Page 29 of Secrets Of Blackwood

The door clicks shut behind us, and it feels like a seal on a pact. Damien turns to me, his gaze burning with an intensity that lights a fire straight through to my soul. He steps forward, eliminating the distance between us, and takes me into his arms.

“Let me show you how much you mean to me,” he breathes out before his lips capture mine.

It’s a kiss that speaks volumes, raw and unguarded. Our connection deepens, rooted in trust and a shared battle against the darkness. Clothes become irrelevant obstacles as we shed them along with our doubts and fears. Skin to skin, we cling to each other, a union of bodies and hearts that no outside force can sever.

His touch is worshipful as he explores every curve, every line of my body with a tender urgency. Each caress stokes the flame within me, building a heat that demands release. I respond to him with equal fervor, driven by the knowledge that every moan, every arch of my back erases the shadows that Victoria tried to cast over us.

“Damien,” I gasp, his name a plea and a declaration all at once.

“I’m here, Lily. I’ve always been here,” he answers, his movements becoming more insistent, driving us toward a precipice we’re ready to leap from together.

And when we do, it’s a collision of passion and power, a testament to a love that refuses to be quelled. The world outside might hold uncertainties, enemies lurking in the shadows, but inside these walls, we reign supreme, two souls fused into one impenetrable fortress.

“Never let me go,” I whisper against his lips, lost in the afterglow.

“Never,” he vows, sealing the promise with a kiss that carries us into the dawn of a new day, free from Victoria’s chains.

9

Chapter Nine

Ipace the length of my room, back and forth, like a caged animal. Each step is a silent war cry, each breath a struggle to contain the chaos within me. My fists clench of their own accord, knuckles whitening as I grapple with emotions that threaten to tear me apart. The love I harbor for Lily—a love as fierce as it is forbidden—clashes with the palpable danger that shadows my every move.

The memory of her floods in unbidden, igniting a fire that courses through my veins with a ferocity that leaves me breathless. I close my eyes, and there she is behind my eyelids: Lily, with her sun-kissed hair and eyes bluer than the clearest sky. Her touch, gentle yet insistent, sends shivers down my spine, awakening a hunger only she can satisfy.

“Damien,” she whispered once, her voice a melody that resonated deep within my soul. And when our lips met, it was an inferno, a merging of two worlds—one dark and one ablaze with innocence. With every caress, with every gasp and melding of flesh, we danced on the edge of something terrifyingly exquisite.

Her presence, a soothing balm to the turmoil that plagues me, brings peace—an elusive specter I’ve chased but never truly captured until her. When she’s near, the demons that lurk in the recesses of my mind retreat, cowed by the purity of her light.

But now, as I stand alone amidst the shadows of my room, I’m haunted not only by my past but by the future that looms ominously ahead. A future where I must either shield her from the darkness I embody or let her go to save her from a fate she doesn’t deserve.

“Stay away from me,” I had growled, the lie bitter on my tongue. But even as I pushed her away, my soul screamed in silent protest, yearning for the warmth of her embrace, the sweet surrender of her body beneath mine. It’s a dangerous game we play, a dance with destiny where every step could be our last.

Yet, how do I extinguish this flame that burns so brightly between us? How do I deny this connection that feels as essential as the air I breathe?

“Damien,” she breathed into my ear during one stolen night, “I’m yours.”

And goddamn if I don’t want to claim that promise, to brand myself onto her very being until there’s no separating where she ends and I begin. But the cost—the potential cost—I’m not sure if I’m strong enough to pay it, not if it means putting her in harm’s way.

I sink onto the bed, the cool sheets a stark contrast to the heat raging inside me. There’s no easy answer, no clear path forward. All I know is that Lily has become my everything, and the thought of a world without her is a desolate void I refuse to contemplate.

With a sigh, I let my head fall back against the pillow, the image of Lily’s smile etched into my mind—a beacon of hope in the encroaching darkness. Whatever it takes, I vow silently, I will protect that smile, protect her, even if it means facing down the demons of my past and the monsters of my present.

Because without Lily, without that light, all that’s left is an eternity of shadows—and that’s a fate worse than any other.

3 - 4

The vibration of my phone against the mahogany bedside table jolts me from the spiral of thoughts. I snatch it up, the screen illuminating a message that chills my blood—words scrawled in digital ink, as cold and threatening as the barrel of a gun.

“Blackwood, we know about the girl. Consider this your final warning.”

The words lurk on the screen, a viper coiled to strike. They’re not just a threat; they’re a promise—a promise that the shadows of my world are reaching out for Lily. My heart clenches like a fist, fear and anger warring inside me. She’s innocent, untouched by the dirt and grime of my life. And yet, here she is, caught in the crossfire of a war she doesn’t even know exists.

I’m pacing again, the phone gripped tight enough to fracture. The urge to smash it, to destroy the harbinger of doom it’s become, is overwhelming. But I can’t. It’s my lifeline to Lily, the one thing connecting us when we’re apart.

“Damien.” Ethan’s voice slices through the haze of my fury. He’s leaning against the doorframe, his face etched with concern. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Close enough,” I mutter, thrusting the phone toward him. His eyes skim the message, and he swipes a hand over his stubbled jawline.

---