Chapter 29

Emelia's POV.

It had been a long while since Damon left, leaving me alone to deal with all the people around me. Eli was of some help as he stayed by my side, and my mother tried to initiate a conversation, but my mind was occupied by Damon. Without giving any other thought, I decided to look for Damon. I politely excused myself from all the people around and went straight toward Damon's room.

The corridors seemed longer than usual, each step echoing my growing worry. The festive atmosphere of the coronation contrasted sharply with the anxiety gnawing at my heart. Something didn't feel right. As I approached Damon's room, a sense of urgency quickened my pace. I reached the door, took a deep breath, and knocked softly.

There was no response. I knocked again, louder this time, and still no answer. Panic started to creep in.

"Damon?" I called, for a moment there was nothing, and then I heard the click of the lock.

I pushed the door open cautiously and stepped inside, my eyes scanning the room for any sign of Damon. The room was eerily quiet, and my heart sank when I saw that it was empty.

I turned to leave, but a sudden noise behind me made me freeze. I slowly turned back around and saw Damon standing just inside the doorway, his eyes locked onto mine. Relief washed over me, but it was short-lived as I noticed that he was unusually calm, but my heart told me otherwise.

"Damon, what's going on?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly. "Why did you leave so suddenly?"

He hesitated, his eyes shifting away from mine for a moment before he stepped further into the room and closed the door behind him.

Before he could speak, I saw David behind him, holding a knife. I gasped, my body tensing in fear.

It occurred to me, very briefly, that I should scream to call someone. But if Damon were dead – if David killed him – then I would kill David.

Logically, I knew that I shouldn’t be worried. That Damon could handle the situation on his own, and he could get himself out of anything. But it was exactly that kind of arrogance that would get Damon into sticky situations, too. Damon was a god among men, yes, but a mortal god.

Fear sank its teeth into my lungs, making it hard to breathe. A panic attack sat on the edge of my consciousness, whispering of Damon's death. Detailing what my life would be without Damon in it. Tears burned behind my eyes as familiar dread became static around my thoughts. Chest expanding and contracting with deep, even breaths. Reminding me how to breathe. I had no weapon on me, that left flat-out confrontation, which was somehow even worse than fighting a knife.

I closed my eyes a final time, breathed in the power, safety, and control embedded in Damon's scent, and stood.

I murmured, “David?”

“Emelia.” David frowned, determination unwavering. He was in awful condition, with bruises all over his body. His feet were covered with dirt. I scrunched my brows, the final puzzle pieces falling into place, Damon was holding him captive.

I took a step forward. David straightened his knife, keeping it trained on Damon. I stopped.

“I know you don’t want to hurt me, David.”

He pursed his lips. “No. I don’t. But I will if I have to. If that’s what it takes to make you listen. To make you see.”

I shifted and slid my other foot forward, not quite a step. “I’m listening.”

“I told you already, Emelia. You and me. We’re meant to be together. What I didn’t know was that he is a lunatic, a monster. And it’s high time you see him for who he is,” he pressed the knife firmly behind Damon's back, threatening.

“The only person hunting here is you. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you this, but I’m it's over between us.”

"You think he can just take everything from me and get away with it?" David spat, his eyes wild with anger. " He took you away from me, took my chance at redemption."

"Redemption," I scoffed, "You tried to lock me away David."

David's eyes met mine, and for a moment, I saw a hint of the man I once knew. But it was quickly replaced by the overwhelming anger that consumed him. "You don't understand. I did all of it for us," he said, his voice shaking. "And you don't know what he's done."

David flicked his gaze over to Damon, and I followed the motion. He stood in right in front of me right, his eyes locked on me. The silent help me and be careful were too loud to be genuine, so I looked deeper. At the fascination and gratification. The pleasure.

He thought this was a game. Hurt seeded in the middle of my anxieties, but I didn’t have time to process it. David redrew his attention with a shake of the head.

“I know I was wrong to reject you but I’ve seen you spread your wings. The power in you. The violence. It’s beautiful, Emelia. And I…” David pressed his lips into a tight line. The vulnerability that shimmered in his eyes was real. “I love you. And I didn’t come here tonight to kill you. I came back to take you with me. To be something more than just a single hawk, soaring alone.”

But I latched on with dark, blood-stained claws. Merciless. “Damon and I are more to each other than protection. We’re mates. And your problem…” I took another step, almost in arm’s reach of his knife. “Is the fact that you think you can walk into my like you’re my mate and just take over," I continued, “You’re not my mate, David. And your choices are to either realize that you aren’t the strongest wolf here and bare your neck.” I took another step forward, “Or get your throat ripped out.”

“Don’t back out now, David. If you’re going to kill me, then you’d better kill me now. Otherwise, the hell you’ll experience won’t just be killing your delusional mate. It’ll be rejection. Outright and forever. You hurt either me or Damon, and you won’t just lose your chance at redemption. You’ll be forced back into the dark. Alone.” I met David's eyes, unflinching, and curled my lips into a soft frown, equal parts pitying and disdainful. He tutted. “And I won't forgive you this time.”

My wolf was relentless this time, it was eager to protect Damon. Eager to take back what was rightfully mine. There was no room for forgiveness anymore, I took the final step and plunged at him, grabbing the knife from his hand.

David fell to his knees and caught himself on his hand. He opened his mouth in a silent exclamation of pain. David lifted his head, hazel eyes teary.

I met his gaze, unmoved, “Do you know what I'm willing to do to protect my mate?” I trailed the sharp edge of the knife down his jaw and stopped under his chin, then tilted his head to bare his neck.

He shook his head, the motion almost too small to catch. I added more pressure to the soft, fleshy part of the junction between his throat and jawbone. David's breath stuttered.

I said, “I'm willing to kill for him.”

Voice strained from the press of knife against his throat, he said, “I don’t care. I don’t care if you kill me. All I want is you, Emelia. Any way you’ll have me. I’ll do anything. Be anything. Your side-piece. Your friend. Your fucking slave. Anything you want, I’ll do. Just give me a chance.” He loosed a small, weak noise. He whimpered, “Please.”

I kept my hands steady as I pressed the edge of the knife against his cheek, in the center of colorful, bruised skin. The slightest pressure had his head tilting to the side. He didn’t even think of resisting. I cut him anyway.

A thin line, barely enough to draw blood, running parallel to his eye. A single strike down, or maybe a single strike left. A reminder, either way.