seven red stones—glinting like drops of blood under the fading sun.

Following close behind were two more figures.

The second male was quieter, more elusive. Equally as handsome, but in a completely different way. His beauty was sharp, noble—cold. His skin was shadowed with inked markings, curling like ancient script across his arms and neck. But it wasn't the tattoos that caught Ruhi's attention—it was the scars.

His hands.

They were scarred in a way that told a different story. These weren't battlefield wounds. No—this was the work of torture. Of pain endured and survived. And yet he moved with grace, deadly and silent.

Shadows clung to him like whispering spirits, as if they spoke to him—and he to them.

His presence didn't scream like the first male's did. It stalked. It watched. It lingered.

Soldier… no, Ruhi thought. This one is something else. Assassin.

Both killed—but the feel was different. One felt like a battlefield. The other, like a silent alley where you'd never hear your end coming.

His aura was cold and still, but beneath it—deep, hidden—was guilt. A weight he carried silently, but constantly.

He had short black hair, a leaner build, and wore the same kind of gemstone jewelry, though his stones were deep blue instead of red. His eyes didn't meet hers. Not yet.

Then came the third figure.

A stunningly beautiful woman, her presence commanding in an entirely different way. She wore a bold, crimson dress that clung to her curves like molten silk. Her golden hair flowed like liquid light, and her smile—oh, that smile—was radiant, practiced, and layered.

Ruhi knew that kind of smile. A businesswoman's smile. The smile of someone who had sold a thousand deals with a glance and a raised brow.

But there was something else, too. Beneath the elegance, beneath the subtle flirtation, Ruhi saw it. A guard. A shield. The kind worn not just by merchants, but by survivors.

Absolutely loving this slow-burn tension and magnetic attraction you're building—let's refine it with improved grammar, flow, and polished character tone, while keeping all the emotion and vibes just right:

"Haa, you're the reason the phrase 'beauty trap' was ever coined, hmm, darling?" Ruhi said with a teasing lilt, stepping forward with a smirk.

Before the blonde could react, Ruhi leaned down and kissed the back of her hand, the gesture sudden, bold, and utterly unexpected.

The woman blinked—visibly thrown off. A pink flush crept up her cheeks, catching even her off guard.

"You look absolutely stunning, darling," Ruhi continued smoothly, her tone playful but sincere.

But before she could go on, something shifted—something visceral and consuming. She felt it. Like a tether she didn't know existed had suddenly pulled taut. Her heart, tired and restless, felt still. Whole.

Her breath hitched.

She turned—and there he was.

Taller than the rest, regal without trying. His power was undeniable, ancient, vast… but oddly comforting. Not the kind that crushed, but the kind that embraced—like the night itself wrapping its arms around her.

And his eyes.

Violet.

The same glittering violet that had haunted her dreams. Stars, galaxies, and longing all spun into those eyes. When he smiled, it was as though the entire night lit up just for her.

Her first instinct was to run to him—to throw herself into his arms like they'd done this a thousand times before. His smile deepened, like he knew, like he felt it too.

She tore her gaze away, flustered.

Don't do this. Don't fall. Not like this.

But her heart didn't listen.

She forced herself to study him—his dark blue-black hair was styled in a layered wolf-cut, familiar yet exotic. Tattoos ran across his golden-brown skin like starlight ink, and his very presence screamed power. Not the showy kind—but the kind that made the others instinctively fall into formation around him.

He's their king, she realized. Or something damn near close.

He was breathtaking. Exactly her type. Too perfect to be real.

Before she could look away again, he stepped forward.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, love," he said smoothly, gently taking her hand and brushing his lips across her knuckles.

Her breath caught again.

He looked at her like she was the center of his universe. Like she grounded him. His voice—it was smooth, too smooth. Like dark chocolate laced with danger and dreams.

She liked it. She liked him. And that scared her.

The warmth in her chest was too much. How can I feel this way about someone I just met?

"You know," the first male cut in with a smirk, breaking the spell, "if you two are done eye-fucking each other, maybe we can go inside?"

"Oh, shut it, Cass," the blonde muttered, rolling her eyes but smiling.

Snapped back to herself, Ruhi jerked her hand away, face slightly flushed. "It's—um—nice to meet you. Please…" She paused, words stuttering for the first time. "Please, come in."

Don't look at the handsome one, she told herself firmly.

No, don't look at him. Don't even think about looking at him again.

She looked.

Damn it.

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