Page 85 of Magic's Dawn

Eyes closing, I press a hand against my racing heart, willing it to slow. God, I’m going to give myself a heart attack.

With a steadying breath, I open my eyes and freeze in shock. Bryant, my personal nightmare, stands at the foot of the bed, his dark eyes locked with mine.

A scream bubbles up my throat and rips past my lips.

Owen bolts upright, shadows roiling from his skin. “Rowe! What’s wrong?”

Panic laces his voice as he bolts from the bed, his blue eyes wide and searching as they move right past Bryant’s form.

The evil man smiles and lifts a finger to his lips.

My breath comes in erratic bursts as I point a trembling finger at the intruder. “It’s Bryant! He’s here!”

Owen’s confused gaze looks right through my tormentor before he turns toward me.

As he steps closer, the bedroom door bursts open, spilling a snarling Haut into the room. His moss-green eyes scan the room, his wolf slipping to the surface as he searches for the threat.

When he can’t identify the danger, his focus settles on me. “What’s wrong? Why did you scream?”

I can’t tear my eyes away from Bryant’s amused stare, and my hands claw at the shredded sheets as I struggle to form words.

Light floods the room, and more figures spill inside—Ros and Tris, armed and ready for battle.

“What’s going on?” Ros barks, his gun raised, and his eyes scanning for danger.

Tris hefts the lamp in his hands, ready to wield it if needed. “Where’s the danger, sparky?”

Haut’s gaze falls on the bed, and his eyes widen at the sight of the torn sheets before he takes in the bruises and bite marks that pepper my body. His jaw clenches, and anger flashes in his eyes.

In a heartbeat, he grabs Owen, shoving him against the wall. “What the hell did you do?”

Owen’s expression hardens as he stares at Haut. “Calm down.”

The command shivers over me, and Haut releases him with a growl.

“I’m not why Rowe screamed.” Owen pushes him back another step to focus on me. “Rowe, what did you mean that Bryant’s here? Where? Did you see him outside the window?”

My eyes burn as I refuse to blink. “You can’t see him?”

“Where, baby?” Ros moves closer to the bed, following my line of sight. “Are you seeing him in the room with us right now?”

I lift a shaking hand to point at the end of the bed. “He’s right there.”

An uneasy silence settles over the room, all eyes now on me.

My chest rises and falls rapidly, a knot of fear tightening in my stomach. They can’t see him. I really am going crazy.

Owen sits back on the bed, taking my hand in his. “He’s not here, Rowe.”

Tears leak from the corners of my burning eyes. “But I see him.”

His fingers on my chin turn my head, breaking my eye contact with the monster. “He’s not here.”

Certainty rings in his tone, and when my eyes jump back toward the end of the bed, Bryant no longer stands there.

I blink quickly, the tears coming faster. “I don’t understand. Why is this happening?”

The men exchange worried glances, and Ros lowers his gun while Tris sets his lamp down. Haut paces at the end of the bed, walking through the space where Bryant had stood.

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