AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Anxiety swirls in Damon’s eyes. “Give her to me.” I don’t want to let her go, but I trust Damon.
As gently as possible, Damon picks her off my lap and hauls her into his arms.
Climbing out of the truck, I follow him as he walks inside the mansion.
“Don’t take her to the attic,” I say. “Bring her into my room.”
The vast entrance hall is quiet and still. Pure relief floods through me at the familiar scene. We’re home.
I follow Damon as he moves toward the staircase that leads to our quarters upstairs.
Reaching the second floor, he walks down the corridor until he’s at my door.
I hurry forward and open the door for him.
Iris remains in a deep sleep as Damon walks inside and lays her down on my bed.
Pure relief washes over me as I watch her sleep. She’s safe here. Pulling up the blanket, I cover her and tuck the edges in.
Damon lets out a long breath and sinks into a chair. “We should’ve cleaned her up.”
I stare at the blood and bits of flesh stuck to her cheeks. The memory of the waiter being shot in the head right before us flashes across my mind. I touch my face but my hand comes away clean.
I’d been close to Iris at the time but not close enough to get splattered.
“I’ll have to rub her cheeks hard to get the blood and grime off her skin,” I say. “It’ll wake her up.”
He nods slowly and leans against the chair. “What kind of perfume did you spray on her?” he whispers.
“I sprayed her with sandalwood and sweet orange,” I say.
“That’s not what she smells like to me.”
I shake my head and gesture toward the door. “I don’t want her to wake up. Let’s talk outside.”
He exhales another ragged breath and gets to his feet.
Together, we walk out of the room and close the door.
Without a word, I lead the way down to the kitchen.
“Want some coffee?” I ask, entering the room.
“How about something stronger?”
Bending down, I check the liquor cabinet under the counter. “How about scotch?” I ask.
“Perfect.”
Taking the bottle and two glasses, I set them on the table.
Damon grabs the bottle and opens it. He pours the drink into a glass and chugs the rest straight from the decanter.
An amused grin comes over my lips as I watch him make a face. “Doesn’t it burn?” I ask.
“Yeah,” he said in a throaty voice. “It’s still not enough though.” He takes another swig from the bottle.
“Hey, slow down,” I say, grabbing his wrist. “You can’t get drunk tonight.”
