DAMIAN.I've messed up again. I've messed up the entire night, and there was no going back. I'd let my emotions lead me, and the more I did that, the more I seemed to fall deeper into this bottomless pit.I didn't know what to call this attraction. The need to hold her close, the need to be in close contact with her, the undying urge to always hear her talk. Where did all of those come from?The gala had been my undoing, and as I walked out of my room, which was against everything my heart wanted, I found myself prancing in my room. I hated how similar this was to the first time, and what I would despise the most was having the same thing happen all over again. An impossible kind of love that burns into pain and betrayal.I didn't want that anymore. I kicked my shoes and kicked off the jacket. I threw it on the chair and sat at the edge of the bed, my hand ruffling my hair. I sighed tiredly. The problem at hand wasn't Ishtar. It was Minerva and how she was somehow manifested in Ishta
ISHTAR."Yes, why?" Why? I couldn't wrap my head around how fast his behavior changed. One minute, he has me thinking we could be something. I had no idea what that thing was, but something.The next minute, he's acting like this. Unapproachable, emotionlessly, mean, stone cold, and even when I look into his eyes, I wouldn't see anything that I saw yesterday. It was like staring into an abyss. "I had been studying all day," I began, sounding as lovely as possible. Even in the dark, his imposing frame stood tall, his stance unwavering.I could see that his fists were clenched. Like he's being tormented. Was holding a conversation with me this difficult? I pushed down the bile in my throat and kept talking, "Who knew reading would be so exhausting?"Indulge me. Talk to me. Say something, anything. Damian responded with silence. Too much of it that it hurts, and I didn't want to bring up this morning either and how he'd turned me down after all it took to prepare a better meal.I didn't
DAMIAN."Holy shit!" she screamed, and I could tell she was getting closer to her release. The sound of her moans fueled me, and I picked up the pace, thrusting in harder until she couldn't take it anymore. Ruby's entire body shook as her orgasm hit, and I thrust in faster, grabbing her by the hip and deepening my thrust. I leaned back, directing my movements as I thumped in and out of her. I hit her G-spot. "Yes, there," she urged me. "Oh, God! Oh.."I slammed against her again, hitting the same spot over and over. "Oh, Damian." she panted, and I felt her juice pool down her pussy, soaking my dick.Her moans rang out, and the thick grunts tumbled from my lips. I couldn't help it. I was going to explode inside her any minute from now, and I didn't want to—Not yet, at least. I tried to prolong it for as long as I could, but it didn't work out. She was so fucking tight that her pussy was squeezing the life out of me. I couldn't hold back anymore.I slammed into her faster, losing m
ISHTAR.My eyes fluttered open as I moved to the side of the bed, but I didn't feel Damian's presence next to me. I didn't want to stand up too fast and actually admit that he wasn't by my side anymore.A part of me was hoping that by the time I'd open my eyes, he'd be right next to me. I didn't get why he'd leave. My hands rubbed his side of the bed and clutched the bedsheet tightly.Not after last night. Why'd he leave like that? I let time slip by for a while before I finally sat up, leaning against the headrest. My entire body ached from last night, and even while I said I wasn't sure of it. I think I'm in love with him.Wasn't that too illogical? We had sex, yeah, because I urged him to do it. Could that even mean we were different from what we were yesterday? Was that why he got home and left so early? Did his feelings change?I didn't know. I knew nothing. How foolish of me? Still, with the hurt and the way my heart pounded in my chest, I'd do the same thing over and over agai
DAMIAN Even as I drove, I couldn't help but wonder at the back of my mind what Ishtar would think of me when she found out about this. The best thing to do in this situation was to prevent her from finding out, and that solely depended on my finding. If I found her grandmother, then I might be forced to explain my actions to her. If it was the opposite, then she didn't have to know. I wasn't quite sure if I was doing more harm than good— that is, if I were to consider what her feelings would be in this. And that was why I wasn't doing that— not yet, not today. Taking one last glance at the address, I pursed my lips and tried to stabilize my thoughts. Right now, I didn't have to think about Ishtar or anyone else. I'd come this far for a reason, and it certainly wasn't by considering people's feelings. Even with this justification, I still struggled with the tiny voice at the back of my mind. The address led me to a desolate state highway, somewhere I hadn't ever been before, but th
DAMIAN "Damian, it's me…"Chills skittered down my spine, and her voice sent goosebumps crawling all over my arms. I stilled against the chair and watched her stand up and moved towards where I was seated.It was happening again. Minerva. I found that I was rooted in the seat by fear, deep-seated and embedded deeply inside of me because, yet again, I had to face the demon of my past. I think it was all I'd been fighting all this while.Her movement was slow and her arms were reaching out, pointed forward. Each step she took made my breath hitch, and behind those eyes, there wasn't anything I recognized, not even Minerva. This was a kind of possession that I hadn't gotten to the root of yet.Fear sat on my shoulders, and anxiety dipped its claw into my chest, twisting and turning without mercy. Beads of sweat broke out on my forehead as I struggled to get out of my seat and knocked down a glass cup in the process. It fell to the tiled floor and shattered, but Ishtar- no, Minerva paid
ISHTARI woke up in a dimly lit room, nestled in the warmth of Damian's arms. Confusion washed over me as I realized I had passed out, my last memory a blurry haze. Panic gripped my heart, and I stammered, "Damian, what... What happened to me?"I remembered making dinner and waiting for him. I could vividly recall the moment he had walked in, too, but after that, I couldn't remember anything else. It was as though that part of my brain was wiped clean.His silence hung heavy in the air, and he only looked at me. I'd seen Damian look disturbed before, but this was the worst of it all. His keen eyes bored into mine like he was searching for something.We were on the floor by the dining table. There was a blockage in my mind every time I tried to remember what happened. He finally asked, after I tried to wriggle out of his grip. "Do you remember what you said to me, Ishtar?"I looked up at him, my eyes searching for answers, but I couldn't find any. "I... I don't remember," I admitted,
DAMIAN.I picked up the phone after the ringing pulled me out of my thoughts, especially after what happened with Ishtar last night. I wasn't processing it right, and everything Minerva said rang consistently in my head."Yes?" I answered as I brought the line to my ears slowly. It was the receptionist. "There's someone here for you," She said from the other end. "She doesn't have an appointment, but she says you would want to see her.""Really?" I quizzed, "And what business does she have with me?" It couldn't be Ishtar. I hadn't seen her since last night, and I was sure she knew not to come find me at my workplace. "She said…she got your message from one of the investigators, and she knows the person you're looking for," She paused slightly, and I heard another voice mutter something to her. "The old lady…" The receptionist quickly added. "The grandmother."The words sounded like they defined my entire life, probably because they did. "Please, send her upstairs immediately," I sai