It must have registered with him because he shook his head, and snapped out of it.
Whatever ‘it’ was.
Suddenly realizing what was going on, Finn set her free, and she dropped back to her feet.
That’s when he looked around in confusion.
“What happened?” he asked.
She was standing against the wall, and her mouth was swollen.
When he saw the fear in her eyes, he knew something bad had happened, and he’d blacked out. He remembered holding her, and wanting to kiss her, but that was it.
From the way she was staring at him, he was pretty sure he’d done something.
But what?
“What did I do?” he asked, his eyes huge, and in that moment, he was pretty sure he’d lost her.
“You forced yourself on me.”
Oh, God.
Those words traumatized him so much that he took five steps back. He moved until his back was to the door and he was far enough from her that she wouldn’t be fearing him.
Only, now, he feared himself.
“Gabby, I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened,” he said, profusely apologizing.
He prayed for a miracle.
So he didn’t lose her.
All around them, they both heard it. There was that same masculine laughter that they’d heard underwater, and by Ceit’s grave.
“Oh, God,” Gabby whispered.
Finn went into protection mode. He didn’t like the way he felt, and he certainly didn’t like the way the room was cold.
When he scanned the area, there was a bookshelf not far from Gabby, and he saw it move.
It took him a second.
It rocked forward, and he knew what was going to happen.
It was going to topple onto her.
Moving quickly, Finn grabbed her, and Gabby gasped in fear. It was when he put his body over hers, and covered her head that he felt the impact to his body.
But he held up.
Protecting her.
She gasped again, as a ton of books fell along with other things onto the man who was keeping her safe.
“Finn!” she said, as that noise was so loud it sounded like the room shook.
The pain he felt in his back was ridiculous. It was like a hot poker had jabbed him.
