(LIAM'S POV)
Every instinct I had—every instinct that had kept me alive through Paul, through the elven realm, through every horrible thing that had ever happened to me—screamed at me to run. His aura filled the room like a tide. It pressed down on my lungs. It made the air taste thick, like drinking honey. It was terrifying.
And at the same time—
It was calm. It was warm. It was the feeling of lying in a sunbeam after freezing for years. My heartbeat, which had been slamming, slowed. Beau's grip on my hand loosened. Even Violet stopped fretting and turned his head toward the giant like a flower turning toward the light.
Neither of those things made sense. So I stepped back.
I stepped back again, until my spine was against the golden pillar behind me, and the giant approached step by step, and every step made me want to kneel and made me want to scream.
"Don't be afraid," he said softly.
