Daybreak

IV

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" There were hands on me before I could even process what was happening, fingers grazing over my shoulders before going down to gently pry my clenched hand open, the figure gasping at the sight of blood coating my palm. "You're hurt, here, you're not safe here tonight, come with me, we can stay at my place for the night, at least-"

"You stalked me to my apartment?!" I could only shout, attempting to bat his hands away from me.

His eyes- still green, that was the only part of him that seemed to stay the same- widened, and I watched through the blood pounding in my ears as his mouth flopped open and closed before actually getting a word out. "Yes? -I mean no! No, I just wanted to make sure you got home safe, walking alone in this part isn't exactly the safest to-"

"Screw that!" I shouted, suddenly coming to realize he was still touching me, throwing his hands off and pushing him away by the shoulders as if his touch had burned. I vaulted to my feet, my head flashing fuzzy from the rush in altitude and I was quick to take a step back before I allowed myself to even think about what was happening.

"Bree, you've got to listen to me-" He- it got back up to follow me forward and I think he had claws and he wasn't a figment of my imagination and what was happening?

"What the hell are you?" I barked, or at least tried to, the question coming out more like a whimper as my palm throbbed in time to my own heart. I tried balling my fingers into fists in the case he didn't stop coming towards me, feet braced for the chance I'd have to fight.

Luckily he faltered, giving me more time to take a few more steps back towards the mouth of the alleyway, the clawed hand that had been reaching stopped short and his green eyes widened in shock, or was it hurt?

Damn it I was too wired up to think this through rationally anymore.

"It doesn't matter what I am-"

"Well, you're wrong if you think I'm going to let you take me anywhere without you explaining what the hell is going on."

I watched as his jaw went stiff for a moment, eyes going off in thought, and for a millisecond my mind took that as the perfect opportunity to run-

It was too late, he- it was already getting to its feet from where he had been kneeling next to me, pale hands going up in mock surrender, eyes trained on mine as he took an experimental step forward.

I clenched my fists tighter, wincing as another trail of blood fell through my fingers.

He stopped short with a tilt of his head- "I'm not here to hurt you-"

"Fat chance that's true," I spat, still trembling.

My words must have hit a nerve in him because his eyes grew hard and threatening in the second it took for him to speak his next sentence, "If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already. Do you really want to risk being here if he comes back?"

I swallowed hard, wobbling on my feet, the rushing pound in my ears dulling down and I was beginning to realize just how tired I was getting-

He did have a point though.

The other guy had been armed and coming at me with a knife, Noah- or if that was even his actual name- had nothing on him but the clothes he'd worn to the gallery-

And the new addition of claws, I hastily added, looking down at his new pointy digits, my gut still twisting in knots at the sight.

"Look, I promise I will explain everything once we get somewhere safe," his tone dipped low and tentative, looking me dead in the eyes, still hunched as if he were trying to make himself smaller for my comfort. It was almost like he could see all the thoughts rushing through my head, barreling through and through like a freight train-