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“It’s okay,” he said calmly “You can look”

No She couldn’t She turned into hi she could crawl inside him and hide forever But the noise wouldn’t let her All she could hear was the scurrying They were surrounded, and the sound was deafening

“Look,” Striker said “You’re safe You gotta look, bébé”

Clasping her fists into his shirt, sheanywhere else

“Not at me” He smiled at her “Look around you”

Her lips were tre it impossible to speak To tell hiht die if she saw eyes staring back at her

“Bébé, trust me If you look, you’ll feel better” It was his tone, entle conviction The power in his voice that said he’d stand between her and her fear

Sing hard, she forced herself to look down at the area illuht At first, she didn’t see anything, only rocks and dried-out grass, but then, at the edge of the light pool, she saw the so hard she thought she ht pass out Her eyes shot back to Striker

“No, no bébé It’s okay” He nuzzled the top of her head “They won’t come any closer I promise Look But you’d best breathe while you do it, or I’ll have to carry you outta here” His s

For a et air into her lungs

“That’s it,” he soothed “Deep, even breaths It’s gonna be fine now”

He rubbed her back, slow and fir “See? That’s much better”

Friday’s fists were still claers over his steady heartbeat She felt the calm rise and fall of his chest and tried to follow his lead, breathing when he did

“That’s good You’re doing good Now, look at the scorpions See how they stay a few feet away? They won’t come closer”

She followed his gaze and shuddered at the sight—thousands and thousands ofbodies, black and red, a carpet of arachnids as far as she could see