Chapter 45
Chapter 45
Deborah was gripped by sheer panic. No matter how hard she pushed or fought, Damian didn’t budge–like a mountain, unmoved and unshakable.
He seemed possessed, lost to reason, like a man overtaken by a terrifying madness. When he tore open her clothing and buried his face against her breast, the fear became unbearable.
“No-” Her voice cracked into a hoarse protest, but what came out was a startled cry. “Ah!”
He had her pinned against the horse’s back.
He was completely out of control. A terrifying force of nature.
“Let go of me!” she cried, thrashing in desperation. Her hand, flailing, suddenly brushed against something–cold and solid.
She grabbed it without thinking. A dagger.
In one motion, she yanked it free and drove it into him.
Time froze. Damian lifted his head, stunned, and looked down. The blade was buried in his shoulder—his own dagger, normally strapped to the
horse.
She had stabbed him. Blood slid down his arm in a steady line. Deborah stared in shock. She hadn’t meant to hurt him—she just wanted to stop
him.
A gust of wind swept past, and she instinctively crossed her arms over her chest, realizing how exposed she was. Then came the shame.
Panicked, she let out a strangled cry and shoved him. He hadn’t been expecting it, and stumbled back just enough for her to slip away.
She jumped down from the horse, hands trembling, hastily pulling her clothes together.
Damian simply looked at her. He pulled the dagger from his shoulder without so much as a flinch, slid it back into its sheath, and sat motionless, blood continuing to seep from the wound.
His horse stepped forward. Startled, Deborah backed away.
“Don’t move,” Damian said sharply, his voice low and urgent.
But she misunderstood. She thought he was coming after her again. Terrified, she kept retreating.
“Watch out!” His expression changed instantly. He leapt from the saddle just as she turned away-
And took a step into nothing.
The world tilted. Her stomach dropped. There was no ground beneath her. It was a cliff.
The wind screamed past her ears as she fell, hair whipping violently around her face. There was no time to think, no time to scream. Just falling.
She couldn’t feel anything–only the cold rush of air and the overwhelming terror of free fall.
“Damian… save me!”
The thought came unbidden, instinctive. Even after everything, he was the one she reached for in the moment between life and death.
She’d stabbed him. And yet, in her most desperate moment, she still called for him.
She hated that. Hated that even now, she still wanted him to save her.
He probably wouldn’t. Not after what she’d done. She squeezed her eyes shut. She didn’t want to die. She didn’t mean to hurt him.
She thought, ‘I’m sorry‘
Then–Impact. But it wasn’t pain. Warmth. Arms. A body wrapped around hers. Someone had caught her. Damian.
They rolled together down the steep slope, his body shielding hers from the worst of it. Every time she tried to curl up or move, he held her tighter, taking the brunt of each hit, each jolt.
She clung to his robes, tears spilling from her eyes.
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Chapter 45
Even after she’d stabbed him… he still came for her. He didn’t hesitate.
When she tried to lift her head to look at him, he pressed her face back into his chest, protecting her from the rocks, the wind, the pain.
Her tears came faster. In her mind, Simon’s words echoed clearly, “If you’re ever in danger, go to Damian. He’ll protect you. He’ll treat you like you’re his life.”
He h
