Chapter 9 Forced Alliance

Elena reluctantly followed Damian back to his penthouse, her arms folded tightly across her chest as the elevator ascended. Her heart was a storm of fear, anger, and something else she refused to name. She didn't want to be there, didn't want to depend on him, but the danger pressing in from every direction left her little choice.

The moment they stepped into the penthouse, Damian was already on the phone, pacing the length of the living room with sharp, deliberate strides. His voice was like ice. "Double the patrols. I don't care how much it costs," he barked, his jaw clenched. "I want eyes on every entrance, every hallway, and every car that so much as slows down outside." He hung up and finally turned to face her.

"You're treating me like I'm a prisoner," Elena snapped, unable to keep the frustration from her voice.

"I'm treating you like someone I can't lose," Damian corrected, stepping closer. His towering presence made her pulse jump, and she hated that he could affect her like this.

"Why me?" she whispered, her voice cracking as her defenses began to slip. "Why do you care so much?"

Damian's jaw tightened, and for a moment, he seemed to struggle with the words. When he finally spoke, his voice was softer, almost vulnerable. "Because I made a promise to your father," he admitted. "And because somewhere along the way... I stopped wanting to let you go."

Elena's heart thudded painfully in her chest. She opened her mouth to speak, to tell him to stay away, but no words came. Instead, she turned and retreated to the guest room, her emotions a tangled mess.

That night, she lay awake in the soft, unfamiliar bed, staring at the ceiling. The faint sound of Damian moving through the penthouse reached her ears-steady footsteps, the distant rustle of papers. She hated how safe she felt there, how part of her wanted to stay. And though she fought it, she could feel the walls she'd built around her heart beginning to crack.