Chapter Four

I barely slept that night.

I knew every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was the reality I was trapped in. Leo was under Damian's roof, under his spell. And however hard I kicked, he would always come out on top.

I couldn’t let that happen.

I needed a plan.

My first concern was Leo’s safety, but I couldn’t simply take him and run. Damian would find us. He had resources power, and connections that I could not hope to fight on my own.

I had to be careful.

I had to be smart.

The morning came too soon, and with it, the burden of another day in Damian’s world.

I laid out Leo’s clothes and helped him get dressed again, smiling tightly as he went on about starting school. He was so enthusiastic, and I didn’t want to quell that enthusiasm. Toyed with the idea of giving Damian control over this, even if every fiber in me was screaming not to.

I brought Leo downstairs for breakfast, bracing myself for another silent standoff with Damian.

But the dining room was empty.

For a moment, I allowed myself to hope. Perhaps he had an early appointment. Maybe today he’d be too preoccupied to torture me.

Then, like an apparition conjured by my thoughts, Damian entered, straightening the cuffs of his suit jacket.

The room surrendered to him at once, pulling the oxygen from my lungs.

His eyes swept over me and stayed just a second too long before moving to Leo. “Ready for your first day?”

Leo grinned. “Yes!”

Damian nodded slightly and returned his gaze to me. “You’ll be coming with us.”

I was tense. “Why?”

He took a seat and settled into it, utterly at home. “Because I said so.”

I gritted my teeth. “That’s not an answer.”

His lips twitched. “You’re going to want to see where your son is spending his time, aren’t you?”

Damn him.

Of course, I wanted to know. But I hated that he was deciding for me, as though I were some pawn on his chessboard.

I forced a tight smile. “Fine.”

Leo smiled, blissfully unaware of the strain between us. “Mommy’s coming too?”

“Yes, sweet,” I replied, forcing my tone sweet for him. “Just for today.”

Damian’s eyes darkened slightly at my words, as though he knew exactly what I was trying to do to remind him that he didn’t own me.

But the smile that curled his lips indicated he wasn’t threatened.

He thought he’d already won.

I balled my hands into fists beneath the table.

This wasn’t over.

♦♦♦

The school was every bit as over-the-top as I imagined.

Tall glass windows. Modern architecture. A playground fit for a luxury resort.

Even as I sat still as ice next to Damian, Leo’s enthusiasm was infectious.

“I’ll send my driver to pick him up after school,” Damian said, swearing nonviolently.

I shot him a glare. “I’m the one who’s going to pick him up.”

Damian shifted slightly, his towering frame too close for comfort. “We’ll see.”

I hated how my breath caught in his presence. How his smell was clean and sharp, with something darker enveloping me.

I backed off before I did something dumb like let myself forget who he was.

Leo’s teacher welcomed us, kneeling to speak to him as an equal, making him feel at home. He hardly looked back at me as he was escorted into class.

It stung.

But it was also a relief.

I wanted him to be happy. To feel normal.

Even if what happened between them was wrong on every level.

As soon as he was in, I flipped on Damian. “I want to talk to you.”

He raised an eyebrow. “By all means.”

“Not here,” I snapped. “Somewhere private.”

His smirk deepened. “Careful, sweetheart. Someone might read that you’re anxious to be alone with me.”

I scowled. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

He laughed but motioned for me to follow.

We headed out, away from the school door. As soon as we were out of earshot, I turned on him.

“It doesn’t change anything,” I hissed. “Just because I agreed to have Leo try this doesn’t mean I trust you.”

Damian’s face didn’t change. “Noted.”

“I’m serious, Damian.“ I don’t know what game you’re playing, but I won’t let you play, Leo.”

He tilted his head. “And what do you think I’m doing?”

I folded my arms. “You’re trying to make him choose you.

A glimmer passed through his eyes. “He doesn’t have to choose.”

I scoffed. “That’s what you hope for, right? To shove me out until I’m a footnote in his life.”

For the first time, his jaw tightened. “I would never take him away from you.”

I laughed bitterly. “That’s what you’re doing, Damian.”

His gaze burned into mine. “You ran, Elena. You kept him from me. And now you’re mad that I’m reclaiming what’s mine?”

I swallowed hard. “He’s not a possession.”

Damian closed the space between them, his voice low, lethal. “Neither are you. But I still want to keep you.’

My breath caught.

My pulse pounded in my throat.

And I hated, hated that for that split second, the idea of belonging to him didn’t seem so terrifying.

I should have walked away.

I should have done an about-face, spat one final jibe at Damian, and walked away, leaving him there with his cocky grin.

But I didn’t.

Because I can still hear his last words.

"I still intend to keep you."

The way he said it was as if he had a deal … or a warning.

My heart was a drum in my ribs, my fists balled so tight my nails sank into the flesh of my palms. I inhaled deeply, willing myself to hold his stare without recoiling.

“You don’t get to decide that,” I said firmly.

Damian’s smirk didn’t waver. “We’ll see.”

I hated that answer.

Loved the way it tingles on my skin, with something dangerously close to anticipation.

I spun, putting as much distance between us as I could before I did something stupid—like allow myself to get wrapped up in the undeniable chemistry sizzling between us.

♦♦♦

It was stifling, the ride back to Damian’s estate.

I sat in the car, stiff and arms folded, eyes fixed on the window. Damian was next to me, completely at ease, as if he weren’t the cause of my fraying nerves.

“You can calm down,” he said, after some time.

I scoffed. “That’s funny, hearing that from the man holding me hostage.”

His lips twitched. “I wouldn’t call it a hostage. More like… protective custody.

I shot him a glare. “Call it whatever you want. It doesn’t change me not wanting to be here.”

His eyes darkened slightly. “Yet, here you are.”

Silence stretched between us, unspoken words. Because I have no choice.

Because he had all the power.

Because the truth of the matter was, no matter how badly I wanted to fight, Damian had already won the first battle.

But the war wasn’t over.

Not yet.

♦♦♦

Back at the estate, I was gasping for air.

As soon as we pulled up, I marched to the garden, needing to put distance between myself and Damian, from his control, from the oppressing walls of this prison masquerading as a mansion.

Taking a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm the tornado brewing inside of me, the cool breeze brushed up against my skin.

But naturally, there was never going to be peace with Damian.

“I was on hold wondering how long it would take you to run,” his voice said from behind me.

I froze but did not look back. “I’m not running. I just needed air.”

There were footsteps, plodding toward me, slow and ponderous. “You can’t run forever, Elena.”

I got a shiver down my spine from the way he said my name.

I exhaled sharply. “I’m not yours to chase, Damian.”

He was close now. Too close.

“Not yet,” he murmured.

I pivoted to argue with him, only for the words to catch in my throat.

Because Damian was inches away from me, his eyes glued to mine with an intensity that had my breath hitching.

A thick tension hung between us, an unseen string drawing us closer.

I swallowed hard. “Quit staring at me like that.”

His lips curled. “Like what?”

“Like you own me.”

He leaned closer, filling my space, his smell wrapping around me like a cloud. “Maybe because I do.”

My heart pounded. “You don’t.”

He moved closer, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my face. The touch was featherlight, and yet it sent a jolt through me.

“I will,” he murmured.

Then, before I could react, he turned and stalked off, leaving me standing there, breathless, furious… and dangerously intrigued.