John confronts Bastian

As soon as she could no longer hear Elaine's footsteps, John whirled on Bastian.

"Change me back, you bastard!" she screamed, trying to ignore how her voice transformed anger into petulance.

"What's wrong, babe?" Bastian asked, a smirk on his face, holding his arms open wide. "Come into my arms, your Basti will make it all better."

"Shut up!" Enraged, John pulled back her arm but instead of a straight right her hand slid across Bastian's cheek in a feminine and ineffective slap. "Elaine isn't here anymore, I don't have to go along with this farce anymore."

"Is that why you sent her away?" he asks. "So you wouldn't be in 'public' anymore? Because you think that this way, you can... what? Resist?"

You feel your breath catch in your throat. The smile stays on his face but Bastian's eyes are hard. He takes a step towards you and you find yourself backing away, heart hammering as you only now realize how much... bigger he is than you. How smal and **** you are.

How ripe for the taking.

"Think you can resist me, pretty little Princess Jo?"