Chapter 26 Chapter 26
ANNA'S POV
Damon's arms were still around me, warm and strong, and for a while, I didn’t even breathe.
I could hear his heartbeat.
Unlike mine that felt like it was trying to break free from my chest.
I didn’t understand why I wasn’t moving. I didn't understand why I didn’t step back the moment his hand brushed my back or when I felt his breath near my neck.
Maybe I was frozen.
Or maybe… I didn’t want to move away from him.
When I finally pulled away, my fingers brushed against his chest, and the heat from his body made my hands tremble. I looked up at him slowly. His eyes met mine—deep, dark, and unreadable—and I forgot every word I had planned to say.
He didn’t look away.
He held my gaze the way someone might hold a secret—firmly, almost painfully.
“You shouldn’t look at me like that,” I whispered, breaking first.
He smiled faintly, his eyes not leaving mine. “Like what?”
“Like you can see through me.”
His smirk deepened. “Maybe I can.”
My breath caught in my throat. He was teasing me again, but there was something different this time—something slower, softer. There was something that made my stomach twist.
I tried to look away, but he took a step closer. The firelight flickered behind him, throwing gold across his sharp cheekbones, his jaw, and the curve of his lips.
“Relax, Anna,” he murmured. “You look like you’re about to run.”
“Maybe I should,” I muttered, but I didn’t move.
He tilted his head, amused. “Then why aren’t you?”
Because I couldn’t.
Because something about him pulled me in even when I knew I should stay away.
“I don’t know,” I answered softly, almost to myself.
He smiled again—slowly, dangerously. “You blush when you lie!” he whispered.
My lips parted, but no words came out. His gaze dropped to my mouth for half a second before returning to my eyes. The room suddenly felt too small, too warm. I took a tiny step back, but he followed, closing the distance I tried to create.
His hand came up, brushing a loose strand of hair from my face. His fingers lingered a little too long against my cheek.
“Does it bother you?” he asked quietly.
“What?”
“When I’m close to you.”
My heart stumbled. “You shouldn’t ask things like that.”
“Why not?”
“Because…” I swallowed, forcing my voice steady. “You’re Elijah’s brother. You’re—”
“Me,” he interrupted gently, his thumb tracing my jaw for a second before falling away. “That’s all I am right now. Just me.”
It was the way he said it—low, calm, almost tender—that made my breath stop.
He took another step closer, his body brushing against mine. My back met the edge of the table behind me, and I realized he had trapped me there without even trying.
His hand slid to my waist, resting there as if it belonged. My breath caught in my throat.
“Damon—”
“Anna,” he whispered, my name like silk on his tongue. “Why do you always say my name like it’s something forbidden?”
“Because it feels like it is,” I breathed.
He smiled faintly, his eyes locked on mine. “Maybe that’s why you can’t stop saying it.”
I froze, my lips parting. I wanted to push him away, but my body wouldn’t listen. The heat of his palm against my waist, the slow rhythm of his breathing—it was all too much.
He leaned in just a little, his voice dropping to a near whisper. “Tell me, Anna… are you celebrating your birthday this year?”
That question caught me off guard. “My birthday?”
He nodded, his thumb still drawing light circles on my waist. “It’s soon, isn’t it?”
“How do you know that?”
He smiled, like it was nothing. “One of the maids mentioned it. I heard her talking about how you've never celebrated your birthday.”
“Oh…” I tried to focus on his words, not the warmth spreading through my stomach. “Well, I don't celebrate birthdays.”
“Why not?”
I gave a weak laugh. “I just feel like there’s nothing to celebrate. It’s just another day.”
“You’re wrong,” he replied simply. “You deserve more than that.”
I looked at him then.
Really looked.
His expression wasn’t teasing anymore. He was serious. And for a moment, I saw something I had never seen in him before—something human, fragile even.
My chest tightened. I didn’t want to feel that way. I didn’t want to start believing there was something soft in him under all that danger.
“I’ve planned something for you...” he revealed after a pause.
“What?”
His smirk returned, faintly but enough to make my heart jump. “You’ll find out soon!”
“You planned something for me on my birthday?”
He nodded and turned away, reaching for the glass on the table. The air between us felt electric, and alive, as if I could still feel his touch even though he wasn’t touching me anymore.
I tried to breathe normally again, but my chest refused to calm.
I should have left right then. I should’ve run from that room before he looked at me again.
But I didn’t.
When he turned back toward me, his eyes caught mine, and everything in me stilled.
The way he looked at me… it wasn’t playful anymore. It wasn’t cruel. It was something else entirely—something that felt like a promise.
“Don’t look at me like that,” I said weakly.
He raised a brow. “Like what?”
“Like you want to—”
“To what?” he interrupted softly, stepping closer again.
I couldn’t even finish the sentence. The words died somewhere between us. He slowly reached up, touching my chin gently, tilting it until I had no choice but to meet his eyes.
“Relax,” he said again, his voice lower this time. “You don’t have to be afraid of me!”
“I’m not afraid!”
“Then why are your hands shaking?”
Because of you. Because you make me feel things I don’t want to feel.
But I couldn't say all that. I just pulled my hand back quickly. “I should go. I still have chores to do.”
I turned toward the door, clutching my hands together so he wouldn’t see them shake.
“Anna,” he called softly as I reached for the handle.
I turned back.
His gaze locked with mine again, holding me there in that moment. “I can't wait for you to see what I've planned for you on your birthday,” he said. “You'll be shocked!”
I nodded weakly. “Alright, Damon.”
Then I stepped out before my heart betrayed me again.
The hallway was colder than his room, quieter too. The floor felt hard under my bare feet, and I tried to calm down, tried to steady my breath.
What was happening to me?
Why did his touch linger like that? Why did his words sound like more than they should?
I pressed my palm against my chest, as if I could quiet my heartbeat that way.
I didn’t want to fall for him. I couldn’t.
But I was.
I was falling for him, slowly and helplessly.
My steps echoed softly as I walked down the corridor. The walls were dim, lit only by a few dying candles. Somewhere in the distance, I heard laughter from the guards’ quarters. Everything felt still.
Until—
A hand grabbed me suddenly from behind.
I gasped, my back hitting a wall as I was pulled through an open door.
My heart slammed against my ribs in fear.
“Let go!” I tried to pull away, fear rushing through me.
Then the door closed, and I saw his face.
It was Elijah.
I froze, breathing hard. “What are you doing? You scared me!”
He didn’t answer at first. His eyes were wild, sharp, angry—and scared.
“Why would you pull me like that?” I asked, confused and still trying to catch my breath.
His jaw clenched. “Because you don’t know what you’re walking into.”
“What do you mean?”
He stepped closer, almost trembling. “Damon.”
My chest tightened. “What about him?”
Elijah’s eyes burned into mine. “He wants to kill you.”
My throat went dry. “What?”
“On your birthday,” he answered. “That’s when he plans to kill you.”
For a second, I couldn’t breathe.
The air in the room turned cold. My body went still. My mind couldn’t make sense of the words.
He… Damon…?
No. That couldn’t be true.
He would never want to do that to me?