Page 73 of Change

The world froze, and my heartbeat pounded in my ears as I jerked back, pulling away from the ones who had invaded my space.

“Bianca?” an unfamiliar voice called, and I stared—unseeing—at the blurry shapes in front of me. One moved closer, kneeling down, despite the protests of the others, and my pulse soared as I pressed further against the surface at my back.

There was something hard blocking the way on my left, and they were on the right.

I was trapped.

“Get away from her.” The figures became more familiar, but my thoughts remained fuzzy. The sound of screaming winds echoed in my ears. “She’s having a panic attack.”

“I can help! I’ve done it before.” The man’s features were clearing slightly, and bright green eyes peered at me through the shadows. A long, loose curl fell from behind his ear, and he cautiously leaned forward, posture unthreatening. “Princess, focus on me.”

My heartbeat began to slow, and the suffocating weight lifted slightly.

But could I relax? This was another predator—someone who could hurt me; I could sense his strength just in the way he held himself. My instincts screamed, warning me away, but there was an illogical side that nagged at me, telling me to trust him.

I couldn’t tear my eyes from his. He hadn’t moved again. If he was going to hurt me, wouldn’t it have already happened?

“Good girl.” He sounded relieved as he slowly raised his hand in my direction. “Come here. You did well.”

My gaze travelled down the line of his arms, to his hand. Those fingers could cause a lot of pain. In fact, in a distant sort of way, they almost seemed like claws.

“You can stop. We’ll take you home now.” His voice was deceptively smooth despite his appearance.

It was close—too close—and I almost let him trick me. He would have won, except, at the very last second, I glanced back to his face.

The warm, calmness in his eyes had vanished. It was replaced by a furious crimson.

I sucked in a breath, he stopped moving as panic and doubt flashed across his expression.

“No,” he breathed, reaching for me. “Bianca, wait—”

But I didn’t hear any more of his lies, because, for the first time in my life, I was able to get away.