Damon’s afternoon nap was anything but restful.
He drifted in and out of uneasy dreams, haunted by the shadows of his past. That old, suffocating pain crept back in, but this time, the one person who always stayed by his side–the girl who never left him–wasn’t there.
“Emily…” he murmured, voice barely above a whisper. His brow furrowed as the nightmare tightened its grip, his chest heaving with each shallow breath.
In the dream, he stumbled to his feet and reached out blindly, searching for her. He called her name again and again, but the silence around him was endless, heavy, and cold.
Panic clawed at him until he jolted awake, eyes snapping open and sweat slicking his forehead. The blackout curtains kept the room shrouded in darkness, making it impossible to tell if he was really awake. Damon’s heart hammered in his chest, the boundary between nightmare and reality still blurred.
Sitting up, he called out, voice shaky. “Emily?”
Nothing but silence.
He tried again, louder. “Emily!”
Still nothing. Fear prickled through him as he pushed himself out of bed, nearly tripping as he fumbled for the lamp. When the light finally flooded the room, it felt almost too bright.
Damon let out a shaky exhale, trying to shake off the last traces of the dream. But as he looked around, the emptiness hit him all over again. Emily wasn’t there.
Where was she?
His heart, barely calmed, started pounding even harder. He sucked in a breath and threw the bedroom door open.
The villa was unnervingly quiet. Downstairs, a couple of housekeepers moved around the living room, dusting and tidying up.
When they noticed Damon, they greeted him politely.
“Where’s Emily?” he blurted, unable to hide the urgency in his voice.
“Emily? We haven’t seen her, sir. Wasn’t she resting with you?”
Before Damon could say another word, his phone buzzed with a familiar notification.
He opened it without thinking.
It was a voice message from Lea, her tone small and a little shaky:
[Damon, the living room light at my place just went out, and I’m here all alone. Could you come
1/2
Chapter 10
help me? Please?]
Damon frowned, ready to type out a refusal, but then her next message came through:
[I know you’re supposed to take Emily back to the Raines family tonight, but I’ll be here by myself, and without the lights-]
She didn’t finish. The message faded out in a soft, stifled sob.
“If Emily comes back, call me. I have to step out for a bit,” Damon said quickly to the housekeepers, then ducked back into his room. He changed, grabbed his car keys, and left.
Lea’s place wasn’t far. As soon as Damon walked in, he saw her stretched out on the couch in a thin, silky robe. The fabric barely covered her, slipping off one shoulder. She looked up at him, eyes still a little sleepy, like she’d just woken from a nap.
“Damon, you’re here,” she said, sounding almost relieved.
She hurried over and wrapped herself around him, pressing close. Her soft curves pressed against his chest, and he felt a jolt of electricity run through him.
“You’re wearing so little. Aren’t you worried about getting sick?” he muttered, his tone more reflex than concern as he instinctively pulled her closer, letting her hide in his arms.
“I just got scared. If you hadn’t come, I’d be alone tonight…” Her voice wavered, sounding small and helpless.
Without thinking, he said, “Then come back to the Raines family with me tonight.”
The words were barely out of his mouth before he regretted them. He opened his mouth to take it back, but Lea was already looking up at him, eyes shining with hope and unshed tears.
“Really, Damon?”
