Page 67 of Realm of the Wicked

I stood, unsure if I should knock, but my question was answered for me when the door swung open.

‘Hi,’ I whispered, my voice failing me.

I’m scared. I’m terrified of the unknown. I don’t know what to do, and you’re the only place I feel safe. I need to know you feel the same.

And as if he heard every single one of my fears, Damien stepped forward and offered me a hand. ‘How can I help?’

24

STELLA

I stepped inside, closing the door behind me as I pressed my back into it. ‘I’m terrified,’ I admitted, staring into Damien’s dark eyes. I didn’t have to say anything else for him to know what I meant.

His study was lit up by the soft glow of the fireplace that flickered in the corner. His notebook was spilled out over his desk, and ink stained his fingertips. His wire-framed glasses still rested on his nose. I’d interrupted him in the middle of his work, but he hadn’t thought twice about dropping it all to meet me at the door. The dark rain clouds filled the window behind him, the rain angrily hitting the glass.

He gave me the smallest shake of his head. ‘I won’t let anything happen to you, Bambi.’

‘What if you aren’t allowed to?’

He stepped closer, pressing his arms on either side of my head. ‘Allowed to?’

‘Yeah. You know. If it’s me or…’ I waved around his office. ‘All this?’

‘I give it up.’

Enveloped by his smell, an endless mix of midnight forests, his words sank into me one by one. He sounded so sure, so simple, like there was nothing to debate. Like I was an easy choice to make, a simple decision.

‘Damien…’ I found myself lost for words. ‘I can’t let you give up your life for me.’

His frown deepened. ‘I told you before. You mean everything to me. All of this is… smoke and mirrors.’ He brushed away my concerns with a wave of his hand.

‘Smoke and mirrors,’ I repeated dumbly.

‘Yes. A glamour to keep the world at bay. But what do I have, really? An empty manor that’s decaying faster than I can bring myself to care.’

‘Power?’ I offered.

‘Meaningless, if I have nothing to protect.’ Damien gave me a pointed look. ‘If I can’t use my title, my power, to keep you safe, then it’s worthless to me.’

‘I… I don’t think I’m worth that much concern.’

He smiled, dipping to press a kiss on my jaw and then another, higher, a whisper away from my ear.

‘You looked beautiful today in the garden.’

I frowned. ‘I was a mess.’

He shook his head. ‘I don’t mean your outfit. I mean you. You are always beautiful. Did you even see yourself in the mirror before you came down here?’

I looked down at the yellow dress I wore. ‘Agatha told me this color yellow was your favorite, and I thought it didn’t make sense.’

‘Why?’ he murmured, sliding his hand down the golden fabric.

‘Shouldn’t your favorite color be black?’ Glad one of us was breathing because I had lost any and all air in my lungs.

‘Maybe it was, once upon a time. Before you.’ Damien pulled back, grasping my hips in his large hands. ‘As usual though, I seem to have underestimated the power you hold over me. You might kill me the way you look tonight.’

‘Is that even possible?’ I choked out, doing my best to ignore the way his thumbs swirled into my skin.