Chapter 15

Alison

The creak of the door opening pulled my attention, and for a moment, I thought it might be Damien. Ever since I woke up in the hospital, he had been absent—no visits, no word from him at all. Instead, it was Hugh who had brought me back from the hospital.

I had asked Hugh about Damien that night during the drive home, but all he told me was that Damien had important matters to attend to. I wanted to press for more answers, but I knew letting my desperation show would only work against me.

When I peered at the door, I realized it wasn’t Damien. It was Gemma. What did she want?

Gemma strode into the room with her piercing gaze locking onto mine.

“Damien sent me to get you,” she announced with a stern look on her face.

I stayed rooted in place, my instincts screaming not to trust her. Memories of our first encounter flashed in my mind—how she had lured me into a dark dungeon under false pretenses and left me battered and bruised.

“Did you hear what I said?” Gemma snapped. I could hear the irritation in her voice as she spoke.

“I’m not falling for your tricks again,” I replied, crossing my arms.

Her lips curled into a sinister smile as she closed the distance between us. Before I could react, she grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked me forward.

“You think you’re smart, huh?” she hissed. “Let me show you just how wrong you are.”

“Let go of me!” I shouted, but she shoved me against the wall with a surprising force.

“Shut up!” she barked. “You think you can get away with everything, but I won’t let that happen.”

From her pocket, she pulled out a knife and pressed it to my throat. The cold steel sent a surge of panic through me.

“I could kill you right here,” she whispered, her breath hot against my ear. “And when Damien returns, I’ll just tell him you ran away.”

“You wouldn’t dare!” I yelled.

“I would, and I will do it right now.” She pressed the knife slowly into my skin.

“You won’t get away with this,” I said, my voice trembling despite my attempt to sound brave.

She chuckled darkly. “I already have.”

The blade pressed closer, my pulse quickening in terror. But before Gemma could make another move, a deep voice thundered through the room.

“Gemma!”

We both froze. Gemma turned her head to see Damien standing in the doorway, his eyes filled with fury.

“Damien, it’s not what it looks like,” Gemma stammered, stepping back and lowering the knife.

Damien didn’t reply immediately. Instead, he crossed the room in two quick strides and grabbed her by the arm. “How dare you?” he growled.

“She provoked me!” Gemma lied, her eyes darting around for an escape.

“Don’t lie to me,” Damien snapped. “You’ll regret even thinking about hurting her.”

Gemma’s expression changed. “You’re defending this... this girl?” she spat. “She’s not worth it. Or is it her—” She hesitated, then sneered. “Is it her body that’s making you lose your mind?”

The sound of Damien’s hand against her cheek echoed through the room. Gemma stumbled back, clutching her face in shock.

“Watch your mouth,” Damien snarled. “Or next time, it’ll be worse.”

Tears welled in Gemma’s eyes as she pleaded, “Damien, please—”

But he didn’t let her finish. He called out to one of his men stationed outside.

When the man entered, Damien gestured toward Gemma. “Take her to the dungeon. She’s not to leave until I say so.”

“Damien!” Gemma cried, her voice breaking as the man dragged her away. “Please, I’m sorry!”

When the door slammed shut behind them, the room fell into silence. Damien turned to me, his expression softening slightly. “Are you alright?”

I nodded, forcing a small smile. “I’m fine.”

He moved closer, his voice unusually gentle. “I’m sorry you had to face that.”

“It’s... okay,” I managed to say. Damien’s words caught me off guard, but I quickly reminded myself that his kindness was always fleeting—one wrong move , and his temper would take over. My thoughts drifted to the last time he lost control, and I couldn’t forget the memory of his hands sliding between my legs.

I shook off that thought staring back at Damien.

Damien’s eyes studied me for a moment, then he asked, “Has she given you trouble before?”

I nodded hesitantly.

“She’s lucky this was her first attempt,” he muttered. “Otherwise, I would’ve left her to rot in that dungeon.”

As he spoke, my gaze wandered to his bare chest. New scars crisscrossed his back. I wondered what battles he had fought to earn them.

A knock on the door broke the moment. Damien opened it to reveal Hugh, who stepped inside with a soft look on his face. His facial expression changed when he looked at me. I had a feeling Hugh  didn’t like me.

“Damien,” Hugh spoke up and the soft look returned as he stared at Damien, “Me and some of the men are celebrating at the pub. You should join us.”

“I’ll pass,” Damien replied. “It’s been a long day.”

“You’re the reason we’re celebrating,” he pointed out. “You defeated our enemies. It’s only right you come.”

Damien sighed, rubbing his hands against his face. “Fine. But let me shower first.”

“Be quick we are leaving in some minutes.”

Damien sighed. “I don’t think I can meet up, maybe I will meet you there.”

Hugh nodded. “Cool, and bring your little pet if you want.” His eyes landed on me.

It was full  of disdain once again .

What did I do to this dude?

After Hugh left, Damien headed to the bathroom. When he emerged, water dripped from his hair and trailed down his toned body. He pulled on a shirt, but not before I caught myself staring. I quickly looked away, reminding myself who he was—a killer.

“You’re coming with me to the celebration,” Damien announced.  “It’s an order.”

I nodded silently, knowing I had no choice.

At the pub, the atmosphere was rowdy, with most of the men already drunk. Hugh greeted Damien enthusiastically, throwing an arm around his shoulders before leading him into a back room.

“Stay here,” Damien instructed me as he followed Hugh. “And Don’t entertain anyone.”

As soon as he disappeared, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see a man covered in tattoos grinning at me.

“What’s a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?” he asked.

I said nothing, hoping he’d take the hint.

“Oh, the quiet type,” he mused. “I like that.”

“I’m not interested,” I said firmly.

He chuckled. “Feisty, huh? I like feisty women.”

“Then go find one who actually wants to talk to you,” I shot back.

He leaned closer. “I love a challenge.”

I shook my head. “Can you just buzz off?”

He leaned forward. “I wouldn’t be doing that. You know I have been watching you for a while and I noticed how uncomfortable you look. Let me take you outside, I know how badly you want to be away from this scenery.”

He was right. I was uncomfortable being around drunken men but I  didn’t know if I could trust him.

“If you’re scared I’m going to hurt you. You shouldn’t , we are going to be outside is an open area so doing that would be impossible.

He took my hands in his. “You’re going to be safe.”

Before I could respond, Damien’s voice echoed behind me.

“Why are you touching her?”

The man turned to face Damien, unfazed. “I have no right to answer your question because she’s not your property.”

“She is,” Damien growled, his nostrils flaring.  “You know what happens when you mess with what belongs to the santos right boy?”

The man backed off, muttering an apology before disappearing into the crowd.

Damien turned to me, his eyes narrowing. “I told you not to entertain anyone.”

“I didn’t,” I protested. “He approached me.”

“You could’ve tried harder to chase him off,” he snapped.

Without another word, Damien grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the pub. Once we reached the car, he turned to me.

“You’re going home,” he said curtly.

I didn’t argue. At least at home, I could escape this scenery.

Later that night, I was jolted awake by a knock on my door. I opened it to find Damien. His eyes were glassy and his steps unsteady as he brushed past me.

“Are you okay?” I asked, the smell of alcohol hitting me immediately.

“No,” he slurred, staggering into the room. “And it’s your fault.”

“What are you talking about?”

He turned to face me, a faint  smile spreading across his lips. “You are doing things to me that I don’t fucking understand,” he said, with his voice dripping with something dark and dangerous.