The dining hall doors slammed shut behind Luca. Silence pressed in, broken only by the faint ticking of a clock on the far wall. Aria stood frozen, her pulse racing, every nerve screaming to run. Ethan was gone. That should have been a relief. Instead, terror twisted through her chest. If Damien found him first, freedom would become a death sentence.
Damien's gaze lingered on her. Cold, unreadable. "Come with me."
It wasn't a request.
She followed him through a corridor lined with oil paintings and heavy curtains. Each step echoed against marble, too loud in her ears. The mansion was beautiful, but beauty here felt dangerous, like roses hiding thorns.
Damien pushed open a set of double doors, leading her into a study that smelled of old books and expensive whiskey. A fire burned low in the hearth, shadows flickering across shelves stacked with leather-bound volumes.
He shut the door behind them. The click of the lock made Aria's throat tighten.
"You've been bold tonight," Damien said, shrugging off his jacket and draping it over a chair. His eyes never left her. "Speaking back to Isabella.
Bargaining for Ethan's life. Grabbing me like you had a right."
Her fists clenched. "What was I supposed to do? Just watch you hurt him?"
"Most people know better than to interfere in my decisions."
"I'm not most people."
A flicker of amusement touched his mouth, gone in an instant. He stepped closer, slow, deliberate. Aria backed until her hips bumped the edge of his desk. His hand lifted, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. The touch was light, but it carried weight, like a warning wrapped in silk.
Her breath hitched. "Don't."
"Don't what?" His voice was velvet and steel all at once.
"Don't touch me like I belong to you."
"But you do." His thumb grazed her jaw, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Every time you open your mouth to save your brother, you tie yourself tighter to me. You knew what you were offering in that warehouse, didn't you? A life for a life."
"I didn't think….."
"You did." He leaned closer, the firelight painting shadows across his sharp features. "You thought quickly. Bravely. But bravery doesn't erase consequences."
The door burst open.
A tall man with scars along his jaw entered, gun strapped at his hip. "Boss." He inclined his head briefly at Aria before focusing on Damien. "It's Marco. We're sweeping the city. No sign of the boy yet."
Aria's heart leapt. Ethan was still free.
Marco's eyes narrowed at her. "With respect, I don't trust her here. She'll run to warn him. Maybe that's her plan already."
Aria bristled. "I wouldn't even…."
"You would," Marco cut in. His stare was sharp, suspicious. She'll betray you the first chance she gets."
Damien raised a hand. Silence fell instantly. "Her loyalty is mine to test. Not yours."
Marco hesitated, then gave a stiff nod. "As you say."
He glanced at Aria one last time, a promise of violence in his eyes, before leaving.
The door opened again moments later. This time an older man entered, neat silver hair, glasses perched on his nose. A black leather bag hung from his shoulder. "Doctor Alvarez," Damien said.
The doctor gave a polite bow. "I was told the young lady may need care?"
Aria blinked, startled. She hadn't realized until now that her palms were scraped raw from the warehouse floor. Small cuts stung across her skin, a forgotten ache.
"It's nothing," she muttered.
Damien's gaze hardened. "Sit."
She wanted to argue. Instead, she sank onto the edge of the couch while the doctor cleaned and bandaged her hands. He worked quickly, quietly, like a man who'd done this too many times before.
When he was finished, Damien dismissed him with a nod. The doctor left without a word, the lock clicking shut once more.
The silence hung between them, thick and electric. Damien moved toward a nearby stool and lifted it effortlessly, placing it beside her. He sat down, then leaned forward just enough so their eyes met on the same level.
His hand came to rest lightly against her throat, not pressing, just a gentle, intimate touch, a quiet promise of both danger and desire. For the first time, Aria noticed the softness in his gaze, the way it lingered on her lips, her eyes, as if he were memorizing her. Her heart thudded in response, a mix of fear, curiosity, and something dangerously close to longing.
Aria's pulse thundered beneath his palm.
"Do you know what happens to people who owe me?" His tone was quiet, almost conversational.
She swallowed. "You kill them."
"Sometimes." His thumb brushed over her skin.
"Sometimes I keep them. Break them. Teach them their place until they no longer remember who they were before me."
Her breath trembled. "Is that what you plan to do to me?"
He smiled faintly, darkly.
"That depends."
"On what?" Her voice wavered slightly, curiosity laced with challenge.
He didn't answer. Not a word. Instead, he leaned back just enough, eyes fixed on her, leaving her to wrestle with the silence. The stillness pressed against her chest, and in it, her mind raced.
Even though every line of his face screamed cold control, she couldn't stop herself from imagining warmth where there was none. Perhaps it was foolish.
Perhaps she was imagining it all.
Her pulse quickened, a defiant fire sparking in her veins. She met his gaze, steady and unflinching. "I'll never surrender."
For a heartbeat, he simply stared, his dark eyes widening slightly, as if registering something he hadn't anticipated. Then the corner of his mouth lifted into a dangerous, knowing smile. His little rabbit… blunt, fearless, untamed.
He leaned forward, close enough that she could feel the faint heat radiating from him, and his gaze softened just enough to terrify her. He remembered the way she had stood up to Isabella and Victor, how she had dared to speak, unafraid of the consequences. And now, here she was, telling him she would never surrender.
Cute….Infuriating….Intriguing. All at once.
He rested a hand lightly on the armrest of her chair, careful not to touch her, but close enough that the space between them crackled with tension. She's going to need a lot of… guidance. He could already see it, the sharp edges, the stubborn will, the fire that would both challenge and tempt him in ways no one else ever had.
The thought of her courage, her defiance, stirred something he wasn't ready to name. She seem like a storm wrapped in delicate skin, and he couldn't look away.
The fire crackled. Shadows danced along the walls. Damien leaned close, his lips almost brushing her ear.
"If you want your brother alive," he whispered, "learn this truth now: your words, your fire, even the fear racing through your veins… all of it belongs to me."
Aria's breath caught, her heart slamming against her ribs. She didn't know if it was terror, fury, or something else tightening in her chest.
And she hated that Damien could make her feel all three at once.