Chapter Eleven
I should have told him to step back.
I should have told Damien to go, to stop staring at me like I was something he owned.
But I didn't.
Because part of me the part that scared me the most wanted to believe him.
Wanted to believe I could be safe with Damien.
But safety in the vicinity of a man such as Damien Blackwood?
It was a deadly illusion.
I willed myself to breathe, to distance myself from the heat of his gaze.
"I don't need you to protect me," I said softly.
Damien's eyes darkened. "Yes. I do."
I clenched my fists. "I'm not your problem."
His jaw ticked. "You think I give a damn about responsibility?
I swallowed hard. "If that's true, then what do you care?"
Damien stepped slow and purposeful, his voice dropping low and lethal.
"You."
My stomach flipped.
There was something undeniable, unspoken, inescapable in the air between us.
I shook my head. "Damien"
"You aren't getting out of my sight," he interjected evenly. "Not after tonight."
My breath caught.
My entire body locked up.
"What?"
Damien didn't blink. "You're moving in with me."
Shock hit me hard as if it were a physical blow.
I looked at him and could hardly speak. "That's — Damien, that's crazy.
His smirk was cold. "Is it?"
"Yes!" I snapped, stepping back once again. "You don't just… get to decide something like that."
Damien's gaze didn't waver.
His words that followed sent chills down my spine.
"I get to choose whatever I want."
When he opened his mouth to sing, the voice he produced was so powerful it made my stomach twist.
This was the kind of man Damien Blackwood was.
A man who took. Who controlled. Who never for shit asked for anything — only demanded.
I exhaled sharply. "No."
His lips curved. "Yes."
I balled my hands into fists, anger in my heart. "You don't own me."
Damien cocked his head, his eyes glinting with something hot and possessive.
"Not yet."
That was it.
That was the moment I knew
Damien Blackwood hadn't only been trying to protect me.
He was claiming to be me.
And I didn't know if I wanted to come to blows with it … or allow it to occur.'
Nowhere to Run
I didn't sleep that night.
Not after all that had been through.
Not after Liam's threats.
Not after Damien's demands.
I sat in my tiny apartment, fixated on the door as if Liam would come bursting in at any moment.
Maybe I was being paranoid.
Or maybe…
Damien was right.
I swallowed hard and my fingers gripped my blanket harder.
I hated that thought.
I knew that part of me wanted to believe Damien — to trust him — and I hated that.
Because trust meant weakness.
And I could not afford to be weak.
Not while Liam was still out there.
Not when all was about to come apart.
A loud knock on my door made me jump out of my skin.
I caught my breath in my throat.
I froze for a second, my heart racing.
Then, slowly, I stood.
Another knock.
Not Liam.
Liam didn't knock.
I gasped and clicked the lock off the door.
Damien was on the other side.
Tall. Unshaken. Waiting.
His blue gaze raked over me, absorbing all of it.
The exhaustion in my face. The tension in my posture.
The fact that I hadn't slept.
I inhaled shakily. "What are you doing here?"
His voice was calm. Steady. Final.
"I told you."
I swallowed. "Damien"
"You're coming with me."
My stomach twisted.
I shook my head, fighting for a weak laugh. "You're unbelievable."
Damien didn't flinch.
"You have two options, Elena." His voice was quieter now, but no less authoritative. "Come with me willingly. Or I'll carry you out of here."
My pulse skittered.
He was serious.
I breathed out, placing a hand on my temple. "You're insane."
Damien stepped closer so I had to tilt my head back to look up at him.
"No," he murmured. "I'm protecting what's mine."
I should have fought.
I should have pushed back.
But the fatigue, the fear, the gravity of it all — it washed over me all at once.
And I realized…
I had nowhere else to go.
No other option.
Damien was my only way out.
I inhaled sharply. "Fine."
Damien's smirk was satisfied.
I picked up my bag, put it over my shoulder and walked outside.
Damien touched my hand a small, momentary touch.
But I didn't pull away.
And that scared me more than anything.
The ride to Damien's penthouse was quiet.
But it wasn't the warm kind.
It was charged. Heavy. As if something was poised to break between us.
I sat rigid in the backseat, arms crossed, eyes glued to the window. The city lights passed in a blur that I scarcely registered.
I should have fought harder.
I should have stayed.
But what difference would have that made?
Liam wasn't going to stop.
And thanks to Damien, he had another reason to come for me.
