Page 4 of Before the Bond
I forced my breathing to slow. Post-resuscitation confusion. Adrenaline spike. He didn’t know what he was doing.
I finally met his gaze again.
Whatever words I had somehow left me.
The man’s brow creased. His molten red eyes stared at me intensely but I sensed no trace of aggression or hostility. His lips parted. A strained voice came out.
“It’s been seven years…” the man murmured. “And I finally found you.”
The words didn’t make sense. I couldn’t recall ever seeing his face, let alone when I arrived in Greyhollow less than twenty-four hours ago.
He’s just confused.
But it didn’t seem like it. Everything about what he was doing didn’t register as the actions of someone confused. It felt focused. Intentional.
I swallowed.
“I think you have me confused with someone else.”
The man didn’t reply. He merely looked at me. His grip didn’t ease up. Only a few seconds passed, but it felt like an eternity.
The man looked like he was about to speak again.
Wind swept in from the east. The trees rustled loudly. The man’s head snapped in the sound’s direction. His eyes narrowed at the distance.
I finally felt the man’s hands release my wrists. As swiftly as he pinned me down, he got off of me and straightened up. The torn-up blanket clung against him like a shadow.
I clambered up from the ground. I attempted to stand, but my legs shook underneath me.
The man looked at me once more.
The heat I felt only intensified. I could feel my own skin burning now.
Within a split second, the man’s frame blurred into the darkness. I heard the thud of heavy footsteps before the sound vanished alongside the rest of him. The gap his movement left in the fog quickly closed.
And just like that, he was gone.
I sat in the wet grass for longer than I cared to admit.
Even as more minutes passed, every part of me was still on the edge.
I tried to replay the moment in my head. I tried to find a way I could explain it. Not the event. Not his expression. Not even the strange voice that egged me on earlier to make sure I did what needed to be done.
For the first time in a long time, I didn’t have an explanation.
There was only the memory of what happened, and the man’s burning, red eyes.
Chapter 2
Olivia
The grass was still damp when I checked.
I told myself I was being thorough. Clinical, even. I had every reason to verify the physical evidence. That was being professional.
What I wasn’t doing was standing in my backyard at seven in the morning, staring at flattened grass like I’d lost my grip on reality.
I crouched at the edge of the patch. Up close, everything came back sharper. The man’s sudden heartbeat. The force of him pinning me down. His gaze…
