asked. It would be difficult, if not impossible, for Liam to find me. I was going to have to get away from Troy myself.
"We're going on our vacation, remember?" Troy's face lit up with a smile.
"Vacation? Troy you kidnapped me!"
"What? No! We've been planning this for weeks." He looked over at me, confused. Trying to get a read from him was fruitless still, each attempt came back as chaos.
"I've only known you for a few weeks," I said cautiously, watching him. "Were you planning this with Kristen?"
Mentioning her was clearly a mistake.
Troy slammed on the breaks and I slid forward, slamming into the dashboard. Apparently Troy hadn't buckled me in. And, also apparently, Kristen's name was taboo.
Pulling myself up, wincing at the pain blossoming in my arm, I came face to face with a madman. Twisted in rage, Troy's face was close enough to my own that I could feel the unnatural heat radiating from his body. His hand shot out, gripping my already sore are and I let out a gasp of pain.
"Who is Kristen?" The neutral tone of his voice was completely at odds with the angry visage before my eyes.
I didn't know which was more terrifying, the words he had said or the way he had spoken them. Looking into his eyes I could see the monster that was his anger, I sensed I could even feel it through his grip on my arm.
A memory came back to me of a time I had eased Liam's concern. With that in my thoughts I reached out with my mind and, somehow, released Troy's anger.
Just as quickly as it had arrived, the moment passed. Troy relaxed and looked around, confused, before staring at his own hand clutching my arm.
"Here, let me help you up." He spoke normally and helped me up slowly. Smiling at me as I sat back into the seat and buckled myself in.
I had no idea how I had done whatever it was, but it was something that might be able to keep me alive. Even more odd though was that, for a moment at least, his insanity had cleared.
I'd been able to get a read on him.
There had been nothing truly clear, just an overwhelming sense of a lifetime's worth of pain and betrayal. Both taken and given.
It seems Kristen's refusal to bond him had been the final blow that had shattered his mind.
Troy looked out at the road and began driving again as if nothing had happened. I licked my lips nervously and watched him in case he tried anything, not that I could defend myself very well.
As the drive wore on, Troy seemed to slip further and further back into his madness. Eventually he even began muttering to himself under his breath.
After a time he pulled over to the side of the road and my fear spiked as I came fully alert. He left the engine running and reached into his pocket, not looking at me once. When he took out his phone I felt myself deflate with relief. I had no idea how much more of this I would be able to take.
Watching him warily I saw him bring up a map app and punch in an address he read from a small slip of paper. More disconcerting was that he continued to talk to himself the entire time, as if his mouth was being run by another person.
I whet my lips again as he set the phone in a holster on the dashboard and put the truck back into drive. I needed more information and the only way I could get that would be to talk to him.
Carefully.
"So, uh... where are we going for our vacation again?" I asked cautiously, timidly, watching for any signs of aggression. Whatever he answered I needed to keep to the truth as much as possible, he'd be able to smell the lies by my emotions, if he ever bothered to check. Best to play it safe all the same.
His muttering stopped mid-word and he answered in a more normal voice. "Where we go every year." He turned to look at me, "You know that."
"The past few weeks have been... difficult." I barely kept the confusion from my voice, he and Kris had barely been dating for a year, not years.
He watched me a moment more before his usual creepy smile was back. More unsettling was that it was the first
"We're going on our vacation, remember?" Troy's face lit up with a smile.
"Vacation? Troy you kidnapped me!"
"What? No! We've been planning this for weeks." He looked over at me, confused. Trying to get a read from him was fruitless still, each attempt came back as chaos.
"I've only known you for a few weeks," I said cautiously, watching him. "Were you planning this with Kristen?"
Mentioning her was clearly a mistake.
Troy slammed on the breaks and I slid forward, slamming into the dashboard. Apparently Troy hadn't buckled me in. And, also apparently, Kristen's name was taboo.
Pulling myself up, wincing at the pain blossoming in my arm, I came face to face with a madman. Twisted in rage, Troy's face was close enough to my own that I could feel the unnatural heat radiating from his body. His hand shot out, gripping my already sore are and I let out a gasp of pain.
"Who is Kristen?" The neutral tone of his voice was completely at odds with the angry visage before my eyes.
I didn't know which was more terrifying, the words he had said or the way he had spoken them. Looking into his eyes I could see the monster that was his anger, I sensed I could even feel it through his grip on my arm.
A memory came back to me of a time I had eased Liam's concern. With that in my thoughts I reached out with my mind and, somehow, released Troy's anger.
Just as quickly as it had arrived, the moment passed. Troy relaxed and looked around, confused, before staring at his own hand clutching my arm.
"Here, let me help you up." He spoke normally and helped me up slowly. Smiling at me as I sat back into the seat and buckled myself in.
I had no idea how I had done whatever it was, but it was something that might be able to keep me alive. Even more odd though was that, for a moment at least, his insanity had cleared.
I'd been able to get a read on him.
There had been nothing truly clear, just an overwhelming sense of a lifetime's worth of pain and betrayal. Both taken and given.
It seems Kristen's refusal to bond him had been the final blow that had shattered his mind.
Troy looked out at the road and began driving again as if nothing had happened. I licked my lips nervously and watched him in case he tried anything, not that I could defend myself very well.
As the drive wore on, Troy seemed to slip further and further back into his madness. Eventually he even began muttering to himself under his breath.
After a time he pulled over to the side of the road and my fear spiked as I came fully alert. He left the engine running and reached into his pocket, not looking at me once. When he took out his phone I felt myself deflate with relief. I had no idea how much more of this I would be able to take.
Watching him warily I saw him bring up a map app and punch in an address he read from a small slip of paper. More disconcerting was that he continued to talk to himself the entire time, as if his mouth was being run by another person.
I whet my lips again as he set the phone in a holster on the dashboard and put the truck back into drive. I needed more information and the only way I could get that would be to talk to him.
Carefully.
"So, uh... where are we going for our vacation again?" I asked cautiously, timidly, watching for any signs of aggression. Whatever he answered I needed to keep to the truth as much as possible, he'd be able to smell the lies by my emotions, if he ever bothered to check. Best to play it safe all the same.
His muttering stopped mid-word and he answered in a more normal voice. "Where we go every year." He turned to look at me, "You know that."
"The past few weeks have been... difficult." I barely kept the confusion from my voice, he and Kris had barely been dating for a year, not years.
He watched me a moment more before his usual creepy smile was back. More unsettling was that it was the first
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