Caught

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CHAPTER 13

~Arianna’s POV~

I stood in front of the mirror, reluctantly smoothing down the shimmering navy-blue gown Damon had picked. 

The fabric hugged my curves, clinging to my skin with a snugness that felt both foreign and oddly electric. 

The gown stopped daringly above my mid-thigh, its sleeveless neckline dipping just low enough to leave me uneasy. With a final tug, I took a steadying breath, prepared to walk out and face him.

But just as I reached for the door, my gaze landed on the open window, and an idea took root—a reckless, dangerous idea.

During the earlier stroll with Damon, I’d noticed there were fewer guards than usual around the estate. 

Now, with him waiting in my room and assuming I’d obey his every whim, this could be my only chance to slip away. 

And after he’d claimed I belonged to him, the urge to break free pulsed through me, stronger than anything else.

Suddenly I heard his displeased voice and froze when I got to the window. “Arianna, are you done?”

I looked over my shoulder, forcing my heartbeat to calm down. “Coming!” 

It was now or never. 

Without a second thought, I crossed to the window and climbed out, my pulse racing with both fear and exhilaration. 

The estate grounds stretched out below, under the morning sky, as I carefully lowered myself onto the ledge and began to move along the wall.

The night air bit at my skin, my heart hammering in my chest as I searched for a way down. 

Move down to the next floor and escape through the stairs. It was simple, foolish and daring but with life came risks and I was prepared for mine. 

I hadn’t made it far when a low, chilling voice cut through the silence behind me.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

The shock jolted through me, my foot slipping from the narrow ledge. My heart leapt into my throat as I lost my balance, my body pitching forward into the empty air.

But in a flash, a hand caught my wrist, arresting my fall. I barely registered the movement—it was as though he’d appeared out of nowhere. 

My heart was racing, my chest tight with the sudden realization of how close I’d come to plummeting off the edge and straight to my sudden death.

Damon’s eyes met mine, and for an instant, I saw something flash within them—a bright, unnatural red that sent a jolt of fear through me. But just as quickly, it was gone, replaced by his familiar, dark gaze. 

The memory of Luca’s eyes shining with the same light came to me. I shook my head slightly, wondering if it was just the adrenaline playing tricks on my mind.

“No way. That had to be my imagination. Just the fear,” I thought, brushing the idea aside.

His fingers remained wrapped around my wrist as he slowly, effortlessly, pulled me back onto the balcony. I was trembling, my heart still hammering as I tried to catch my breath.

Once I was safely back on solid ground, Damon’s grip didn’t loosen. Instead, he stepped closer, his barely restrained rage glinting in his eyes as he stared down at me.

“Why?” he demanded as he held me firmly, his hand still on my wrist.

My mouth felt dry, and I couldn’t quite meet his eyes. I wanted to say something, anything, that would cut through the weight of his stare, but the words failed me completely.

Damon’s hand wrapped firmly around my wrist as he led me back through the open window, pulling me into the room. 

My knees felt weak, and my heart was still racing as though I’d just run a mile. I tried to ignore the lingering grip of his hand, but my thoughts were a mess, tangled up with the vision of his eyes flashing that unearthly red.

Inside, he released my wrist, but his gaze never left me. I glanced toward the door, hoping for a second that I might be able to make a dash, but Damon’s presence swallowed the air around us, pinning me in place.

“Your life just flashed before your eyes, didn’t it?” He took a step forward, tucking his hands in his pockets, and I instinctively stepped back, my spine pressing against the cool wall behind me.

I swallowed, forcing myself to speak. “Why should you care?” I managed to say. I kept my chin lifted, even as fear prickled along my skin.

Damon let out a dark, humorlesschuckle. “A better question would be why you thought running was an option.” His eyes bored into me with that same insane unreadable expression. “Did you really think you’d get far?”

Anger flickered inside me, trying to smother the fear. “I had to try,” I said, “you can’t just keep me here, claiming I’m yours as if I have no say.”

A hint of a smirk played on his lips as he leaned closer, his face only inches from mine. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with, Arianna. But if I have to remind you… I’m more than capable of doing just that.”

My heart stuttered as his words replayed in my head, yet there was a warmth to his nearness, a strange comfort in the way he seemed to cocoon me within the space between us.

“I’m not afraid of you,” I said, but my voice shook, betraying the lie.

Damon’s gaze softened, almost amused, though the intensity in his eyes didn’t waver. “That tremble in your voice says otherwise.” He reached up, brushing a thumb along my cheek, his touch unexpectedly gentle. “And yet… I don’t want you afraid of me, Arianna.”

My pulse quickened, his touch sending a current through me that I couldn’t explain, as if my very soul recognized something about him that my mind refused to acknowledge. 

His thumb lingered on my cheek, and I felt my body lean, drawn by an inexplicable force I didn’t want to admit existed.

He seemed to sense it too and Damon’s expression shifted. “You’re here for a reason, Arianna. Your life has led you here, and whether you like it or not, you’re mine.”

I clenched my jaw, my gaze hardening. “Stop saying that.”

Damon raised an eyebrow, his lips quirking in a faint, mocking smile. “And why is that? Does it make you uncomfortable?” He leaned in closer. “Or does it make you feel something else?”

I glared at him, my breathing uneven. “You don’t know anything about me,” I retorted, using my words as a defensive shield.

He watched me in silence, a knowing glint in his gaze. “Maybe I know more than you think,” he murmured as his gaze flickered down to my lips before returning to my eyes.

The room felt smaller and for a split second, the world narrowed to just us. His words had sliced through my defenses, his touch lighting a fuse that I desperately wanted to extinguish. 

My mind screamed at me to pull away, but something in me felt locked in place, waiting.

Damon’s hand dropped to his side, his expression tightening as he stepped back, giving me space. “You want freedom?” he asked, his voice quieter now, almost thoughtful. “Then prove you’re worth it.”

I blinked, momentarily caught off guard. “Prove it?”

“Show me that there’s more to you than running away and fighting with words.” His gaze sharpened. “Let’s see if you have the strength to face what’s coming, Arianna.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but I was at a loss. There was a challenge in his words, a taunt that both stung and stirred something I hadn’t realized was there—a strange urge to prove myself, if only to defy him.

Damon studied my reaction, his gaze calculating. "Tonight, meet me outside the penthouse. We are going somewhere. I’ll see just how determined you are.” 

With that, he turned, leaving the room, but not before his eyes raked over my body once more. I could see the appreciation in his eyes as they moved about my curves before he walked away, like he had not done anything of the sort.