Chapter 15 · The Anxious Giant

"Sit still or I’ll crush you by accident," the troll grunted.

His hand was already around my shoulders. All of it. Fingers like stone pillars, a palm that swallowed my entire back. One twitch and my spine would pop like a dry twig.

"Grom!" Sloane snapped from the doorway. "Hands off him."

"I’m not hurting him!" Grom jerked back so fast he slammed into a pillar. The whole therapy room shuddered. Dust rained from the ceiling. "Am I hurting you? Tell her I’m not hurting you!"

"I’m fine," I said, though my voice sounded thin. "You’re just... holding me like a stress ball. Appreciate the enthusiasm, big guy, but can we dial it back to human-pressure?"

Grom stared at me. His eyes were huge, bloodshot, and swimming in tears. He was breathing way too fast for something that size.

This was the Troll King. Eight feet of cracked granite and muscle. The kind of monster that ate armies for breakfast. Right now, he looked like he was about to have a panic attack and apologize for the inconvenience.

"Sorry," he whispered. He collapsed onto the stone bench. The slab cracked under his weight. "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to—