Damien's POV The forest held its breath. Lydia stepped back, just a fraction, and the air grew lighter around us as if something had been sucking the oxygen away without my noticing. Her mouth hung open, that perfect composure cracked wide, and I felt a strange, vicious satisfaction at the sight. The Almighty Lydia. Terrified of a tether she hadn't seen coming. I released the aura I'd been holding, felt my eyes cool from red back to hazel, and coughed. Blood hit my palm, dark and thick. When I looked up, she was still staring at me, and something in her gaze had shifted from predator to something almost like calculation. Almost like respect. "I thought you didn't have emotions." I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, letting the words come out lazy, almost amused, though my ribs screamed with every breath. "Are you scared already?" She didn't answer immediately. She simply looked at me, her head tilting with that birdlike assessment, and when she finally spoke, her voice had
Last Updated : 2026-06-02 Read more