The next thing I hear is a horrible, sickening crack, the sound of a bone breaking.
With a feral howl Rob Hanson collapses, his elbow twisted the wrong way entirely.
Vin leaps at my savior with surprising speed and determination, like he’s been trained, but he’s no match for the stalker. In a fraction of a second he’s on the ground as well, knocked out cold. I can’t even process what my savior did.
Then the masked man turns toward the whimpering Rob, leans over him, and with one brutal downward punch knocks him out. Rob goes still, blood spilling from his nose.
The situation now is this:
Three unconscious bodies lie on the ground: Dereck, Rob, and Vin.
And standing tall above me is my strange, victorious stalker.
The silence is crushing.
"Who are you?" I manage to say with my shaking voice. "Are you watching me? How are you always there when something happens to me?"
The man stands absolutely still, facing me, but his face is hidden behind a solid black mask. As before, his eyes are completely covered.
One more time, I try to catch his Allure. Still, his scent doesn’t remind me of anyone, even though I try desperately to remember if I’ve ever met someone like him. It’s a neutral smell to me, like dry autumn leaves, a scent like natural pheromones, not artificial, but I’ve never met a man with this Allure scent before.
What shocks me is how calm his heartbeat is now. It’s not like the last time. Now it’s a little fast, but nowhere near my panic thuds.
His heart…
I listen to the deep, steady rhythm. You can’t identify a person by heartbeat, of course, but something about his makes me feel strangely safe.
"Thank you, thank you for saving me again…" I blurt out shakily.
Slowly, I stand and walk toward him.
Damn, the height difference between us is ridiculous. I’m somewhere between five foot two and five foot three, and he’s somewhere between six foot seven and six foot eight.
He doesn’t move. I notice thick gloves on his hands.
I take another step, then another.
He still doesn’t react.
Finally, I take the last step and… I wrap my arms around him.
Oh, dear Fate, it feels incredible, and impossible, because the closeness of other people usually feels repulsive or uncomfortable to me.
But not his. His touch is bliss. It’s warmth and comfort. My whole body trembles with relief, just from being pressed against him. My hands cling to his thick jacket.
"Who are you?! You feel like him!"
I can hear him take a breath and a sudden wave of fear hits me.
"No! Stop! Don’t tell me."
His breath quiets.
"Don’t fall out of the role, whoever you are," I whisper, barely audible. "I just want to say… thank you. Thank you!"
Then I take his gloved hand and press my lips to the back of it.
"These people are monsters, and you saved me. Ask me for anything you want."
