Chapter 18, Lane Stone:
Lane focused on his breath. The pounding of his heart drowned out the people he felt stand around him. In all his years of training, there had never been opponents like that. What he needed now was to calm his heart and find a place in his soul to find his peace.
He inhaled as deeply as he could, holding his breath to the count of five, when he blew it out through his teeth. Immediately, he drew in another deep breath and held it for a count of ten before blowing it out through his teeth.
With the simple act of controlling his breathing, he felt his racing heart slow and the pounding in his head subside. The rush of adrenaline that had filled his body burned off, allowing him to hear those around him.
The most important sound was claws raking against the heavy w
