A gentle gasp slipped from me.
Or maybe it didn’t. Maybe that was only part of the dream, too. Because that wasn’t real. That wasn’t something Damien would say.
Not yet. Not to me.
That was just sensation playing tricks on my mind—slipping fantasies into the edges of my consciousness where reality hadn’t quite formed again. A place where things were perfect. Golden. Easy.
I released a measured breath. The world tugged gently. The hum quieted.
The sensation shifted—moving, touching, smoothing over the sore ache of my skin. Fingers. His fingers. Tracing patterns. Bringing me back. Drawing me in.
My eyelids fluttered behind the blindfold.
“Emma,” a voice murmured—real this time. “Come back to me.”
A hand pressed gently between my shoulder blades, warm and steady. Another stroked along my arm, grounding me with every slow pass. Soft fabric brushed my back—a blanket, warm and clean and familiar.
My body sank into the touch before my mind did.
“Good,” Damien whispered. “That’s it.”
My fingers twitched against the leather padding. His fingertips brushing the inside of my elbow with an absent tenderness that shattered something gentle inside me.
“There you are,” he said quietly, relief laced through every syllable.
A helpless sound slipped from me.
“You’re safe,” he whispered. “I’ve got you. I’m right here.”
My lungs tugged unevenly. My body was starting to feel heavier—not floating anymore but settling. Drifting closer to the physical world.
And that’s when it hit.
A slow, creeping burn.
It unfurled across my skin, pulling a tiny gasp from me.
“Easy,” he soothed. “That’s just your body waking up. That’s normal. You’re safe.”
You’re safe.He repeated it again.
I swallowed, mouth dry.
His hand cupped the back of my neck, fingers scratching lightly at my hairline.
“You did beautifully,” he murmured, voice thick with pride. “I’m proud of you, Emma. So damn proud.”
My lips parted, a shaky sound escaping. “D-Damien…” Barely a whisper. Barely me.
He hummed—a low, approving sound—and stroked down my spine, the touch featherlight.
My eyelids fluttered as I felt Damien’s arms beneath me. Moving my lifeless body. Another wave of heat swept across my skin, this one sharper, and I winced.
“Let’s get you settled,” he murmured.
The mattress dipped when he lowered me onto it, placing me carefully on my stomach. The warmth of the blanket settled over my back again, cocooning me. A pillow slid beneath my head, soft and cool where my skin felt fever-hot.
“Emma,” he murmured. “I’m going to take the blindfold off you now, all right?”
