Chapter Seventeen
Amelia
I pace back and forth. I’ve paced so much it feels like my feet are going to fall off, but I can’t stop. My thoughts are too loud, my emotions too raw. That woman is so pretty, even though she’s rotting on the inside. And she’s in an enclosed space with Damien.
My Damien.
The thought comes unbidden, like an instinct that’s always been there. When did I start thinking of him as mine? When did the lines between fear and love blur into something I can’t untangle? Maybe it was when he let me see the parts of himself no one else had ever touched. Maybe it was when he peeled back his skin and let me glimpse the bleeding heart beneath it.
I still can’t believe this powerful, terrifying man was once beaten and left to starve. It makes me sick to my stomach. I hate the thought of what he suffered, of what was stolen from him.
He killed the man who did that to him.
Good.
God, what’s become of me? If my mother heard me right now, if she knew the kind of thoughts swirling in my head, she’d think I was cursed. Possessed. She’d shun me like the rest of the village. But is everything really that black and white?
My phone rings, slicing through my thoughts. I jump and fumble for it. Ruby.
“Hey.”
“Girl, are you okay?” Ruby’s voice is clouded with concern. “Why weren’t you answering my texts?”
I groan, rubbing my temple. “I’m really bad with messages, you know that.”
“You’re awful, Amelia. You stress me out. Anyway, what’s up? Are you at work?”
“Uh, no, I’m… at home.” I glance around the restaurant. It’s the closest thing to home I’ve ever had.
“Perfect! I’m at that cute little café down the street from the restaurant. Can you come?”
I hesitate. I could stay here, stewing in my own thoughts, pacing until Damien returns. Or I could get out of my head and enjoy myself a little.
“Yeah, I can come.”
“Great! Oh, but—” Ruby pauses. “My brother’s with me. That cool?”
Her brother? What does it matter? I need a distraction. I need to be anywhere but here.
“No problem,” I say.
“See you then!” she says excitedly.
On the way there, a flicker of movement catches my eye.
“Hey, little guys,” I coo at the group of stray cats huddled together, already reaching into my purse.
I always carry cat food with me. As soon as I tear open the bag, more cats start appearing. One, two, three— oh my God —four.
Five.
Six?
Are they multiplying? Did I just summon an army?
I crouch down, pouring the food onto the pavement. “Okay, okay, everyone gets a turn. No shoving.”
They pounce on it immediately. One with a torn ear rubs against my ankle.
“I’d take you all home if I could.”
But I can’t. I don’t even have a home to myself. Maybe this is why I have such empathy for strays; I feel like a stray myself most days.
With a sigh, I leave the entire bag and keep walking.
***
I walk into the café, immediately spotting Ruby near the window. She’s waving frantically.
I rush over, and she pulls me into a tight hug that I return with the same vigor.
“I missed you too,” I laugh.
“Why do you disappear like that? I was so freaking worried about you.”
“I’m so sorry,” I say sheepishly, rubbing the back of my head. “I’m just… really bad with messages.”
“You’re lucky I love you.”
“I know.” I grin.
“This is my brother, Theo,” she says, introducing the guy sitting next to her.
Theo stands, offering a polite smile.
“Hey,” he says.
I shake his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Theo’s visiting for a few weeks,” Ruby explains. “I figured, hey, we’re all here, might as well introduce everyone.”
I nod along, scanning the menu.
Ruby suddenly perks up. “Oh! Did you ever finish those romance books I recommended?”
I wince. “About that…”
“Amelia!”
“I got distracted!” I protest.
“With what?”
I open my mouth, then close it. Yeah, no way am I telling her that a jealous, raging man showed me he could get me off better than words on paper.
“Life,” I say instead.
Ruby sighs dramatically. “She’s hopeless.”
Theo chuckles. “I mean, I kinda get it. I don’t really read romance either.”
Ruby gasps, clutching her chest. “Betrayal.”
“You act like it’s a crime.” I grumble.
“It should be!” she declares. “But fine, maybe I can find something with romance and… I don’t know, mystery? Suspense? We can all read it.”
“That could work.”
Theo shrugs. “If there’s a solid plot, I’m in.”
Ruby’s face lights up. “There we go!”
I hum in acknowledgment, sipping my coffee. “So, Theo, what do you do?”
“Oh, he’s—”
Theo cuts her off. “I work in security.”
“That sounds interesting.”
Theo nods. “It has its moments.”
And just like that, the conversation flows easily. I let the rhythm of their voices soothe my mind.
“You know, Theo teaches me self-defense all the time. Maybe he could show you a thing or two? A girl can never be too safe.”
“Yeah, if you ever want to learn—”
A voice cuts through the conversation like a blade.
“She won’t need it.”
Damien.
He’s standing right behind me, his eyes locked onto me with a look so dark, it makes my pulse stutter. He’s perfectly composed on the outside, but the air around him feels lethal. A beast, barely restrained.
Theo glances at him, then at me, his brows lifting slightly in question.
Ruby, on the other hand, gapes at Damien. "Uh, who is this?"
Damien doesn’t give me a chance to answer.
“Her boyfriend. Damien,” he says smoothly.
He lifts me from my chair like I weigh nothing and drops himself into my seat. Then he pulls me onto his lap. My hands press against his chest, but he doesn’t even acknowledge it.
“You must be Ruby. Amelia’s told me about you,” Damien hums.
That’s not true, though, I didn’t tell him anything about her. But am I surprised he knows? No.
Ruby straightens. “All good things, I hope?”
His fingers trace small circles on my hip. “Of course.”
His focus returns to Theo. Like a predator locking onto prey. “And you are?”
“Ruby’s brother,” Theo says, almost grumbling. These two don’t seem like they’re going to get along. "Didn’t realize Amelia was seeing someone."
“She is,” Damien hisses. “Very much so.”
Damien’s lips graze the shell of my ear, his voice low, meant only for me. “You’re going to regret this, little flower.”
“How did you find me?” I whisper back, swallowing hard.
He looks at me incredulously, but I don’t miss the way his index finger taps the necklace around my neck. My brows furrow.
Then he presses a kiss to my neck. Right in front of them.
Ruby shifts in her seat. “Sooo, how did you guys meet?”
Damien drags his knuckles along my thigh; way too intimately for a public setting. “Fate.”
Ruby gives me a look, clearly expecting me to elaborate.
“Uh,” I manage, my voice unsteady. “We… met a while ago. At the restaurant.”
It isn’t a complete lie…
“She was meant to be mine,” Damien murmurs. “From the moment I saw her.”
Ruby watches, fascinated. Ever the romantic at heart, she transforms from skeptical to heart-eyed in seconds.
"You were talking about self-defense?" Damien growls at Theo. "That won’t be necessary. Amelia is always under my protection."
“Still, it’s a good skill to have. You can’t always be around,” Theo argues.
The temperature in the room drops.
“Can’t I?” Damien chuckles.
Oh, he can. I know he can.
Theo doubles down. “Accidents happen.”
“Not on my watch.”
And I’m on his watch twenty-four seven.
Damien pins Theo with his glare again. “It’s impressive that someone with your build can hold his own.” A small pause. “Really, quite admirable.”
That was mean. Theo is not small, it’s just Damien that’s much bigger than the rest of the male population.
Ruby coughs, interrupting the war brewing between the two men. “So! Who wants dessert?”
Damien clearly charmed her enough for her not to take offense at her brother being insulted. Hearts are shooting out of her beautiful brown eyes and aiming straight at us like some kind of cupid.
Traitor.