LUCY
I don't blame Tavric for turning, nor do I blame the person behind the frantic knocking I hear at the door. My scream was a raw plea for help, a sound of a world fracturing in real-time.
"It's okay, Princess… breathe…" Tavric's voice is a low rumble in my ear.
I feel the heat of his palms against my bare waist, the contact sending an electric zap through my system that anchors me back to the present.
And that's when I notice that I'm shaking. Violently. A full-blown panic attack is clawing at my throat, at my body, making every breath feel like I'm inhaling glass.
"Lucy, hey… look at me!" Tavric's hand cups my chin, forcefully pinning it in place so I have no choice but to meet his moss-green gaze. "Breathe. Just breathe. Everything will be fine."
He's a liar. Everything is far from fine. Everything just got a thousand times worse.
