genuine smile I could remember seeing on him, one that finally touched his eyes.
"We're going to the lodge! I was able to book your favorite one again!" He was giddy with excitement as he spoke to me. The normal self control of a shifter had over their emotions had obviously fled Troy when his sanity had. An exuberant shifter was a truly uncomfortable sight.
"Oh, ok." I continued slowly, "I think I remember some beautiful scenery. Where... where was it again? Exactly?"
"West Virginia." His voice was flat again as he turned back to the road.
"Ah, right." I repeated the name in my mind like a mantra, burning it into my memory. If I was able to get to a phone I didn't want to waste any time fighting to remember names or places.
Plus, it was far better than dealing with Troy directly.
"You aren't her." His whisper sliced the silence and the malice in his tone caused a body wracking shiver to pass through me.
"What..." I had barely started before he slammed on the brakes again. Fortunately I had buckled myself in after the first time, the downside became immediately obvious however.
I had nowhere to go.
His first slap was more startling than painful, but the second stung furiously.
"YOU! AREN'T! HER!" He had gone full crazy again and brought his hand back as if to hit me again. Moving faster than I would have believed possible my hand shot out and grabbed his wrist as he swung to strike.
We both stared at my hand in shock. Not only had my reflexes somehow been up to the task, my strength nearly matched his own. In that moment we both seemed to realize that I was far from defenseless.
Buckled into the front seat of a pickup wasn't the place for me to try overpowering him however.
Seeing a way to take advantage of the moment I again tried soothing him. This time instead of targeting his anger specifically I just tried to reduce all of his negative emotions with a sense of calm.
Blinking as if coming out of a trance Troy shook his head slowly and took in the scene as if seeing it for the first time. After a moment he focused on my hand gripping his wrist, then he looked to my face. One side still burned with the fire of his slap and I could only imagine what it looked like.
"Jen?" His voice was confused as he shook his head again, trying to clear it. "What happened? Where are we?"
"I'll tell you, but first I need to make a call, ok?" I asked softly, releasing his hand and nodding towards the phone.
"Something isn't right." He turned, squinting at his phone.
"Can I make the call? Please?" I didn't know how long this would last, I needed to try calling Kristen's phone. I hoped she had signal finally, and that Liam was near her.
"Why?" He turned back to me with his head cocked to the side and I could see the insanity creeping back into his eyes.
I needed to calm him again.
Cursing myself for letting his hand go I reached out slowly and went to touch his hand as I looked into his eyes, trying to keep his attention. "Troy, please. Your phone, it's important."
Something must have given me away because he shrank back from me and looked down at my hand warily. It seemed that tense situations undid my calming quickly, I could see that I had lost him again.
"Don't touch me." He said simply, looking confused at his own words but continuing all the same. "Stay on your side of the truck. If you reach over again I'll tie you up, understand?"
I nodded reluctantly and he turned back to face the road, looking lost. Finally his eyes caught sight of his phone and he smiled.
"We're going on vacation, remember?" His smile faded slightly and he cocked his head to the side again. "Deja Vu, odd."
Putting the truck back into drive he continued on down the road. Before long the muttering began again, punctuated only by the occasional directions barked out by his phone.
"We're still quite a few hours away. You should get some sleep." He spoke absently, face unreadable as he continued to watch the road.
I didn't respond. Whatever the
"We're going to the lodge! I was able to book your favorite one again!" He was giddy with excitement as he spoke to me. The normal self control of a shifter had over their emotions had obviously fled Troy when his sanity had. An exuberant shifter was a truly uncomfortable sight.
"Oh, ok." I continued slowly, "I think I remember some beautiful scenery. Where... where was it again? Exactly?"
"West Virginia." His voice was flat again as he turned back to the road.
"Ah, right." I repeated the name in my mind like a mantra, burning it into my memory. If I was able to get to a phone I didn't want to waste any time fighting to remember names or places.
Plus, it was far better than dealing with Troy directly.
"You aren't her." His whisper sliced the silence and the malice in his tone caused a body wracking shiver to pass through me.
"What..." I had barely started before he slammed on the brakes again. Fortunately I had buckled myself in after the first time, the downside became immediately obvious however.
I had nowhere to go.
His first slap was more startling than painful, but the second stung furiously.
"YOU! AREN'T! HER!" He had gone full crazy again and brought his hand back as if to hit me again. Moving faster than I would have believed possible my hand shot out and grabbed his wrist as he swung to strike.
We both stared at my hand in shock. Not only had my reflexes somehow been up to the task, my strength nearly matched his own. In that moment we both seemed to realize that I was far from defenseless.
Buckled into the front seat of a pickup wasn't the place for me to try overpowering him however.
Seeing a way to take advantage of the moment I again tried soothing him. This time instead of targeting his anger specifically I just tried to reduce all of his negative emotions with a sense of calm.
Blinking as if coming out of a trance Troy shook his head slowly and took in the scene as if seeing it for the first time. After a moment he focused on my hand gripping his wrist, then he looked to my face. One side still burned with the fire of his slap and I could only imagine what it looked like.
"Jen?" His voice was confused as he shook his head again, trying to clear it. "What happened? Where are we?"
"I'll tell you, but first I need to make a call, ok?" I asked softly, releasing his hand and nodding towards the phone.
"Something isn't right." He turned, squinting at his phone.
"Can I make the call? Please?" I didn't know how long this would last, I needed to try calling Kristen's phone. I hoped she had signal finally, and that Liam was near her.
"Why?" He turned back to me with his head cocked to the side and I could see the insanity creeping back into his eyes.
I needed to calm him again.
Cursing myself for letting his hand go I reached out slowly and went to touch his hand as I looked into his eyes, trying to keep his attention. "Troy, please. Your phone, it's important."
Something must have given me away because he shrank back from me and looked down at my hand warily. It seemed that tense situations undid my calming quickly, I could see that I had lost him again.
"Don't touch me." He said simply, looking confused at his own words but continuing all the same. "Stay on your side of the truck. If you reach over again I'll tie you up, understand?"
I nodded reluctantly and he turned back to face the road, looking lost. Finally his eyes caught sight of his phone and he smiled.
"We're going on vacation, remember?" His smile faded slightly and he cocked his head to the side again. "Deja Vu, odd."
Putting the truck back into drive he continued on down the road. Before long the muttering began again, punctuated only by the occasional directions barked out by his phone.
"We're still quite a few hours away. You should get some sleep." He spoke absently, face unreadable as he continued to watch the road.
I didn't respond. Whatever the
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