Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Third Time's a Charm



Rip leaned forward and held out his hand. I watched as the giant helped the poor woman out of her cage and into his arms.

"Is it really safe?" asked the Healer just as yet another shadow materialized beside me.

"They'll be dead soon," I said with a smile on my face. I could feel the shadow nod his head, and all of a sudden, the screams were cut off, leaving only peace and quiet in their wake. Well, that and the soft crying of the terrified girls around us. "They're dead," I added, just in case she was too stunned to put two and two together.

She stood still inside Rip's arms, gripping onto him like a little kitten. He rubbed his cheek against the top of her head but otherwise said nothing. "Is it over?" she asked, looking at me like I had all the answers.

"It is," I assured her. I had hoped to kill the Alpha myself, but I was more than willing to let the guys do it for me. I could only assume through the screaming that their deaths weren't overly pleasant anyway.

"What do I do now?" she asked, the stunned look never leaving. That was the problem when you were abused for as long as she had. There was freedom knowing that it would never happen again, and yet… it was scary knowing that it would never happen again. It was like as soon as your body was no longer fighting for every breath, it didn't know what to do.

That was how I felt when I first reincarnated into this world. I couldn't imagine it being much different for her, either.

"What do you want to do?" asked Rip before I could even open my mouth. "I can take you wherever you want. We can do whatever you want. You don't have to be scared anymore. No one will get through me to get to you, I promise."

"You can get your fucking hands off of my wife," came a snarl from behind me. Still in Chen Zi Han's arms, I turned around to see Wang Chao leading five men closer. I narrowed my eyes, not at all happy with any of them at this moment. Well, besides Wang Chao.

"What?" gasped the Healer, swaying in Rip's embrace. "Bai Long Qiang?" It was a good thing that Rip had such a firm hold on her, or she would have hurt herself when she passed out in shock.

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I tapped Chen Zi Han's arm to have him put me down and turn my attention to the unknown men.

"Really, Bai Long Qiang? That was how you were going to win her over? By yelling at her as soon as you see her? If you are incapable of looking after her and protecting her the way she deserves, then I have no problem taking her from you," I snarled, stalking toward the man. I understood where he was coming from, and I even felt a little bad about it. However, I would not stand for it.

She was my best friend, my confidant in any and all of my lives. She was the only one who cared about me, who never tried to talk me out of anything but listened as I ranted and raved. She was the most important person in my life, next to my guys, and I would protect her.

"You think you can take her from me?" demanded the man that I thought would have saved her long before I ever got here. But lo and behold… she was still in a fucking cage. I could feel my rage starting to rise as I thought about it more and more. I told him where to find her. I was supposed to be the backup in case he got into trouble. But he was supposed to be the knight in shining armor.

So where the Hell did he fuck up?

"I would take a step away from my woman," growled Liu Yu Zeng, appearing beside me, his white eyes trained on the human. "Unless you want to die, of course. In that case, I will be more than happy to accommodate you."

"She is trying to keep me from mine!" shouted Bai Long Qiang. "And that fucking freak is holding her! Would you let another man hold your woman like that?"

"If he was looking at her the way Rip does the Healer? Yes, I would. And I do," sneered Liu Yu Zeng, his eyes flashing for a moment before returning back to normal. He wrapped his arms around my waist and laid a gentle kiss on the side of my neck.

"Bull shit," replied Bai Long Qiang, the disgust in his eyes as clear as day. "No man would be willing to share his woman… not if he really loved her."

"Are you questioning my love for my wife?" asked Liu Yu Zeng softly, his head tilted to the side. I didn't know if I should let him kill the other man or not. I studied the men behind Bai Long Qiang and noticed that more than a few of them were not paying attention to their leader, their eyes only on the Healer.

"Is she going to be okay?" asked one softly, his eyes pleading with me.

"Time heals all wounds," I said, repeating the words that she said to me the first time I went to her crying because the guys had left me. "And sometimes, wounds are too big for even time to heal."

"Then what do we need to do?" asked a second man, coming to stand beside the first. I could feel just how earnest he was toward the Healer.

"Nothing," I said with a shake of my head. "Just being beside her will be enough," I continued, speaking through experience. Liu Yu Zeng tightened his hold around me, and I tilted my head back to look at him.

"If he is not worthy, he dies now. We'll just tell her that it was a dream when she wakes up," I said, turning my attention to the only one out of all of us who would know Bai Long Qiang's true intentions. "She already thinks that he is dead. She won't grieve too long, especially with Rip here."

Wang Chao met my eyes, his flashing red for a second before returning to normal. "Everyone deserves a second chance, my love," he said, his eyes saying so much more than words. I could feel the sadness in his heart as he realized that he might not have been in the same situation as Bai Long Qiang, but there was a time when his loyalty to me was questioned.

"But not all deserve them," I shot back, refusing to back down on the matter. If my friend wanted a harem of her own, then she was damn well going to get one.

"No, not all of them do," he replied with a sigh as he left the group of men standing in front of me and wrapped his arms around me. I was squished between him and Liu Yu Zeng, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Especially not at this moment. "But he does."

I snorted in disbelief as he gave me a kiss on my forehead before going to stand by Chen Zi Han and the shadow I knew to be Liu Wei.

"Please don't kill him," said the first man, placing a hand on Bai Long Qiang's shoulder. "He is a good man and loves her."

"As much as you do?" I asked, calling him out, all the while knowing that it was not appropriate.

"What?!" roared Bai Long Qiang, a look of shock on his face. He was really going to have to get with the program if he was going to stand a chance in Hell with the Healer. "You bastard!" he continued, turning around and taking a swing at his teammate.

Wang Chao held up his hand, completely freezing the man. "You are an idiot," he sneered, stalking toward Bai Long Qiang. There was a brief look of fear on the other man's face before a blank mask fell down over his face. "Do you really think that you are strong enough to look after and protect your woman by yourself? Have you not been paying attention to the world around you lately?" pressed Wang Chao, practically in the other man's face.

"Just because you are weak doesn't mean that I am," answered Bai Long Qiang, raising his chin and staring my man in his eyes.

"I'm sorry. Did I forget to introduce you two?" I asked, tapping Liu Yu Zeng's arm. He let me go, and I walked toward Wang Chao. Placing my hand on his back, I looked at the human in front of me.

"We've met… at the meeting in City Y," he sneered, his attention turning to me. I felt bad; I really did. I knew that the Healer would be upset over his death, but right now, he was too stupid to live. Talk about poking the bear.

"No, you really didn't," I said with a sigh. "Bai Long Qiang, allow me to introduce War, the second Horseman of the Apocalypse."