It was a conflicting mess of nostalgia that had walked her down a path of excitement, trepidation, before promptly turning her around to face the beast that had been silently tracking her movements, watching her with bloodthirsty eyes. He’d cared about her?  All this time?  The moment devolved into darkness, a whirlpool that sucked her in, leaving her breathless. She felt the weight of his emotion in her veins, running like lead through her limbs, dulling her senses, calcifying in her brain and her heart until everything felt heavy. 