Page 444 of Once Upon a Fable

My enemy got to the end of the corridor before I snatched his clothing and yanked him to a stop. In a single breath, I pinned him against the wall and jammed my arm against this throat. “Don’t.Fucking. Move.” My other hand pulled back, ready to slam into his nose.

A door opened to my right. A feminine shape appeared.

An unholy shout shattered my eardrums. “KAS! Let my brother go. RIGHT THE HELL NOW!”

The whiteness over my vision vanished.

Reality swept in.

I stumbled backward, landing against the other wall, breathing hard.

Ah, shit.

Shit!

Raking my hands through my hair, I mumbled, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean. I tried to stop. I didn’t mean...” I looked up at Gemma, who stood with messy blond hair, cute gray pajamas, and wide, worried hazel eyes. “I was having a dream and—”

“Gem, who thehellis this?” her brother bit out.

My instincts roared to life again.

A snarl spilled from my lips, completely out of my control.

Gemma pointed a finger at both of us, her hands shaking with anger. “Joshua, not another word. Go into the living room. I’ll be right there. Kas, just stop it. Calm down and breathe.”

“I’m not leaving you with this madman,” Josh spluttered. “Are you crazy?”

“LEAVE!” she yelled. “Don’t make me ask again.”

Her brother’s eyebrows vanished into his hair before he grumbled something under his breath, glowered at me, and then trudged down the corridor. He stopped at the end. “I’m two seconds away from knocking you the fuck out, you bastard. Touch my sister inappropriately, and you’re a dead man.” He gave me one last glare before disappearing into the kitchen.

The moment he was gone, Gemma dropped her arms and hugged herself. She sighed heavily, her gaze pinning me to the spot. “Night terror?”

I shook my head, prepared to grovel for her forgiveness. “I woke and didn’t know where I was. The dream I’d been having was...violent. Your brother tried to comfort me, I think. But he touched me, and it set off a chain reaction I couldn’t stop.”

She nodded slowly. “But you’re aware now? You know what you did, and why you can’t do it again?”

I dared step toward her.

I waited for her to flinch or show any sign that she was afraid of me before wrapping my arms around her and holding her tight. Her scent filled my nose, her heat calmed my racing heart, and I was able to breathe properly for the first time since waking up. “I do. Christ, I’m so sorry. I’ll do whatever’s necessary to prove to your brother that I’m not a danger—to him or to you.”

The tension faded from her body. “Thank you.”

Sickness continued to rage in my blood.

Vertigo made the ground shift beneath my feet.

Fuck, what had I done?

“Tell me how to fix this,” I murmured into her hair. True terror noosed my heart. “Tell me I haven’t just ruined this before it’s already begun.”

She shook her head, snuggling closer. “We both knew this would take time.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt him.”

“I know.”

“What can I do to fix—?”