176 Lily 12 (1/2)

”Girl, think before you speak. I could shatter your shoulder this instant if I wanted,” the man drawled, and cold sweat broke out on her Iris' forehead.

She wasn't ready for things like this. It could have been tolerable if this had been just some random creep, but he knew Lily's name. There were a thousand explanations for that, but neither of them was good.

”Who is he?” the girl chose this moment to ask, her voice really quiet. ”Is he a friend?”

”Ye—”

”NO!” Iris was scared, but the girl was probably terrified. Having been a fox not that long ago, Iris knew full well what it felt like to be faced with an opponent that was four times your size and weight.

This gave her an idea. Fighting fair wasn't an option, so she could only use deceit. Why should she treat this guy as anyone else than a random creep? It wasn't like she knew who he was.

”Help! A pervert!” she screamed out at the top of her lungs and slapped him with all the bags in her free hand.

It did little damage besides making the man angry, but a crowd was instantly attracted. Her attacker didn't seem to realize that, however. He tightened his grip on her shoulder even more. ”You think I care what you call me? Ge—”

His words were cut short by a purse hitting the back of his head. ”What do you think you're doing in broad daylight?” a middle-aged woman asked, aiming her purse at him once more. ”Release the lady at once!”

”Help!” Iris shouted out again. No one else came over right away, just standing and staring at the show, but the middle-aged woman was getting really angry. She swung her purse again.

The man got ready to catch it, growling low in his throat in disgust, and Iris used that moment to kick him where it hurts. She hadn't been in a fight even once, so her attack dealt minimal damage, but it did distract the attacker.

His grip loosened, and Iris wrenched herself free. Her shoulder ached like hell, but it wasn't important. She grabbed Lily's hand and dashed away. They weren't far from the escalator, so she went down it, pushing people aside if they didn't move fast enough.

Not once did she spare a glance back. It didn't matter if they were being chased or not, for all she wanted was to get away. This place was too dangerous. Another moment here was unbearable.

In a few moments they were outside, and Iris jumped into the first taxi she saw. While still crawling in, she shouted out Kyro's address and told the driver to hurry. The man gave them a questioning glance, but didn't say anything and started the car.

While trying to catch her breath, Iris realized that her hands were shaking. She tried to stop them, but it didn't work. 'You're terrified,' a detached voice in her head noted, but knowledge didn't give control.

She could still feel the man's hand on her shoulder, his indifferent gaze as he saw her as nothing more than an ant to be trampled. To him, she hadn't been worth any attention. 'If we weren't in such a populated area…'

A shudder ran through her whole body.

”Who was that man?” Lily asked in a soft voice.