Excerpt of Mischance by Carla Susan Smith

He continued his approach, making no effort to disguise his
footsteps, but the girl gave no indication she heard him.
Whatever problem she wrestled with, it was weighty enough
to render her oblivious to everything around her. Seeing
how close she was to the edge of the wharf, Rian prayed he
did not startle her. A sudden loss of balance would send
her tumbling into the murky water, where she could easily
be carried away by the river's strong undercurrent.

The unfathomable sense that had tugged at him before now
increased in intensity. Rian could almost smell the scent
of despair clinging to the girl, and the thick, cloying
perfume filled his own nostrils. Intuition told him a
handful of coins, no matter how generous or well-
intentioned, would not aid the girl's misfortune. And that
did not sit well with him.

He was behind her now, and yet she still seemed completely
unaware of his presence, her attention firmly fixed on
something in the water. She cried out, her words mumbled
and incoherent, but Rian had no difficulty in recognizing
the anguish behind them. It was the most pitiful sound he
had ever heard, and it set his course. Carefully he reached
out a hand and grasped her shoulder. Keeping his hold firm
and true in case she might still stumble, Rian slowly
turned her toward him.

Very few things in life took Rian by surprise, but this was
one of them, and he found himself uncharacteristically
struck dumb. With one sweeping glance he took in the white
blonde hair that tumbled about her face, the swollen,
bruised mouth and the discolorations along either side of
her jaw. But what troubled him most, set him back on his
heels, was the fear, distrust and pain that were so clearly
reflected in the one eye that gazed steadily at him. An orb
of deep, infinite blue, it held him fast, refusing to look
away despite the horror Rian could see there. But then she
blinked, thick lashes sweeping downward, and this time when
she looked at him, Rian saw something else.

Beyond the terror he saw a need that called to him. A want
that awakened an unexpected impulse, inflaming a need of
his own. This one more basic, more primal, shocking Rian
with the sudden protective impulse he felt. Whoever she
was, she was no dockside whore, but as he opened his mouth
to reassure her, that disturbing blue eye rolled back in
her head, and she slumped against him.