Page 17 of Secrets Of Blackwood

“Trust you?” She shakes her head, her curls dancing wildly. “I’m trying to save you from making a mistake that could destroy you.”

Her words cut deep, but they can’t sever the bond that Damien and I have forged in the shadows of our secrets. Still, seeing Melissa’s pain, her fear for me, makes my resolve waver. How can I choose between the man who sets my soul alight and the woman who has always been my anchor?

“Melissa…” My voice cracks with emotion, the battle within me raging on. She stares at me, her expression a tumultuous storm of emotions, and for a moment, we’re both suspended in the silence of choices yet to be made.

3 - 4

The door crashes open, slamming against the wall with a force that makes my heart leap into my throat. Melissa’s there, her red hair a fiery cascade of indignation, her eyes two emerald flames burning through the pretense I’ve tried so hard to maintain.

“Melissa, what—”

“Save it, Lily.” Her words are sharp, and they slice through my feeble attempt at innocence. “I know about you and Damien.”

My mouth opens and closes, floundering for words that won’t come. The silence stretches between us, taut as a wire, and in that quiet, my denial is as transparent as glass.

“Look me in the eye and tell me there’s nothing going on,” Melissa demands, her voice low and dangerous.

I try, I really do. But the lie dies on my lips, suffocated by the weight of her gaze. She knows; she’s always known.

“Dammit, Lily!” Melissa paces now, restless energy radiating from her small frame. “Do you have any idea what you’re getting yourself into?”

“Melissa, please—” I start, but she cuts me off with a swift raise of her hand.

“Damien Blackwood is trouble. You think you’re the first? That he hasn’t left a trail of broken hearts and wrecked lives behind him?” Her voice is a serrated edge, each word etched with warnings and fear.

I’m on my feet now too, drawn up to my full height, though I still feel small next to the intensity of her conviction. “They’re just stories, rumors—”

“Rumors based on truths, Lily. Dark, twisted truths.” Melissa steps closer, her scent—a mix of cinnamon and determination—fills the space, as potent as her plea. “He’s got a past that would make your sweet little dreams turn into nightmares.”

My breath catches in my chest, a tangle of dread and defiance. I want to deny it, to reject the image she paints, but deep down, a part of me trembles at the thought that the Damien I crave, the one who ignites a fire within me, might be the very flame that could consume us both.

“Are you even listening to me?” Melissa’s voice softens now, tinged with a vulnerability that betrays her concern. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

I swallow, my defenses crumbling under the weight of her sincerity. She’s not just spouting venomous gossip; she’s speaking from a place of love, a desperate bid to shield me from the shadows that cling to Damien like a second skin.

“Melissa, I—” Words fail me again, because how can I explain that the danger she fears is the same thing that draws me to him? How can I tell her that his darkness calls to mine, that in his embrace, I find a torrid escape from the world’s expectations?

“Please, Lily.” She reaches out, her fingers grazing mine, a lifeline offered in the midst of a storm. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”

I nod, unable to voice the promises I’m not sure I can keep. Because while I may acknowledge the risks, I cannot deny the allure of the forbidden, the erotic thrill that comes from dancing on the edge with Damien Blackwood.

5 - 6

I stand my ground, the room’s dim light casting shadows that seem to echo the turmoil swirling within me. Damien’s image flickers in my mind, his gray eyes like a tempestuous sea – deep and fathomless.

“Melissa, you don’t understand,” I begin, my voice laced with an urgency that betrays the conflict raging inside me. “Damien… he’s not the person everyone thinks he is.”

“Isn’t he?” Melissa retorts, her hands on her hips as she paces the small space of the dorm room. Her red curls bounce with each step, a fiery halo that mirrors the passion in her plea. “Open your eyes, Lily! The guy has a reputation that’s darker than a moonless night.”

“Reputations are just… whispers, Melissa. They’re not the man I know.” I wrap my arms around myself, as if I could physically shield my heart from her piercing words. “He’s different when he’s with me, gentle and—”

“Every snake seems harmless until it strikes, Lily!” Melissa cuts in, exasperation staining her tone. The air between us crackles with tension, thick and suffocating.

“Listen to me!” Her voice rises, a crescendo of frustration. “I won’t stand by and watch you throw yourself into the lion’s den. If you won’t end this madness, I’ll have no choice but to reveal everything.”

The threat hangs heavy, a guillotine poised above the fragile thread of my secret world. My breath catches, heart pounding against my ribs as if it’s trying to escape the inevitable.

“Melissa, please!” The desperation in my voice surprises even me. “You can’t do that. You wouldn’t…”

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