Page 33 of Secrets Of Blackwood

She turns to face me fully, her cold blue eyes locking onto mine. “Lily? My, my. Since when did you become the knight in shining armor?”

“Since you decided to make her your pawn,” I spit back. The air between us crackles with tension, each word a loaded gun ready to fire.

“Leave her alone, Victoria. This ends now.”

Her laugh is like ice shattering, cold and sharp. “Oh, Damien. Always so protective. But let’s not pretend it’s just about her, shall we? We both know there’s more at stake here.”

I clench my fists, fighting to keep control over the rage bubbling inside me. Victoria always had a talent for pushing my buttons, for digging under my skin with her pointed words. It’s a dangerous game she’s playing, one that could burn us both.

“Is that what you think?” I challenge, taking a step closer. “That this is some sort of twisted game? You’re messing with someone’s life, Victoria.”

“Isn’t that what we’ve always done?” she retorts, her gaze never leaving mine. “Or have you forgotten our past so easily?”

“Enough!” I roar, the sound echoing off the walls. “You will not drag her into our mess.”

Victoria’s façade falters for a moment, revealing a glimpse of the vulnerability she hides so well. “Do you really care about her, Damien? Or are you just afraid of being alone?”

Her question slices through me, striking at the very insecurities that haunt me. The darkness within threatens to surface, a reminder of the man I loathe to be. “It’s not about me,” I grind out, my voice rough with emotion. “It’s about protecting someone who doesn’t deserve your twisted games.”

“Perhaps,” she concedes, her expression softening ever so slightly. “But can you truly protect her from the demons that live within you? Or will you end up destroying her just like you destroy everything else?”

Her words hit too close to home, and for a moment, I’m paralyzed by the truth in them. But I shake off the doubt, bolstered by the thought of Lily—sweet, innocent Lily who deserves none of this.

“Watch me,” I say with a conviction that feels like a promise. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Victoria studies me, her eyes searching as if trying to decipher the sincerity of my vow. Then, slowly, she nods, conceding the battle though not the war. “Very well, Damien. But remember, actions speak louder than words. I’ll be watching.”

With that, she turns away, leaving me alone with the weight of my resolve and the fear of the unknown that lies ahead. I stand there, in the silence of the room, determined to shield Lily from the darkness of our world—even if it means confronting my own.

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My hands clench into fists, the knuckles white with the strain of holding back. The dimly lit room—bare except for the dust that dances in shafts of moonlight—cannot contain the fury building inside me. I’m a storm about to break, and Victoria, with her icy blue eyes, is the unwitting shore upon which my rage will crash.

“Enough,” I growl, the word escaping me like steam from a pressure valve.

Victoria’s lips twist into a sardonic smile, challenging, undaunted. “Or what, Damien? You’ll frighten me with your glower?”

In one swift motion, too quick for regret to catch up, I close the distance between us. My hand grips her arm, none-too-gently urging her against the wall, my body a barricade to her escape. The plaster is cool against her back, a stark contrast to the heat radiating off me. Her breath hitches, but her gaze remains defiant, locked on mine.

“Is this what you want?” I hiss, aware of the line I’ve just crossed but unable to step back over it. “To push me until I break?”

“Doesn’t take much these days, does it?” she taunts, her voice steady despite the precariousness of our proximity.

“Careful, Victoria,” I warn, my face inches from hers, feeling her every exhale as if it were a shared secret.

“Or you’ll unleash the beast?” She sneers, her words laced with venom. “I know all about your demons, Damien. I’ve danced with them, remember?”

Her jab slices through my already frayed composure. The memories of my darkest moments, ones that she witnessed and sometimes fueled, claw at my mind. I struggle to shove them back into their cage, to lock them away where they can’t hurt anyone else—especially not Lily.

“Shut up,” I grind out, my grip tightening involitimately as my self-control slips another notch.

“Make me.” Victoria’s challenge is a red flag to the bull of my temper, yet there’s a flicker of something else in her eyes—a twisted satisfaction in seeing me so near the edge.

“Damien,” she whispers, and even now, her voice has the power to crawl under my skin, “you can’t hide what you are. One day, Lily will see it too.”

I flinch as if slapped, releasing her instantly. Space floods between us, and I stagger back, shaken by my own actions. Victoria straightens her clothes, her posture regal even with her back against the wall, her eyes never leaving mine. It’s clear who holds the power now.

“Remember, Damien,” she says, and her voice is like the cold kiss of steel, “we’re all monsters here. Some of us just hide it better than others.”

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