Page 35 of Serpent & Saviors

There was a gentle lilt to her voice, but the question was clear beneath it. Reasonable. Expected. I was a married woman. A mother to boot. And I was here, in her home, randomly spending time with her grandson and sitting across from her as if I wasn’t those things.

I swallowed hard, forcing the lump down, though it left a bitter aftertaste in my mouth.

“He wants to help me,” I whispered, the words barely mine. Unsure. Half-formed.

My hands moved on instinct, pinching the bruised skin of my thigh beneath the table. The sharp pain was enough, and I didn’t even flinch this time. The sting quieted the chaos in my chest, making breathing easier.

Eleanor’s expression didn’t shift. But it was there in her eyes. They held mine like she already knew.

“Do you need it…the help, Victoria?”

The tears I’d held back burned behind my eyes. I wanted to scream. It didn’t seem possible that one person could cry as much as I had today. Add in the weight of this conversation, the fear and uncertainty that had been building all day. It suddenly became too much. My breath quickened, each inhale shallower than the last.

It was like invisible hands were shoving my head under imaginary water. My chest hurt, and I gripped it as I turned panic-stricken eyes to Eleanor. Was I dying? Oh God, if I died right here, what would happen to Declan?

That single thought only increased the relentless grip of the icy fingers closing around my throat. I gasped, trying to suck in air. My hands trembled violently, and a crushing sense of despair consumed me.

The room tilted, and the edges of my vision frayed, curling inward. Tiny black specks danced across the tablecloth, multiplying with every shallow breath I took. I blinked hard, trying to clear them, but they only grew. The spots became shadows. Thank God I was already sitting, or I would have fallen.

Seeing my distress, Eleanor moved into action. “Andrew,” she bellowed.

In a blur, beautiful blue eyes held mine. My first instinct was to distance myself from him. Then, in the deepest recesses of my mind, it registered. He was my only hope in this world.

“Andrew, you have t-t-to—”

“Angel, baby, it’s okay,” he whispered, his words barely making it through. Kneeling beside me, he gently placed his hands on my shoulders. “I’m here.”

Without hesitation, he yanked off his T-shirt and caught my wrist. His skin was hot against my palm as he pressed my hand flat to the center of his chest.

The steady thud of his heart pulsed beneath my fingertips. It was strong and steady. All the things I wasn’t. So I latched onto that rhythm, each beat stronger than the chaos in my head.

“Alright,” he said, with a gentle but firm voice. “We’re going to breathe together, as one, okay?”

I nodded, willingly trusting him to get me through whatever this was.

“Close your eyes, shut out everything except my voice. You’re going to focus on it like your life depends on it. Now, slowly take one breath through your nose with me.”

I obeyed, drawing in a long, shaky breath.

“That’s it, you’re doing so well. Feel the air filling your lungs,” he said.

My chest expanded, the searing pain lessening slightly, and the air in my lungs didn’t feel like shards anymore.

“Hold it for a second. You’ll feel your body tense with anticipation, but it’s okay. We’re going to let it out slowly through your nose,” he instructed.

A small measure of tension left my body as I exhaled.

“Now you’re going to be a good girl and do it again. Same way,” he said, his tone unwavering. “Inhale slowly. Now count to five in your mind.”

I followed his command, counting as I breathed in the air around me.

“Now I need you to hold it for the same count of five,” he continued, this time counting it out. “That’s it. Now exhale for another count of five, love. That’s it. Such a good girl breathing for me.”

We repeated the process. The rhythm of his voice was the anchor I needed. With each breath, the world outside faded, and it was just us. Minutes passed, and the steady thump of his heart under my palm served as a reminder that I would be an absolute idiot not to allow this man and his crew to help me.

The moment I let the thought have a voice, it bloomed into a roar. There was no more wavering. No more fear stronger than this truth.

With my eyes shut tight, I found the courage to say it out loud. “Andrew, I won’t leave without my son. And he won’t let me have him.”