I give him CPR a couple of times, pounding his chest alternately, hoping that I am doing it right. I trained how to do it but I never had the chance to use it on another person in an actual life and death situation.

For a couple of breathless moments, I pump his chest and breathe into his mouth. Then he coughs, water comes out from his mouth. He opens his eyes and looks at me. He is still disoriented when I let out a sigh of relief. Tears fall from my eyes. I wipe it away. its selfish tears. I know I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if this man died.

"Good, you're still alive," I say.

"You saved me? I thought you're trying to kill me."

His eyes scour all over my body, and his gaze stops below my stomach. He starts to reach for it and I swat his hands from me. Startled at the first thing he did.

Then, I realize my nakedness. I cover my chest and my womanhood with whatever my hands can cover. I stand up but he holds my arm and stops me. His eyes still focused down there.

"Stop staring, you animal," I hiss, trying to take away my arm from him. He's strong and now, I am regretting why I saved him. I should have let him die!

Voices come. It's probably the sandigs! I panic and forget the man in front of me. Suddenly, I feel myself being lifted off the ground by the same man. Then he pushes me towards the bushes and forces my head down. I get up but he put all his weight on my body, making me unable to move. I feel the soil and the pebbles getting buried on my back. Worse, he places his hands over my mouth, shutting me up.

He stares at me and whisper, "Shut up or I will regret that I am saving you, right now."

The rascal! I struggle against him. Sinagtala will always forgive me for strolling in the restricted areas! It's this stranger who will incur his wrath!

Abruptly, I stop, remembering how little I matter to him. 'Nameless wench, not even fit to be his lover.' His words cut me more than the time Renz told me he found someone else to love. I calm down, despite being held down naked by a stranger in the bushes.

"Good," he whispers, his eyes still focused on me, and he slowly removes his hand from my mouth.

The sandigs pass us by, and after surveying, they left the area. It had been a full minute. His breath mingles into mine. I could feel the warmth of his body through his clothes. Then, I feel his reaction to me. My eyes widen and he seems to take it as an invitation.

He leans closer. His eyes focus on my lips but before his lips meet mine, I hiss at him, "You are not to kiss me."

He pulls back, taken aback by both my refusal and my fury. He gets up from me, sits up, and turns around. At least, he has the decency to turn around.

"I apologize. It is a physiological reaction from having a pretty woman underneath me."

I rummage through the bush and find my clothes. When I'm done clothing myself, I stand up and go out the safety that the bushes offer, hoping that the sandigs guarding the area have not yet returned.

However, before I manage to take a few steps away from the bushes, he reaches for my arm and stops me.

"I am really sorry. You saved my life and my body did that. I don't know how to apologize."

I look him over. He has the height and built of a hunter, but he has fair skin. His hair looks weird too, as if it's a wig. In general, he seems to be agreeable but I can't forget the way he raked his eyes all over my body especially at that part! No one has ever seen it! Not even Sinagtala! I shake my head. Why do my thoughts keep on coming back to him? I was rejected! I should nail it down hard on my brain.

"You don't have to," I say and withdraw my arm from him. I turn my back on him, wishing to leave as fast as possible.

"Do you usually do that? Bathe naked?" he calls after me.

I stop from my tracks, and turn towards him, annoyed. "Are you going to lecture me about chastity?" I ask.

He comes closer to me and says, "I wouldn't dare. It's just--"

"Or is it because this place is prohibited? Are you going to report me to Bagwis? Or whoever it is you report to?" I ask. "If I must remind you, sandigs are not allowed to scale the wall..."

I pause for a while, noting his panggan and how he hides from the other sandigs. No, he's not one of them. "Hunters are also not allowed here. And that--"

I shiver, remembering how his eyes look at me and how he pulls me down into the bushes. "I can report you for sexually harassing me!"

"I am in awe," he starts. "That's why I can't help but stare."

"You are in awe?! Of what?!" He is getting more and more annoying.

When he does not speak, I start to walk away, but he holds my hand. "You're too careless for showing your body. Being my savior, I must warn you not to show it to anyone."

"You're the second person to tell me that," I say.

I attempt to break free from his hold but he holds on tighter. Why is someone who can't swim so strong? He almost drowned! Even Migo fares better at water despite being afraid of it.

"I know my body's not pretty to look at, so f*ck off and let me go!"

I don't even care if profane words are coming out of my mouth. Migo is not here and he can't scold me for mimicking the way he speaks when angry. Besides, I am more than mad!

"Whoever told you that, that person cares for you." I frown when he did not bite on my taunts. Instead, he softly whispers, as if someone's listening, "You are a full-blooded Nayan."