Page 126 of The Protective Gryphen

The panic attack came.

The room started getting smaller and Gryphen began pulling at the fancy shirt to get out of it.

“Are you okay? You look pale,” the young man said, not realizing he was the cause.

“I have to go,” he whispered, getting back into his things as quickly as he could.

Before he could say anything, the curtain was pulled back, and Ian appeared. It was clear he’d been listening too.

“Hey!”

Aiden actually jumped.

Ian put his body between the two men, taking a protective stance to keep Gryphen safe.

He was pale, and Ian knew why.

“He lost his leg trying to save Afghan children who were fodder to the Taliban! He didn’t go to war to kill children,” he stated.

Ian moved closer to the man.

“Gryph, look at me,” he said.

He couldn’t.

The walls were closing in and he couldn’t get a deep breath. From here on out, it would only get worse.

“I have to go,” he whispered, grabbing his jacket, and pushing his way out of the small space that was choking him. As soon as he was gone, Ian lost his shit.

“Are you insane?” he asked.

Aiden stepped back.

“I just said…”

Oh, Ian heard what he’d said.

“He’s a hero. If we didn’t have heroes like him, imagine what this world would be like. You should be kinder by not saying cruel, unkind, shit like that! He went to war to save those little girls, and he nearly died doing it. Maybe you’ve heard we love war as Americans, but what we love is people!”

Ian wasn’t close to being done. He wasn’t aggressive unless necessary, and he could feel Secret Service Ian coming out, and that was never pretty.

When he guarded the president, he could hold his own with the dickery.

“Clearly, that’s not the same here, and what sets us apart, because we wouldn’t have you in our country and say shit like that to you. Oh, and you wonder why Americans act badly like I am now. We’re provoked!”

The older man began apologizing profusely.

“Aiden, go,” he said. “Please.”

The younger man walked away, and his father began apologizing.

“I’m sorry. The younger generation doesn’t understand what the world is like sometimes. I apologize for what he said to your fiancé.”

Oh, Ian wasn’t done.

“No one likes killing,” Ian said. “He lost so many people in wars. He saw young men from every country die for a flag and battle they didn’t want to be in.”

The older man kept apologizing.

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