Open eyes
Open eyes
I nodded, but almost without conviction. Had I done the right thing? Or had I doomed myself? As I looked at Damon , something seemed to hold my gaze. I couldn't look away or convince myself that I had acted wrongly in saving him. However, now that I had saved his life, perhaps I finally had something to say.
DAMON
I came to myself suddenly. One instant there was nothing but darkness, and the next I snapped my eyes open, and the world was back in its place.
Oh, no.
No, no, no.
My eyes immediately searched for Bailey and I sighed in relief when I saw him. His head was down, his shoulders arched, and his gaze was fixed on Bonnie's hip bone as he painstakingly stitched her skin back together.
I hated it. It made my hair stand on end the way my Bailey was touching Bonnie and, judging by the way Bonnie was grinning at me like a madman, I knew how much it affected me. It was annoying that Bonnie was so good at her job; otherwise I would have cut off her smug little face.
"Bailey " I said hoarsely, how long had he been unconscious?
He paused for a moment, but didn't look at me. His jaw tensed as he gritted his teeth. Fuck, he was furious. Worse, he knew.
Benjamin knew everything. He must have known, because I was here. Alive. Breathing. Saved.
"I'll go " Bonnie said wisely as she started to rise.
Bailey put her hand on Bonnie's chest her bare chest and pushed him back against the other couch. "No. You're going to lie there until I'm done working."
Bailey , pissed off, made my blood pound. I gingerly sat up. I still felt like I'd been blown to bits, which was almost true. As soon as I reached the warehouse, it exploded again, almost as if someone was watching and waiting for me. Then we had to force our way out. Whoever had hired those goons, though, needed to hire someone better. They sucked. They only managed to put a bullet in my shoulder because I walked away from an exploding building. They didn't even use silver bullets, which meant they either didn't know anything about vampires, or they were expendable.
The tension in the room was thick. I could almost feel every raspy, sharp breath coming out of Bailey's body as I placed more stitches in Bonnie's wound
"Bailey ? "I asked in a low voice. There was no response. Bailey ...
"What?" he blurted out, as he turned to look at me with his eyes alight . "What, Damon? Are you going to tell me the truth? Or are you going to keep hiding the truth from me?"
I will tell you the truth and answer any questions you have. I may not have wanted to, but we could no longer control my desires. Whether she liked it or not, Bailey was going to be part of the world behind hers, and down here it was dangerous. I needed to know what she was getting into, and a selfish part of me hoped she would decide to stay.
He said nothing, just turned to finish mending Bonnie . I watched him silently as he worked, his head down, his blond curls falling forward. He was so beautiful. The angles of his face were soft, his gaze piercing and that mouth...that mouth of his would be my downfall.
"Ready," he said as he went back to looking at his work. "Try not to break your stitches. I'm sure you know that, but keep them dry for 48 hours and then see the doctor in a week to have them removed."
"Can't you?" asked Bonnie as Bailey put a bandage on the wound. She had to admit she'd stitched it up beautifully. Better than our man would ever do.
Bailey frowned, as if the idea of offending someone professionally bothered her. "Don't they have a doctor on staff?"
"Yeah, but he's not as good as you, birdie " Bonnie said as she pulled her shirt on, showing off her well-defined abs in front of Bailey . She was going to skin him alive.
I had never been jealous, but every interaction Bonnie had with Bailey got my blood pumping. "Bonnie , if you want to see your brother again, leave Bailey alone."
Her eyes sparkled and I knew I had hit the mark. Bonnie's world revolved around her brother, Barrie . He was easy to pick out, and normally I wouldn't threaten my family, but Byron needed to step away and know that I was serious about Bailey .
"That's cold, Damon " he said dryly." I'm leaving, but I'll make plans to see Barrie soon .
"Good " I said. I knew this had been on the horizon for some time. Barrie liked to torment his brother every few months, and while I didn't fully understand his dynamic, I knew that if he didn't leave, it would get wild." Just come see me before you go."
He nodded and turned to look at Bailey . She took his hand gently and brought it to her lips, kissing him on the knuckles like a dark prince from a fairy tale. "Thank you, little bird."
A blush crept up Bailey's neck at the gesture, but she managed to mumble, "You're welcome."
Bonnie walked out of the room, silent as a shadow, leaving Bailey staring at me with a mixture of anger, sadness and anxiety shining in her gorgeous green eyes. He had removed his eyeliner and changed his clothes, which was a shame. He looked gorgeous and I was looking forward to taking it off.
"So " he said, crossing his arms," you're a vampire."
Well, we were getting straight to the point. "Yes."
"And I'm your partner."
Wow, my boys had been busy telling us secrets. "Yeah."
"And you'd rather die than tell me?"
Well, when he put it that way... "Yes."
"Jesus " he muttered under his breath. "Is this why you kidnapped me?"
"No. " I ran my hand over my face. I was going to need to explain myself, but I didn't want to put Bailey in any more danger than she was already in-. I kidnapped you because I thought you might have something to do with Bladimir and the information he stole.
"But I just met that guy that day."
"I know that now, but at the time I couldn't risk it."
He cocked his head to one side. "What did Bladimir steal?"