Reaching his room, he laid her gently on his bed, her wet clothes soaking into the mattress. Not knowing what else to do, he stood there staring at her. His jaw tightened.
He didn't know why he had brought her here instead of her own room. Maybe it was anger. Maybe it was fear that Mathew would come back for her. Maybe it was something he refused to name.
Sucking in a deep breath, he turned away and went to the counter. The bottle of dry gin was still there. He grabbed it, uncorked it, and took a long, burning swallow. Then another. And another. The alcohol burned, but it did nothing to calm the unease twisting inside his chest.
When he turned back, Sofia stirred.
Her lashes fluttered. Her brows pulled together as if she were waking from a bad dream.
"Damien…?" she whispered, her voice soft and confused.
He froze.
Her eyes slowly opened, hazy, unfocused. They weren't the eyes of the girl who had just been punished. They were the eyes of someone far away.
