I’m stuck in the past.
Unable to break free.
Trapped.
It can’t be him, Thea.
My father’s right, I’m paranoid, he’s a figment of my overactive imagination.
I close my eyes to try to recenter, but the rustle of the grass has me darting them back open.
The man steps closer, causing my legs to quake, and when the glimmer of a knife catches my eye, my vision becomes hazy, my head becomes light, and my world tilts on an axis.
A loud growl snaps me out of my freefall, and out of nowhere, a broad figure appears behind him, and somehow, I know it’s Massio.
I’m safe.
MASSIO
She rushes from the bustle of the house, and I already know my little brat is seeking solitude; she doesn’t like the party she insisted on attending.
The fact that she’s been drinking water all night has solidified something for me, though. She’s not the bad girl her parents perceive her to be. She’s simply uncaring, and there’s a huge difference.
She walks right past me without realizing and heads behind the back of the property and into the darkness, and I clench my teeth at her naïvety. My little brat needs to learn some common sense where her personal safety is concerned. Does she really think so little of herself as to put herself in harm’s way?
The crowd disperses as she pushes past, but a lone figure remains, and he watches her every move. When he draws his hood up, I shove off the wall. Every cell in my body is alive with vengeance. This man has waited for her to be alone, and she’s completely unaware of it.
I stride in their direction, uncaring of the shoulders I barge on the way; they’ll move one way or another.
“Prick,” someone calls after me, but I ignore them. I’ll take my anger out on the man who dared to follow my girl.
I turn the corner, and the first thing I’m struck by is Thea cowering against the wall. In the moonlight, I can make out her pale face. Her legs look like they’re about to buckle, and the fear in her eyes turns my stomach.
The need to protect her powers into me.
The man turns his hand, revealing a knife, and my blood ignites with all-out fury. Unadulterated rage consumes me, and I let out a feral growl that has his movements stilling.
Before he can turn around, I wrap my arm around his throat, and with my free hand, I grab the wrist of the hand holding the knife and deliver it to his neck in a swift move that causes him to choke.
A spluttering sound leaves him, and the tension from his body dissolves. I slowly unfurl my arm, and he collapses into a heap on the ground.
Shit.
I didn’t mean to kill him so suddenly.
That’s definitely not my usual style. Especially knowing I needed some answers from the prick.
Thea releases a whimper, so I step over the prick’s body to comfort her, opening my arms wide. She throws herself at me, clinging to me like a koala, and I embrace every second of it.
As she sobs into my arms, I hold her closer. I’ve never held a crying woman before, not once, but I wouldn’t change this moment for the world.
She sees me as her hero, and I’m quite happy being just that.
“Shh. It’s okay. You’re safe now, Little Brat.”
“H-He had a knife.”
I stroke her hair with my thick palm, reveling in the way she shudders.
