Chapter 116: Panic
LUCIAN’S P.O.V.
I led Teresa out of the clearing, each step heavier than the last. The quietness of the clearing faded behind us, replaced by the chaotic hum of the party. Music thumped like a second heartbeat, and the swell of voices made my heightened senses tangle into an incomprehensible mess.
I could feel Teresa’s anger radiating off her like a furnace. She walked ahead of me, her steps clipped and deliberate, her silence sharp enough to cut through the thick air. I couldn’t even bring myself to speak; the words I’d said earlier had already dug a grave I wasn’t sure I could climb out of. She deserved better than the mess I’d made of everything.
Ares grumbled in my head. "You’re handling this so well, Lucian. Truly. I don’t think I’ve seen a man grovel this efficiently since medieval times."
"Shut it, Ares," I snapped back internally.
I was newly blind, still struggling to navigate spaces like these. Without Adrian’s calm guidance or Juliette’s jabs to keep me grounded, the sea of bodies became an insurmountable storm. My newly heightened senses betrayed me, amplifying every sound and movement. Panic clawed at my chest as I tried to focus on Adrian’s earlier lessons: count steps, use touchpoints, keep calm. But none of it stuck.
I stumbled slightly, brushing against someone, and froze. The noise swirled around me, disorienting and unforgiving. The crowd closed in. My breathing hitched as a wave of disorientation slammed into me. My hands clenched at my sides, searching for an anchor in the chaos.
And then, I felt it—a warm hand slipping into mine. Teresa.
Her fingers wrapped firmly around mine, steadying me. I turned my head in her direction, my lips parting to thank her, but she spoke first. "Come on, Lucian," she said, her voice softer than I expected. "It’s just a crowd. You can handle this."