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Panic rose in my chest, and I wanted to unsee it. I wanted it to end. I needed it to.
Before I could burst with fear and alarm, it vanished.
The horror it left behind lingered in the stagnant air, stopping the breath from properly reaching my lungs. It squeezed and suffocated me, forcing my pulse to quicken.
Its aura was so dark that it hung like smoke in front of me, and I had no doubt it was something sinister.
Something bigger and darker was coming.
Gasping, I blinked and found myself looking through those colored lights as they flashed. I took in several deep breaths to calm my racing heart, and to remind myself that I was back in the present.
I was back in my body and looking up at Rowan’s handsome face.
Instinctually, I wanted to pull away and free myself from him, but the exhaustion that cloaked my body wouldn’t let me move.
While it felt like nothing but an excuse to look into his eyes a bit longer, I truly couldn’t muster up the energy to leave my place.
The premonition had completely drained me, and my mind still felt foggy from switching headspaces.
The premonition. That dark and harrowing vision that felt like the biggest warning I had ever received.
“Willow?” Rowan inquired, brows tightly knit with worry. He inspected me, seemingly not fully convinced that I was fine.
I had never been so wiped from a vision before, and I had no idea why it was so intense or I was reacting so strongly.
“Are you all right?” He asked, pushing some of my hair out of my face.
Nodding slowly, I couldn’t manage much else. A skip of my heart reminded me that I was fully intact, even if that vision left me feeling utterly lost and petrified.
While I had been choking toward the end of the premonition, the stuffed club didn’t feel that far from it. My throat was dry to make it even worse.
“I need some air,” I murmured, still somewhat woozy.
Rowan nodded and slowly helped me up, putting an arm around me to guide me forward.
The proximity made my chest lurch, and the contact forced a shockwave of comfort through my body. I sank into him, relieved by his help, even if it was my desperate bond reacting.
“This way,” he mumbled, escorting me over to the emergency exit. He pushed through it and helped me.
The cool night air caressed my skin and filled my lungs enough to make me feel steadier. My flats padded against the asphalt as I leaned against the frigid brick wall, taking a moment to collect myself.
Even as we stood outside with the door closed, Rowan kept his arm loosely around my waist, seemingly afraid I might topple over again. He watched me closely for any signs of distress, and the feeling of his strength against me felt like an anchor to reality.
My tether pulled, wishing for more. But I pulled it back, only willing to allow so much.
Rowan’s eyes searched mine, eyes dark from the shadows around us. Only a streetlamp some distance away lit up the space for us, leaving part of his face shaded.
“What happened back there?”
He stood so close that I could smell the faint alcohol on his breath, yet he seemed as clear and sober as he would waking up in the morning.
Even if it was just the shock getting in the way, I didn’t move. I even liked the comfort his proximity blanketed over me.
I paused a moment and easily recalled how awful that vision had been.
“I was hit with a premonition. It started out fine, but it turned darker than anything I had seen before. There was a feminine figure—I didn’t recognize who it was, but it didn’t feel good. Its aura was so bleak and horrifying that I never want to feel it again,” I explained, troubled by the memories all over again. “It looked at me and seemed to recognize that I could see it. It seemed excited by the fact, but I don’t know why. I think it’s a warning of some kind—that something strong and dark is coming.”
Rowan’s gaze took me in completely, like he was trying to piece together what I was saying. “Did it speak to you?”
