Chapter 17 Chapter 17
ANNA’S POV
The night was quiet, but my heart was loud. Every sound in the small servant’s room felt amplified—my own breathing, the faint rustle of the sheets, even the soft tapping of the moonlight on the walls.
Damon leaned against the wall like he owned the room. He watched me carefully, his gray eyes glinting faintly red in the shadows. The way he looked at me made my skin tingle.
“You shouldn’t be so tense,” he murmured, his voice smooth, like silk sliding across skin. “I don’t bite… unless you want me to.”
I swallowed hard. My chest tightened. “I… I’m not tense, Damon,” I said, even though my hands were shaking.
How was he doing this? How was he making me feel so nervous and anxious without even lifting a finger?
Damon suddenly smirked, slowly walking closer. Every step made my stomach twist. My mind screamed at me to push him away, to stand firm—but my body betrayed me. I felt drawn to him. Every inch of him radiated heat, control, and something… darkly tempting.
Then, without warning, he moved faster than my eyes could follow. One second he was by the wall, the next—he was right in front of me with his vampire speed.
My breath caught in my throat.
He leaned down, his face inches from mine. His eyes locked onto mine, unblinking, intense. I couldn’t look away, even if I wanted to.
“Do you remember me?” he suddenly asked.
I blinked in confusion.
I didn’t know what he meant. My chest hammered too loud. I stayed silent, staring back at him, confused and… strangely aware of every line of his face.
“Do you remember me?” he asked again, leaning closer, as he looked surprised I didn’t answer him the first time.
I gave a small chuckle, trying to mask my nerves. “Was that supposed to be scary, Damon?”
For a moment, he looked shocked.
“How… how did you do that?”
“Do what?” I questioned, frowning.
“No one has ever ignored me when I asked a question. It’s called a vampire’s compulsion. When I ask a question, you have no choice but to answer truthfully. It has always worked for everyone I've asked.”
I tilted my head, trying to understand what he was talking about and why it didn’t work for me. “Oh… maybe it didn’t work because it’s a dumb question. We just met a few days ago at the club. You act like we’ve known each other forever, but… we haven’t.”
He didn’t say anything.
He just stared at me, shocked and impressed at the same time. The silence pressed against me, and my chest fluttered in a way I couldn’t control.
Then, slowly, deliberately, he reached out and brushed my hair from my face. My skin tingled. His touch was light, but it sent shivers down my spine.
I tried to pull away, but my body froze. My heart raced. My head told me to step back—but my body wanted him closer.
And he did… He moved closer, brushing a hand along my jaw, tilting my face to meet his gaze. “Do you want me, Anna?” he asked, his voice turning rough, husky, and teasing.
Something inside me screamed yes. My body leaned forward on its own. My lips parted. My hands twitched toward him. Then my mind suddenly screamed stop. I couldn’t.
Tonight wasn’t like that night at the club, where I was drunk, confused, and gave in to him. I pulled away hard, stepping back until my back hit the wall.
“No! I… I can’t,” I gasped. “Not again.”
He froze for a heartbeat, his eyes widening, then a slow, amused smile spread across his face. “You're refusing me?”
“Yes,” I whispered, my chest heaving. “I can’t. I… I won’t.”
He smirked, stepping closer again, slowly, and confidently, like a predator circling. “You don’t have to fight it, Anna. I know you want me. I can feel it.”
I shook my head, heart racing. “No… I… I don’t.”
“You do!” His hand slid along my waist, brushing my hip. The touch made me shiver. “You can’t lie to me. You’ve been thinking about the sex we had at the club. You've been thinking about being underneath me since then.”
He was right!
But I couldn't let him know that...
I pressed my hands against his chest, trying to push him away, but he didn’t budge. His strength pinned me slightly, and my breath stopped.
“You want me,” he whispered, his lips near my ear. “You want what I can give you. The way I can make you feel—”
I swallowed hard.
“Stop!” I gasped.
He chuckled, letting the sound vibrate against my ear. “Mmm… don’t tell me to stop. I like it when you fight me. It makes it better when you finally give in.”
My legs trembled. My hands shook. My body betrayed my words. I almost leaned into him. I almost grabbed him and kissed him. It was crazy how badly I wanted him.
He smiled, sensing my weakness. “That’s it, Anna. Lean into me. Let me show you how good it feels to be fucked by a hybrid.”
I closed my eyes, heart racing. My mind screamed no, but my body… my body still wanted him.
But then, I pushed him back hard, stumbling. “I said no! I won’t!” I shouted, tears in my eyes from frustration, shame, and desire all mixed together.
His smirk disappeared for a moment, then he laughed softly, deeply amused. “You’re different from other girls,” he said, voice low, sexy. “No woman has been able to resist me, Anna.”
My stomach twisted. His words… they shouldn’t have affected me. They were arrogant, cocky even.
But they did.
I felt it—the pull, the heat crawling under my skin, making my knees weak. My chest tightened, my heart raced, and my mind went fuzzy. He was right. No one had ever… looked at me like this. No one had ever made me feel this.
I almost leaned forward. I almost let myself melt into his words, his smirk, his presence. I wanted to. I wanted to give in.
"Don’t do it, Anna," I told myself. "Not again. Not like that night. Not with him. You can’t."
But the way he looked at me… that dangerous, confident, teasing gaze… it made it so damn hard to resist. My fingers itched to touch him, to feel him closer. My body betrayed me, trembling in ways I hated myself for.
I clenched my fists, grounding myself against the wall. “I… I won’t...” I whispered, though my voice sounded weak even to me.
He tilted his head, studying me like he could see every thought inside my head. “One day, you’ll want me,” he murmured, his voice turning soft, almost a promise. “And I’ll be waiting for you right here.”
I watched him, my heart pounding, as he got up and turned toward the door, walking with that confident stride, like he owned the room.
Before leaving, he glanced back. His eyes glimmered faintly red, then gray again. “You’re… different, Anna!” he added quietly.
And just like that, he was gone.
My chest tightened, and my head spun. Different? What did he mean by that? I felt a shiver run down my spine—part fear, part… something I couldn’t name.
Even as his words stayed in my mind, my body betrayed me. Heat burned low in my stomach. My skin tingled. My heart raced. I wanted him—more than I should, more than I dared admit. The memory of his touch, his scent, the way he pushed himself closer to me, made me ache in ways that scared me.
I pressed my hands to my thighs, trying to calm myself down. I can’t. I can’t let this happen again. But the thought of him—so close, so commanding—made me shiver.
And I knew, deep down… I might not be able to stop myself from giving in to him next time.