close they were, knees almost touching, but he clenched his mouth shut. No reason to be jealous over Liam. Besides, his friend had enough problems without adding Aidan’s irrational behavior to it.
“So where do we start, doc?”
Doc? He didn’t like the nickname either. Aidan rolled his shoulders, and again rubbed his chest.
“I want to ask a few questions first.”
“All right.”
“Right now what do you feel?”
“Nothing out of norm for a bonded shifter.” Liam looked down at the floor as he folded his hands together and let them hang between his knees. “No spikes. She’s just there, you know?”
Jaylin nodded. “Do you feel anything right before a Bahrraj episode?”
“No. It blindsides me. I’m sitting there and everything is fine, then I’m just lost in her feelings. I can’t stop it.”
Jaylin reached over and squeezed Liam’s hands. The growl from Aidan’s beast filled the air before he had time to cover it. Both heads slowly turned toward him with eyebrows raised. Liam tugged his hands out of Jaylin’s grasp.
“Are you serious?” she asked Aidan.
He shrugged, refusing to apologize. Liam scooted back a few inches from her, and Aidan’s beast sniffed in approval.
“Mr. O’Connell, I need for you to leave the room.”
He scowled at the use of his last name, but stayed sitting.
Liam shook his head. “I’d really like for him to stay, please.”
Pursing her lips, she studied Liam. “Fine.” She pointed at Aidan. “I hear that again and you’re out. We clear?”
He held his tongue, but he wanted to tell her exactly how she could stop the behavior. She had the ability to. She was just being a pain in the ass about it.
“Okay, Liam, from what I’ve observed, when in the throes of an attack, you’re oblivious to your surroundings, which means you’ve completely lost control. What we need to do is give it back to you. The first thing we’re going to work on is recognizing the feeling you get right before an episode happens.”
“I told you, I don’t feel anything.”
She shook her head. “You do, you’re just not aware of it yet, and it doesn’t give you much warning, a few seconds maybe, but those few seconds are crucial.”
“What does it feel like?”
“Every shifter is different. Some feel a vibration. Others feel something akin to a hot flash, while others get this butterfly effect in their stomachs.”
Liam’s eyes widened. “I’ve noticed this odd taste flood my mouth right before I black out.”
“Good. We’re one step closer. What you have to do now is use it to keep grounded. What’s happening is you’re being attacked by her emotions and you have no time to fight it. It’s not like a physical attack where you get hit from behind and stagger but can regroup and fight back. This is an emotional and mental abduction. Without preparing, you’re defenseless.”
“How am I supposed to prepare with only a few seconds as a warning?”
“It won’t be easy. In fact, it’ll be one of the hardest things you’ll ever have to master.”
Aidan grimaced, understanding somewhat better what his friend was going through. What he might go through if he wasn’t careful. That acknowledgment was exactly why Liam had insisted on him staying in the room.
“Will I always go into Bahrraj?” Liam asked.
“In some form, yes. What we need to work on is keeping you conscious enough to get you out of it quickly and hopefully by yourself. The warning helps you stay aware of your surroundings.”
“Wait. Are you saying I’ll eventually be able to work myself out of them?”
“Yes.”
Aidan was stunned at the true smile that turned Liam’s lips upward. For a moment, he saw his old friend. “Does that mean I can finally live alone again?” He glanced at Aidan. “No offense.”
“None taken.”
“You’ll be able to live independently one day.” She reached for Liam’s hand again, then stopped and slowly withdrew. “It won’t be any time soon, though. We have to make sure you have complete control first.”
“Doc, this is the best news I’ve had since this all started. When I first moved in here, I thought it would be temporary, but as the months went by instead of getting myself back together, I kept sinking further and further into this uncontrollable darkness. I’ve felt like such a worthless leech, and after the Bahrraj episode, I thought I was doomed to being babysat all my life. Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”
“Would you have listened?”
“No…probably not.”
“And that is why I didn’t tell you. I learned very early in my career that Dsershon brings