Close Enough To Burn

Close Enough To Burn
Chapter 58:

Ivy’s POV

The house had never felt so big… or so quiet. Every laugh, every clatter of dishes, every sound from earlier had faded into stillness. It was the kind of silence that made your thoughts seem louder.

By the time night settled over the forest, I’d replayed the ambush about a hundred times in my head. Every sound from outside made me flinch. Every creak of the wood reminded me of claws scraping dirt.

I tried reading. Showering. Even pacing my room. Nothing worked. The unease had sunk too deep, humming under my skin like static. Finally, when the clock struck past midnight, I gave up pretending I could sleep. 

My room felt too big, too empty, and my thoughts too heavy.

I needed to find him. To see him.

Before I could overthink it, I slipped out of my room and padded down the hallway, my footsteps thudding quietly against the floorboards. The floor was cool beneath my feet, and the only light was coming from the lanterns flickering along the walls. The whole house was asleep, not even the usual faint chatter of conversation downstairs.

I was halfway down the corridor when someone rounded the corner, and I walked straight into a wall.

A warm, breathing wall. That smelled faintly of pine, cedar and rain.

“Easy, I've got you,” came that deep, familiar voice. His hands caught me before I could stumble back, strong and steady. “You should really stop doing that.” He murmured.

My breath caught. “Damian.”

He didn’t let go immediately. His fingers lingered against my arms, sliding up to cradle my shoulders, as his gaze swept over my face, searching. His eyes, gray shot through with that golden glint, softened as he exhaled. “I heard what happened,” he said quietly. “Or rather, Jason told me.”

For a moment, I couldn’t speak. The memory of the attack flashed again, the red eyes, the growl, the fear that had gripped my chest.

“I’m fine,” I managed. “Just… a bit shaken.”

His jaw tensed. “You were attacked.”

“Almost,” I murmured. “I wasn’t hurt.”

“That’s not the point.”

Before I could reply, he pulled me into his chest, in one smooth motion. No hesitation, no warning. Just his arms wrapping around me like he could shield me from every danger in the world.

For a moment, I didn’t breathe. His heartbeat thudded steady beneath my ear, grounding me in a way that nothing else had since I’d arrived here.

“I should have been there,” he whispered, his voice filled with regret. “I shouldn’t have let you out of my sight,” he gripped me tighter, “You shouldn’t have had to face that alone.”

The words vibrated against my ear. For a second, I didn’t realize I was holding on just as tightly. My fingers curled into his shirt, my forehead pressed against his chest, and all the fight I’d been clinging to drained away. “I didn’t face it alone, Jason was there, ” I murmured, stroking his back. “Besides, no one can be everywhere, not even you, Damian.”

His laugh was quiet, and humorless. “You say that like it’s not my job to be.”

I smiled faintly into his shirt. “You’re not invincible, you know.”

He leaned back just enough to meet my gaze. “You keep saying that like you want to prove it.”

I meant to tease him back, but the look in his eyes stopped me. Something had shifted, something quieter, deeper. He wasn’t just angry or protective. He looked… afraid.

And not for himself. For me.

Before I could say anything, movement at the edge of the hall caught my attention. Jason.
He stood a few feet away, half of him shrouded in darkness, watching us silently, his expression unreadable, his gaze flicking from Damian to me and back again. For a second, I thought he might say something. But then he just turned and disappeared down the hall, silent as ever.

I blinked. “Was that…?”

“Jason,” Damian said, his voice weird. “He’s doing rounds.”

“Oh.” I hesitated, then offered a small smile. “He’s good at looming.”

That earned me the faintest flicker of amusement before he took my hand. “Come on.” He said softly, “You shouldn’t be wandering around at night.”

We started up the stairs together, his hand warm against mine. Neither of us spoke, but the space between us felt… different. Not heavy, just charged. Like saying one wrong word could shatter the fragile peace we’d found in that moment.

When we reached the landing, we both stopped– me by my door, him across the hall.

We hesitated.

Then, like some unspoken cue, we both turned at the same moment.

“I—” we said in unison.

I blinked, then laughed quietly. “You first.” I said.

He shook his head, that faint, almost-smile tugging at his mouth. “Ladies first.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Alpha’s orders?” I teased, hiding a smile.

That earned a smirk, “Consider it courtesy,” he replied, his voice low.

I hesitated, watching the way the light hit his face. “What were you going to say?”

His gaze softened, though something restless moved behind it. He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck, like he was weighing whether to speak at all. “I was going to ask…” He paused, then met my eyes. “I was going to ask if you… If you could sleep in my room tonight.”

The air between us shifted. Completely.

I opened my mouth, but words refused to form. “You…what?”

He lifted his hands, waving it. “Nothing’s going to happen,” he said quickly. “I just—” His voice faltered for the first time, rougher now. “After today… I can’t shake the thought of you being alone.”

His eyes met mine, open, unguarded. “I'd rather have you close. That’s all it is.”

My pulse fluttered. I searched his face for any trace of teasing, but there was none. Just honesty. Vulnerability, maybe. “You’re serious.”

“I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t.”

I should’ve said no, wanted to tell him no, to play it safe, to keep that last inch of distance between us.
But instead, I found myself whispering, “Okay. Just give me a minute.”

He nodded, slowly, the corners of his mouth softening. “Don’t take too long."