Never before had she ever felt so much fear in the presence of another being. Perhaps for that terribly brief moment in time, when Andras bad descended upon her that night when she'd been foolish enough to take that photo, she had been fearful for her one and only life. And yet, even then she had been prepared to accept whatever the consequences would be for her actions. After all, it had been her own fault that she and the fae man who held her heart unbeknownst to him would meet the way they did. She could have called out to him them, let him know that she was there. Maybe things might have been different. But, it was often in the light - or shadows in his case - of something so bewildering and straight out of what was supposed to be nothing but folklore or myth that drove one to act before thinking as they always should. And who knows, maybe things still would have been just as fast and fierce as they had been that night regardless, even if she'd tried to turn and leave without him noticing her. Knowing Andras now, she likely wouldn't have been able to slip away unnoticed anyway, those bright blonde locks tinged in milk chocolate undertones standing out in the pre-dawn darkness like neon lights down a poorly lit city street. Even looking back to how he has left her frozen in fright, baby blue eyes wide as they looked up to the man who had towered over her with those massive wings outstretched, that single claw on each one glinting dangerously in what little moonlight existed. He could have so easily taken her life, ended her story right there. It would have taken days for her family to find that she was missing and perhaps even a week or more to know what had happened to the young woman, cut down before she'd really even had the chance to truly live. But he hadn't. As powerful and intimidating as he'd been then, she knew now that she had only seen a small part of Andras, and little did she know just how gentle and kind he truly could be.

He was nothing like Andras. In this very moment as she stood there far too close for her comfort to the stranger fae man darkly dressed as he took another deep drag from the cigarette with smoldering amber eyes fixated upon her smaller frame, she knew that the danger here was real. This time, Beylani had done nothing but decide to try and enjoy the winter afternoon taking photographs of the place that had been her first sanctuary since moving away from her small rural hometown. While it definitely was not Somnia, the world that had quickly become her haven that she didn't belong to yet desperately found herself pining for almost as much as the fae man who had created it, Hyde Park still reminded her of how she'd laughed with Dorian. She and Ellie would walk for hours just talking and laughing and taking photos. And on days like today, she would come alone in an attempt to escape from the thoughts and feelings that were relentless in finding her mind when there was no one around. Now, what had been intended to be a quiet and peaceful day twisted and warped into something out of a horror movie. He won't hurt you. Not here. Not in broad daylight. That was what she kept telling herself... until he stalked closer and was reaching out for her, that foreign hand lifting her chin with a gentleness that left her suddenly feeling so cold. It felt treasonous, that touch, when it was only ever Andras' hands that the blue-eyed blonde wanted. When that odd sensation coiled around her like a snake, when those gruff British tones usher into the air after that villainous chuckle growled through the man, it had sent her mind reeling even deeper into that sense of panic that finally loosened her from the place she'd been anchored to. Magic was still something that she was still becoming accustomed to, her knowledge next to none and her experiences even lesser, and while she had gotten the chance to feel the wonder alive all around her in Somnia, what this man had been inflicted over her, not the world around her. It only deepened that fear-driven and desperate need to place distance between herself and the fae.

Just as the woman brushes past him, the unexpected happens. Suddenly, the man is moving as well and before she can turn her head around sharply, before she can even try to evade him, she can feel his hand grasp around her upper arm. She went to scream, to cry for help, and yet all she can do is gasp almost breathlessly. Her voice leaves her then, baby blue eyes wide in terror as she pulls her closer to him. She wants to beg for him to release her as she tries to pull her arm free, but her attempt fails and she is rendered so absolutely and sickeningly helpless. Like that night when the vampire had attacked her, nearly drove her into death's icy embrace. The fear that takes her over was every bit like the fear she'd felt that night. His wicked laughter falls over her like cold water before suddenly that odd feeling claws at her and he's taking from her the words that she'd wanted to scream out. She knows in that very moment what it was that unusual and never before experienced feeling meant. Somehow, he was reaching into her mind, her thoughts, and she's frozen again for a fraction of a moment in time. No! There were secrets there that she had promised she would keep, and now everything was in danger and suddenly that fear for her life changes into a fear for what she guarded in her heart. He is speaking again in those gravelled accented words, driving that terror ever farther. Was that why he had followed her? Because she looked so much like his late wife? But he knew she was dead, so why... She hardly has it in her to try and understand what or why, once again writhing against his hold on her should things take an even darker turn only to be stilled as his grip tightens. His baritones drop an octave as words like venom fall from his lips. All she can do is nod meekly at the man, unable to keep her fears from trying to guess what what demand he would make, what it was that he wanted from her if not money or possessions. He shifts, moving closer... She doesn't dare move as he lifts a hand to her face, the woman hardly aware she'd stopped breathing then as he moves to wipe away a tear she hadn't even known had slipped down her fair-skinned cheek before he's leaning in, his breath heavy the smell of smoke brushing against her her like a lover's whisper. How on earth would she ever be able to forget his face, his smell... his voice? Again she is giving him a small nod, her voice entirely lost to her in that moment. Finally, he let's her go and she draws a breath. Baby blues still wide with terror watch him for only a second longer before she turns and moves away. She wanted to run, faster than she ever had in her life, but she simply walks away hurriedly, clutching that camera to her chest as if to draw comfort from it as she wastes no time leaving the man behind on that trail, not even daring to look over her shoulder to see if he was following her. All she could think of was getting home - if he would let her.