Page 57 of Damiano De Luca (The Five Syndicates)
“Always.”
What are you doing? You have to leave him. Don’t make him promise you a future and ditch him.
If Damian noticed my torment, he didn’t let on. “I’m lucky you’re here.” He closed his eyes and relaxed, his guard so far down, I couldn’t even see it. “I’m lucky they intervened.”
“What?” I widened the gap between us. “Who intervened? I was sent here. By my father.”
The look in his eyes said otherwise, while the look in mine threatened punishment if he wasn’t honest. It took a minute, but he relented. “Your dad didn’t send you here.”
I shook my head. “Yes, he did. I was there when he told me I had to come here.”
“Knight—”
“Tell me everything you know.”
“I can’t.”
I had my opening. My out. I didn’t want to take it, but I had to. Did it hurt that he kept this from me? Yes. Did it freak me out that someone else was pulling strings? A little. Was it a deal breaker? Not when I loved him.
I trusted him. He had to have reasons. But I could use this fight to leave him. To keep him safe from his dad, and maybe—just maybe—we’d find each other in the future. When Angelo no longer posed a threat.
My vision blurred, and my head spun as I succumbed to powerlessness. I swallowed my pain and frustration and forced out words I didn’t want to say. “You’re a liar.”
“Princess, ple—”
“You’re just like the rest of your family. Just like your dad.”
His eyes flashed before he caressed my face. “You’re mad. That’s oka—”
I pushed him until he laid flat on his back with me on top. “And you betrayed me. Know this…” I raised my knee, so it pressed between his legs until he winced. My chest pushed down on his, and my lips brushed against his ear as I spoke.
I swallowed my uncertainty and forced the words out. Ones he couldn’t misconstrue. Ones that wouldn’t leave him with hope. “If ever I am gifted the opportunity to betray you, I’ll take it. If life hands me the chance to destroy you, I will. Today. Tomorrow. Ten years from now. I will always want revenge. And you will never stop looking over your shoulder.”
Then, I fled.
I left Devils Ridge.
I left my heart.
I left him.
And a part of me knew I was doing the wrong thing, but I did it anyway.
An honest enemy is always better than a friend who lies. Pay less attention to what people say and more to what they do. Their actions show you the truth.
Unknown
The Present
Hope.
Noun.
Expectation and desire for something to happen.
It slammed into me the moment Damian’s lips pressed against mine. It shed the barriers I had built around me as I returned his kiss. It rekindled feelings I’d never fully repressed as we made our way to the bed. It convinced me that we had a future, if only we could get past the deception we were both responsible for.
I returned his kiss, my hands eager to explore him. I couldn’t explain why he’d kissed me, but I was glad he’d taken the first step, because I couldn’t bring myself to. It wasn’t lost on me that he was always fighting for me.
