Once Upon a Temptingly Ruinous Kiss - Bree Wolf Page 0,46

once again feel that terror and helplessness.

After an endless moment, Lady Leonora nodded.

Inhaling a slow breath, Drake lifted his hands and then carefully lowered them down upon her shoulders. Instantly, her head flew back and she drew in a sharp breath, a new tremor running through her body. Drake could feel the tremor as it jumped into his own. “Breathe,” he told her calmly, keeping his hands in place. “Breathe. Focus your mind. You are safe. You are safe here. No one will harm you. Breathe.”

Lady Leonora gave an almost imperceptible nod, and he could feel her shoulders rise and fall with each slow breath she forced down into her body. Her fingers were still digging into her arms, and that tremor returned every now and then, shaking her like a leaf.

“What then?” Drake demanded, guiding her memory as carefully as he could. “What did he do?”

Unable to see her face, Drake only had her breathing and her tremors to go by. Every step she took in her thoughts caused a similar reaction, one triggered by fear and revulsion. Yet, she continued moving forward. “He spun me around,” she whispered, her voice barely audible, “and pushed me against the wall.”

Drake felt her tense, no doubt expecting him to do just that. Of course, he would not. Not like that. It would no doubt push her over the edge. He needed her to remain in control, to remain calm and able to act. “Keep your eyes closed,” he told her, slowly removing his hands from her shoulders. “Then turn around.”

Looking down at her, Drake watched as she slowly moved her feet. Her eyes were still closed, and her chest rose and fell with each rapid breath. She kept her head angled downward, a look of intimidation upon her face.

Without warning her, Drake once more placed his hands upon her shoulders. Again, she flinched, every muscle in her body tensing. Her eyes pinched shut, and her teeth dug into her lower lip. “Breathe,” he reminded her. “In and out.”

When she had sufficiently calmed, Drake slowly increased the pressure upon her shoulders, urging her backwards. She complied, her hands falling from her arms and working to maintain her balance. Step-by-step, she allowed him to force her back until the wall stopped her retreat.

Her breathing had increased with each step while her eyes remained closed.

His hands pushed her against the wall, preventing her from escaping. He leaned closer until he knew she could feel his breath upon her skin. He could not see the look in her eyes, but he did not need to. Panic was etched into her face, and every breath attested to the memory she was reliving this very moment.

Drake knew that she was close to breaking, could feel it in the slight rumbles underneath his hands. Nevertheless, he leaned closer still, trailed his breath over her cheek and along her jaw until he paused right next to her ear and whispered, “Now...fight me!”

Instantly, Drake felt her eyes fly open in stunned shock. Her whole body tensed, but in a different way than before. It was as though she suddenly came to life, shaking off the paralysis she had felt before.

Drake had no time to retreat for she moved fast. A sharp breath escaped her lips, and he felt it against his skin only a second before her hands shoved hard against his chest.

He stumbled a step backwards, pleased by her reaction, then barely caught sight of her fist as it came soaring toward him. It landed exactly where it should, and Drake felt the air knocked from his throat.

The force of her punch sent him spinning, and his hand flew up to clutch at his throat as he began to cough. For a moment, his lungs strained to draw in air, but there was none. He sank down, one knee braced against the floor, as a dull pain spread through his throat and chest. The coughing continued, and Drake closed his eyes to remain calm and wait out the moment.

It would pass. He knew it would pass.

And then suddenly he was no longer alone. Soft hands brushed over his face and trailed past his neck to settle upon his shoulders a moment before a blurred face appeared in his line of view. Blue eyes looked into his, wide and alarmed. “Are you all right? I’m so sorry. I did not mean to hurt you.”

Focusing his gaze, Drake looked at her as she knelt before him on the floor. The coughing