Page 27 of The Broken Aztec Princesses

Chris sat me down on the bed, lifting my chin so I was looking into his face, then held me steadily by the shoulders.

“You’re having a panic attack. Take a slow deep breath. Focus on me. Look at my face. Don’t think about anything. I’m here. You’re here. You’re safe. No one is going to hurt you. I’ll make sure of it.”

I hung onto his words, focused on his warm brown eyes and repeated his words in my head along with him as he repeated them over and over. He took a breath and I took a breath.Mimicking the way he was breathing slowly and deeply was helping my heart to slow down.

I’m safe. I’m here. No one is going to hurt me,I chanted in my head.

Chris maintained eye contact with me the entire time, speaking in a low but confident tone. After a while, I could breathe more easily, and when I felt the stinging of tears in my eyes, I was the one that turned away.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked softly, making me look at him again.

“I’m sorry,” I managed to say before I started sobbing.

I thought I was getting better, and now it felt like I was right back at square one. I tried to move away, to curl back under the covers before I called Cory and told him I couldn’t do this, but Chris kept his hold on my shoulders. It was firm, but wasn’t demanding or intimidating. It was reassuring and I was able to stop sobbing long enough to look at him again. When he saw he had my attention, he spoke again.

“There’s no reason to be sorry. How about we talk about what you were thinking, or what you saw that triggered the panic attack, and we make sure it doesn’t happen again?”

“A lot of things bring me panic attacks,” I whined, my lip trembling as I fought back another round of sobs.

“What was it today, though?” he persisted.

“I was getting ready for breakfast,” I started, hiccups preventing me from continuing. I saw Chris’ lips twitch as he fought a smile, but when I hiccupped again, I definitely saw it there briefly.

“You’ve been down to breakfast all week. What about today made breakfast terrifying?” he asked, not an ounce of judgement in his voice.

“Cade’s pack is coming today. Breakfast won’t be safe again,” I answered, feeling a tear leave my eye despite my best efforts to stay strong.

“There are strangers coming. People you’ve never met and don’t trust,” he mumbled, mostly to himself, I thought, but I nodded regardless.

“Do you want to stay here for breakfast today? The other pack won’t be here until the afternoon.”

I shook my head. I was enjoying not eating by myself again and after everyone arrived, I would be stuck in this room until I left.

“This is my last chance,” I told him quietly.

“Only until you feel safe again, and I’ll make sure that you do,” he said with so much conviction, that I almost believed him. Instead of trying to convince me, Chris stood up and held out his hand. “Let’s go have breakfast. You promised Adam a movie day, so Luna Bellarose said she’d have a picnic basket full of treats for you both this morning.”

I took his hand, standing, but when he moved to pull it back, for some reason I was unable to let it go. My nerves were shot, and as I looked over at the door, I was unsure if I could actually walk out of it. Instead of making things awkward for me, Chris let me hold onto his hand and lead me to the door, where he used his free hand to remove the internal lock and open the door. He walked through it first and looked outside, then turned to me and grunted, confirming it was safe.

I should feel childish, having someone show me there were no monsters in the hallway, but Chris waited patiently for me on the other side of the door, while I was still holding his hand, for me to gather my courage and walk out of my room. So I did, because instead of feeling childish, I felt reassured and protected. Safe.

After breakfast, Bells dropped Adam off in my room and took Chris while I started building a stand with pillows in the middle of the bed for my laptop. To my surprise, she showed up afew minutes later with Chris carrying a large flat screen. Bells cleared off my things from the top of the dresser, and Chris settled it on top.

“Tell me you didn’t spend your money on a giant TV, Bells,” I begged.

“Okay, I won’t tell you,” she answered with a twinkle in her eye. When I narrowed my eyes at her, she sighed in mock surrender and continued, “I bought it like two years ago. It was in a small living room on the other side of the floor. I didn’t buy itright now.”

Once the TV was set up, Bells left to ensure all the suites were ready. I hooked up my laptop to the computer and started a movie, then dove into the bed with Adam. Chris usually left me alone while I worked, and I thought he would leave now, but instead, he carried a chair to the door, opened it, and sat beside it. I looked at the door nervously, then back at the man sitting next to the door with his arms crossed and a fierce look of determination on his face.

I said nothing and chose to trust the man who kept insisting he could protect me. It took a while, but eventually I was able to relax enough to stop looking at the door to see if someone was going to come running through it to enjoy the movie with Adam. I answered all his questions and laughed at the way his five-year-old mind interpreted the movie. It was well into the afternoon when a low growl left Chris' chest and he sat up straighter.

A series of light knocks and heavy boots came down the hall before the head of a tall, sandy-blonde man with friendly bright blue eyes, a warm smile and a stubbly beard appeared in the doorway. The head was followed by the attached body cladded in a western shirt, faded jeans and cowboy boots.

Chris stood up and blocked the door, letting out a low warning growl. The man took a step back, raising his hands in a show of surrender. Something about him was familiar, and as I waswracking my brain, searching for a corresponding memory, the man spoke.

“Easy, warrior. I come in peace. I just wanted to say hello to Violet.” It was his voice that triggered the memories, and my jaw dropped.

“Cade?” I called out. A bright smile appeared on his face again and he gave me a little wave from where he was still standing.

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