Fear Itself Suits Novels & Stories

“You've been afraid before. The poisoning. The attack.” "Not like this. That was fear for myself. This is—" I searched for the word and didn't find the right word. "This is fear that something could happen to the best part of what I've become, and I wouldn't get the chance to fix it or apologize for taking so long to say it out loud." Trey was quiet for a long moment. “Then we don't waste more time being afraid. We use the fear to move faster tomorrow.” "That's very practical of you."

I crossed my arms and leaned in, trying to gauge their reactions. "Well, then you've got it all wrong. The real enemy here isn’t some external threat lurking in the shadows; it’s your own fear. Fear can be a far deadlier adversary, it’ll chew you up and spit you out faster than any claws or fangs ever could. If you’ve got a desire to stick around and truly live, then you better keep your wits about you. You need to hold your ground and remember this essential truth: if you can’t trust one another, then you might as well consider yourselves lost. You’re done for before you even start."

⸻ But even she— ⸻ wasn’t fully sure. ⸻ Because the connection— ⸻ was still there. ⸻ Faint. ⸻ Persistent. ⸻ And now— ⸻ shared. ⸻ Back in the safehouse— the figure tilted its head. ⸻ Exactly like she would. ⸻ “Define fear,” it said calmly. ⸻ Lena’s jaw tightened. ⸻ “Don’t engage it.” ⸻

Holding her against him. Comfortably. Naturally. Home. For several moments they stood together in silence. Listening to the night. Listening to the house. Listening to the quiet rhythm of the life they had built. Finally Adrian spoke again. His voice softer than before. “Do you know something strange?” “What?” “I am not afraid of losing things anymore.” The statement caught her attention immediately. Interesting. Very interesting. Because fear had shaped so much of his life. Fear of failure. Fear of disappointment. Fear of vulnerability.

Turning to the functioning laptop beside him ,he stole a glance at the sound buttons before he began to type. ¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶ Fear, that horrid emotion that weakens one, subjects one to levels below that one would never have succumbed to. It was surprising how it was easily acquired;by the loudest of sounds, by the slightest of sounds and by even no sound at all. It had stunned the children, shaken them to their bone marrows.

All I know is my heartbeat pounding fast and heavy inside my chest, beating frantically trying to escape my rib cage and reach the bottom of my stomach where it belongs. I wait, what is he going to do now? My eyes flutter close, awaiting the worst. "Fear is a good instinct, Lilac. It helps us live." Nothing happens. And when I open my eyes again, he is gone. ------

“Fear of failing? Of being judged?” I smiled softly, almost fondly. That had been me once. Trembling, uncertain, desperate to perform. “Fear is a compass,” I said. “It tells you where you’re alive, where you’re stretching, where you’re about to grow. Don’t avoid it. Study it. Walk with it. And most importantly, do not let it dictate your boundaries.” They nodded, absorbing the words. Some scribbled notes. Others simply stared, letting them sink in. Later, after the session, Elara approached me.

So it is with great fear and might I say even a slight bit of hesitation that I turn that corner. Should I find that anything has happened to Mirabelle, I shall fall into that deep pit in Hell. I am not a man that feels fear; I have simply not been designed for it. I thrive on the pleasure it brings me when I see it in someone else’s eyes, yet I do not experience it myself.

But it didn’t come. Instead, his hands dropped to his sides, and he exhaled slowly. “Good,” he said finally. I blinked at him. “Good?” “Yes.” His voice was low, steady. “Fear keeps you alive. Fear means you see the danger for what it is. It means you won’t walk blind into his traps.” I shook my head, a bitter laugh breaking out of me. “You want me afraid of you too?”

SERENA Fear is a thing. Most people do not understand it. They think fear is loud noises and violence. That is not true fear. True fear is quiet. It is the feeling that makes people stop talking when you walk into a room. It is what makes powerful men look down when they see you. It is what makes servants shake when they are serving you. Fear does not need to be loud or violent. It just needs to be certain. Stormclaw is certainly afraid of me.