There wasn’t a person who crossed Rhodes’ path thatdidn’tseem transfixed by her. It only annoyed me more that I’d become one of the horde.
My back teeth ground together, but I didn’t look away.
Rhodes slowed as she reached her front door, not pulling out keys or anything else. She just stared down.
I lifted my hand, scrubbing at the glass with my palm. The soot barely shifted.
Rhodes bent down and picked something up. A prickle of unease, that sixth sense I had, skated over me. I was moving toward the side door of the house before I even had reason to.
The moment I stepped outside, I ripped off the N95 mask I’d been wearing to protect my lungs from any toxins the fire had left behind, keeping my eyes locked on Rhodes. Her shoulders rose and fell in rapid succession, but the movements were shallow.
Shoulder breathing instead of from her diaphragm. Her skin was pale, and she wobbled just a bit.
Fuck.
I picked up speed. Whatever was going on, it wasn’t good.
I reached the front porch just as Rhodes’ knees buckled. I dove forward, catching her before she hit the wooden planks.
But it was as if Rhodes didn’t even register the action. Her breaths rushed in and out so fast I knew she wasn’t getting the oxygen she needed. If she didn’t slow her breathing, she would end up passing out.
Slowly, I lowered us both to the porch, leaning against the railing as I held Rhodes against me. The dog’s gaze went back and forth between us. I expected him to snarl or even lunge; instead, he let out a keening sound. He knew something was wrong.
“Rhodes,” I said, my voice gruff. It held a command that I hoped would break through her panic.
Her head turned so she looked in my direction, but her eyes were glassy and unfocused. I knew she wasn’t really seeing me.
I cupped the side of her face. Her skin felt incredibly soft, so in opposition to my torn and callused palms. “Look at me,” I ordered.
Rhodes blinked, her eyes still unfocused, but I could tell she was trying to come out of it. Attempting to fight.
“You need to slow your breathing,” I told her.
Nothing about Rhodes’ breathing changed. If anything, it worsened.
I let out a stream of curses. If she didn’t slow down, she’d end up unconscious for sure. I threaded my fingers through her hair, pulling it tight. Another sensation for her to focus on, something other than panic.
Rhodes blinked again, her eyes flicking back and forth as she registered the tug on her hair.
“That’s it,” I encouraged. “You feel that? That means you’re here. Feel the wood beneath you. Feel me.”
Rhodes shifted as if feeling the things around her for the first time.
I kept up the tiny pulls and releases on her hair. “You’ve got this. I want you to follow me. Breathe in for four.”
I squeezed her arm in a one, two, three, four beat.
“Now, hold it in for a count of seven.”
I counted off seven in the same way.
“Now, out for eight. Nice and slow. Don’t let the air out all at once.”
My hand counted off for her again.
Rhodes couldn’t last the full eight, but her breathing became slower overall. I started us back at the beginning and walked her through it four more times before her eyes truly focused on me.
She blinked a few times, finally taking me in. “Anson?”