Damien was next to me, legs splayed out, utterly unfazed.
He had pulled me out of my apartment as if it were no big deal.
Like I belonged to him.
I gritted my teeth, anger simmering under my skin. "You can't just make me stay with you."
Damien didn't even blink.
"Yes, I can."
I turned to him sharply. "That's not how this works."
His smirk was lazy, overconfident. "If I wanted to, I could lock you in my penthouse and have a full security team."
My breath caught.
I hated that I believed him.
I hated that I didn't even know whether he was joking.
I shook my head. "You don't control me."
Damien tilted his head a little as if studying me like some puzzle.
"No," he murmured. "But I protect what's mine."
My stomach flipped.
There it was again.
That word.
Mine.
I faced the window again, refusing to look at him. Not giving him the satisfaction of knowing how much he was affecting me."
This wasn't real.
It was controlled.
And I wasn't going to let Damien Blackwood win.
The Penthouse
As soon as we got there, I got out the car with my arms crossed and shut Damien out as he brought me in.
His penthouse had not changed from my memory.
Cold. Sleek. Expensive.
Just like him.
My jaw was tightened as I headed straight for the living room. "So what now?"
Damien shrugged and poured himself a drink. "You stay here."
I scowled. "For how long?"
He paused, taking a slow sip of whiskey before responding.
"As long as it takes."
My stomach twisted. "As long as what takes?"
Damien looked at me, unreadable as ever.
"To make sure Liam Carter is not a threat anymore."
A chill ran down my spine.
It was the way he said it, slow, deliberate, final that made my heart falter.
"Damien," I whispered, my throat constricted. "What are you planning?"
His smirk was slow. Dark.
"Nothing to worry about you."
No.
No, no, no.
He was going after Liam.
I shook my head. "Damien, you don't get it —
"I understand perfectly." He lowered his glass and stepped closer. "Liam hurt you."
I swallowed hard. "It's not that simple."
Damien tilted his head. "It is."
"No, it's not," I snapped. "You don't just get to — fix this. You don't get to just come in and act like you can buy everything with your money and power.'
His smirk disappeared.
"Watch me."
My breath hitched.
Because he meant it.
Damien Blackwood did not issue idle threats.
He obliterated whatever stood in his path.
And now?
Liam was in his way.
I sucked in a shaky breath. "Damien, listen to me—"
"No," he broke in, his voice low, velvety.
"You listen to me, Elena."
I stiffened.
"You don't have to be afraid of him now." Damien's voice lowered, a vice wrapping around me. "Not while I'm here."
My heart pounded.
I wanted to believe him.
I wanted to think that Liam couldn't reach me now.
But I knew Liam.
And I knew Damien.
This wasn't about to be solved in words.
It was going to end in blood.
Nowhere to Run
I barely slept.
Not because the penthouse wasn't comfortable — it was.
It was all immaculate, luxury price-point, luxury engineered.
But that didn't matter.
Because my mind was spinning.
Because Damien was up to something.
And there was nothing I could do to stop him.
I had gotten only a few hours of sleep by the time the sun rose.
I pulled myself from bed, head throbbing, body stiff.
I needed to get out of here.
I couldn't remain sitting here, imprisoned like some helpless girl, while Damien and Liam fought their own silent war.
I threw on a sweater and crept through the penthouse.
Damien was nowhere to be found.
Good.
I hurried to the elevator—but as I stretched for the button, a deep voice froze me.
"Going somewhere?"
I froze.
Damien was standing with his back against the wall and arms crossed, his eyes sharp.
Like he'd been standing there waiting for me.
I swallowed hard. "I need fresh air."
His smirk was lazy, but his eyes held no mirth. "Try again."
I clenched my fists. "I'm not a prisoner, Damien."
His jaw ticked. "No, you're not."
"But?"
Damien crept toward me, his eyes blackening.
"But you're not walking out of here without defenses while Liam Carter still breathes."
I exhaled sharply. "Damien"
"Enough." His voice was low. Final. "I already told you, Elena. You're staying here. End of discussion."
My pulse pounded.
His control was suffocating. Overwhelming.
I was trapped.
I shook my head. "You can't keep me here."
Damien tipped his head like a predator, his lips winding into something feral.
"Watch me."
A shiver ran down my spine.
I should have fought harder.
But deep down…
I wasn't sure if I wanted to.