Evaline:
River took another step forward.
Instinctively, I took one back.
I wasn't even sure why... only that every nerve in my body was screaming to keep whatever little space remained between us. My heartbeat was loud in my ears, my pulse skittering wildly as I retreated until my back hit something solid.
Wood.
A shelf.
I was trapped.
I looked up at him, my breath already uneven, and forced myself to speak before my brain completely short-circuited.
"If you are mad," I said, trying for calm and failing miserably, "you should go talk to your brother instead of-"
River placed both his hands on the shelf, one on either side of my head.
And then he leaned in just enough to steal the air from my lungs.
"Who told you I'm mad?" he asked quietly.
I blinked.
"What?"
His brows lifted slightly, his gaze sharp and unreadable. "You keep thinking that I'm mad about what you did in my office."
His mouth curved, just barely. "I never said that."
Confusion scrambled my thoughts.
