Page 74 of Another Damned Storm

She nodded and pulled herself to her feet without even seeing the hand I held out to help her up.

“Can you…” She let the question trail off, but I knew what she wanted. She didn’t trust herself to flash when her emotions were rioting.

This time, when I held out my hand, she saw it. She still hesitated for several seconds before finally taking it. When she did, a tiny flicker of relief rolled through me, and I squeezed gently, reassuringly.

She didn’t squeeze back.

25

NEVER

“Would you like to return to our room at Rutledge?” Hook asked.

To where my brother and niece were, in their big, protected compound? “No!” Panic slammed into me like a fist to the chest. “I cannot be around other people right now.”

And fuck me, I didn’t know what hurt more, the fact that I suddenly couldn’t trust myself or the look Hook gave me when I admitted it.

In a blink, we were back in the abandoned shop where we’d had our little reunion a few days earlier. “Wait here,” he ordered.

“You’re leaving?”

“Only for a moment.” Hook tugged my hand like he meant to pull me into his arms, but I jerked back, pulling it out of his grip.

Yeah, I saw the irony. I desperately didn’t want him to leave, but I’d also just attacked him like a rabid badger. There was no world where holding me close was the sane choice.

His brow pulled together. He opened his mouth to say something, then rolled his bottom lip between his teeth.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I just…” I was terrified that if he put his arms around me—caged me in—the animal inside me would come back out to play.

The crease in his brow deepened. “No more apologies, Never. I will return shortly. You have my word.”

I swallowed hard and nodded. The moment he disappeared, I sank to the filthy floor, laid down on my back, and pressed my palms to my eyes. “What the fuck is going on?” I’d never felt so out of control in my life.

At the same time, I felt more powerful than ever. We’re talking skin-tingling, hair-vibrating, amped-beyond-reason kind of powerful.

It was terrifying, and not just because I couldn’t control it. Power like that was bound to be addictive. And I wasn’t just scared. I was pissed too.

Why the hell would I attack Hook?

Attacking Lapalme at least made sense. It wasn’t the smartest move, but the way he was talking about destroying my family made me want to tear him limb from limb, preferably with my bare hands.

But Hook? He wasn’t a threat to me.

He was everything to me.

“Fuck!” I slammed my fists into the concrete floor beside me.

“Love?”

Perfect.

I blinked my eyes open to see Hook standing a short distance away wearing a frown. “Hey. No need to look so worried. I was just having myself a little temper tantrum.”

He arched one dark eyebrow. “And breaking the floor, I see.”

I sat up and squinted down at the concrete. Sure enough, a web of fine cracks radiated out from where I’d struck the dingy gray surface. “Apparently.” And that was just one more reason I shouldn’t be around humans.

I could only imagine what would happen if I got all choked up while I was hugging Matt or Angie, and I accidentally squeezed too tight.