The footsteps stop directly outside the closet, and every muscle in my body freezes. Silence crashes over the room so completely I can hear my pulse rushing in my ears.
I watch in horror as the doorknob slowly turns, my heart lunging so far into my throat I choke on it. The metal shifts slowly with a quiet click that echoes like thunder.No… no… no…I squeeze my eyes shut, terror trembling through my entire body. My lungs seize completely as tears stream helplessly down my cheeks.
This is it. They found me.
The knob jerks harder, springing into place as a violent crash explodes on the other side of the door.
Then suddenly?—
A crash booms from the other side of the door. Shouting erupts almost immediately after, followed by the violent sounds of a brutal scuffle. Heavy bodies slam into the walls, hard enough to shake the entire closet around me. And somewhere in the chaos, something clatters loudly to the floor. The noise shifts farther away in a rush, crashing across the bedroom like someone is being dragged or thrown around the room.
A deafening bang erupts, the sound rattling through the walls like an explosion. I scream into my hand before I can stop myself. The terrified sound tears straight out of me, muffled, broken, completely uncontrollable after holding everything in for too long.
The closet door rips open, and light floods the tiny space. A shriek flies from my lungs. Pure instinct takes over as I throwmyself backward, arms and legs flailing wildly while terror completely blinds me. “No! No, please?—!”
“It’s me!” Strong hands catch my wrists before I can strike out again. “It’s Daddy.”
Damon. Daddy.
The realization slams into me, and I stop fighting. My vision clears enough to finally see him kneeling in front of me, sweat-covered, with blood smeared across his torso. His chest is heaving violently as his eyes rake frantically over me, like he’s checking for injuries faster than his mind can process them.
He quickly checks over every part of me for injuries, something inside him visibly breaking when he finds me unharmed. “Mackenzi?—”
I throw myself at him so hard, we nearly topple backward. A sob rips from my chest as his arms close around me, crushing me to his bare skin with terrifying strength. His body is hot and trembling against me, his heart hammering wildly upon my cheek.
“Oh my God,” I cry, broken. “I thought?—”
“I’ve got you,” he breathes, with one massive hand cradling the back of my head as he rocks me gently. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”
His voice is rough and unsteady. It’s not like the calm, controlled Damon I’m used to.
“I’ve got you,” he repeats fiercely, holding me even tighter. “I’ve always gotyou.”
His words shatter whatever fragile control I have left, and I completely fall apart. Sobs wrack through me uncontrollably as I cling to him with shaking hands, burying my face in his chest so hard it hurts. He smells like sweat and gunpowder, but somehow that combination feels safer than anything ever has in my life.
His hands never stop moving, slowly stroking through my hair and clinging to me so tightly it’s like he physically cannot let go of me. “You’re safe,” he murmurs over and over with his lips pressed to the top of my head. “You’re safe now. I’ve got you, trouble. I’ve got you.”
Suddenly, his comms faintly crackles beside my ear and I barely catch Gunnar’s muffled voice breaking through the static. “Status?”
Damon doesn’t loosen his hold on me even slightly. “Mackenzi secure,” he answers roughly. “Threat neutralized.”
The entire command channel seems to exhale at once.
“Copy,” Gunnar replies. “Final sweep underway.”
Damon pulls his earpiece out and returns all his attention to me. He cups my face gently with both hands, forcing my eyes up toward his, and I’m met with an expression I could have never imagined on his face.Terror. “Why didn’t you answer me?” he asks hoarsely.
Fresh tears spill instantly down my cheeks. “I couldn’t,” I whisper brokenly. “I heard him in my room… I thought if I answered?—”
His jaw tightens so violently I can actually see the muscle twitch beneath his skin. “I was so fucking scared I’d lostyou.” Damon’s forehead drops onto mine as he exhales shakily, his hands trembling where they hold my face.
“I couldn’t get to you fast enough.” His voice cracks slightly on the last word. “Jesus Christ, Mackenzi…”
I have seen the soft, romantic side of Damon when he takes care of me, but I’ve never seen his armor cracked completely open.He really thought he might lose me.The thought sends fresh panic clawing through my chest and constricting my lungs because I realize how close it actually came.
Damon seems to read the fear returning to my face. “Hey,” he says quickly, brushing his thumbs beneath my eyes. “Look at me.”
I try, but my whole body suddenly feels stuck in survival mode.
