fell to my side, kicking my legs toward his ankles. I hooked his feet then jerked forward. When his legs went out from underneath him and he went down, I started to crawl to get away, but he recovered quickly, yanking at my ankle with a vise grip.
As soon as I rolled over, he was already standing above me. He lifted me off the ground by my jacket’s collar, then gripped my throat and slammed me against the bookcase once more. My throat burned and terror clogged my chest as he effortlessly slid me up the wood surface until my feet dangled several inches off the ground.
When I clawed at his wrist to relieve some of the pressure on my throat, I expected to see fury in his eyes. Instead, grudging respect flickered in their dark depths.
“Not bad for a fledgling.” His lip twisted in a derisive smile as I struggled to breathe. Just before I lost consciousness, he adjusted his hold upward to my jawbone, giving relief to my airway. Tears filled my eyes from the pressure of my weight on my jaw, but at least I could breathe.
Determination filtered into his expression. “Do as I say and I’ll make sure your death is quick.”
I tried to shake my head, but he growled, “Yes, you will!” His voice had altered with his impatience. It sounded like ground-up glass grating across asphalt. Hundreds of tiny needles pounded against my eardrums. I winced and yanked at the hand holding me with the strength of a WWF wrestler, then rammed my boot into his groin, hard.
He barely flinched, but he let out a vicious growl and shifted his hold back to my throat. As my vision began to spot and then fade, I couldn’t believe I was going to die. Not like this. Tightening my grip on his wrist, I gathered all the strength I could and used the bookcase as leverage to quickly tuck my knees toward my chin on either side of his arm.
With a grunt of anger, I jammed my feet into his chest. My attacker flew backward and I fell too, landing hard on my back. Pain exploded along my spine, making me gasp for air as I rolled to my side and into a crouched position.
I stumbled to my feet and wheezed. My head buzzed, but I didn’t stop. I grabbed the journal, then pressed it close to my chest as I took off as fast as my legs would carry me. A horrific snarl raised the tiny hairs on my arms and the floor shook as the guy’s feet pounded in fast pursuit. When the elevator pinged right before the doors began to slide open, I veered toward them, screaming. “Help me!” Please let someone be there. Someone big and intimidating.
Drystan looked shocked as I flew into him, my momentum drilling us both into the elevator’s back wall.
“Nara? What the ’ell? What’s wrong?” He wrapped his arms around me to keep us from falling to the grimy elevator floor.
I glanced over my shoulder and half-turned, pointing to my pursuer as he pivoted and headed for the exit. “He—he attacked me!”
Drystan quickly set me aside, and I barely had time to register the flash of anger in his green eyes before he took off after the guy.
“Wait!” I screamed, running after him, but Drystan was already through the exit door.
Yanking the door open, I screamed, “He’s stronger than he looks” as Drystan ran down the stairs toward the next level. I’d barely made it to the third floor landing when I saw Drystan grab hold of the metal railing just below me, then vault into the air. Curling up and over the stairwell turn, he shot like a bullet down to the second floor, skipping an entire flight of stairs with his pivoting move.
Astonished, I glanced through the stairwell to see him land in a smooth crouch, as if he’d landed exactly where and how he’d planned. With furious determination hardening his face, he took off from the second floor toward the first floor in a similar fashion. Partway into his swing around the turn in the stairwell, he spread his legs and caught himself against the opposite wall in a fast halt.
I blinked at the show of upper-body strength
As soon as I rolled over, he was already standing above me. He lifted me off the ground by my jacket’s collar, then gripped my throat and slammed me against the bookcase once more. My throat burned and terror clogged my chest as he effortlessly slid me up the wood surface until my feet dangled several inches off the ground.
When I clawed at his wrist to relieve some of the pressure on my throat, I expected to see fury in his eyes. Instead, grudging respect flickered in their dark depths.
“Not bad for a fledgling.” His lip twisted in a derisive smile as I struggled to breathe. Just before I lost consciousness, he adjusted his hold upward to my jawbone, giving relief to my airway. Tears filled my eyes from the pressure of my weight on my jaw, but at least I could breathe.
Determination filtered into his expression. “Do as I say and I’ll make sure your death is quick.”
I tried to shake my head, but he growled, “Yes, you will!” His voice had altered with his impatience. It sounded like ground-up glass grating across asphalt. Hundreds of tiny needles pounded against my eardrums. I winced and yanked at the hand holding me with the strength of a WWF wrestler, then rammed my boot into his groin, hard.
He barely flinched, but he let out a vicious growl and shifted his hold back to my throat. As my vision began to spot and then fade, I couldn’t believe I was going to die. Not like this. Tightening my grip on his wrist, I gathered all the strength I could and used the bookcase as leverage to quickly tuck my knees toward my chin on either side of his arm.
With a grunt of anger, I jammed my feet into his chest. My attacker flew backward and I fell too, landing hard on my back. Pain exploded along my spine, making me gasp for air as I rolled to my side and into a crouched position.
I stumbled to my feet and wheezed. My head buzzed, but I didn’t stop. I grabbed the journal, then pressed it close to my chest as I took off as fast as my legs would carry me. A horrific snarl raised the tiny hairs on my arms and the floor shook as the guy’s feet pounded in fast pursuit. When the elevator pinged right before the doors began to slide open, I veered toward them, screaming. “Help me!” Please let someone be there. Someone big and intimidating.
Drystan looked shocked as I flew into him, my momentum drilling us both into the elevator’s back wall.
“Nara? What the ’ell? What’s wrong?” He wrapped his arms around me to keep us from falling to the grimy elevator floor.
I glanced over my shoulder and half-turned, pointing to my pursuer as he pivoted and headed for the exit. “He—he attacked me!”
Drystan quickly set me aside, and I barely had time to register the flash of anger in his green eyes before he took off after the guy.
“Wait!” I screamed, running after him, but Drystan was already through the exit door.
Yanking the door open, I screamed, “He’s stronger than he looks” as Drystan ran down the stairs toward the next level. I’d barely made it to the third floor landing when I saw Drystan grab hold of the metal railing just below me, then vault into the air. Curling up and over the stairwell turn, he shot like a bullet down to the second floor, skipping an entire flight of stairs with his pivoting move.
Astonished, I glanced through the stairwell to see him land in a smooth crouch, as if he’d landed exactly where and how he’d planned. With furious determination hardening his face, he took off from the second floor toward the first floor in a similar fashion. Partway into his swing around the turn in the stairwell, he spread his legs and caught himself against the opposite wall in a fast halt.
I blinked at the show of upper-body strength
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