Page 60 of Abundance of Obsession

Finally, Damien gives in and nods in agreement. “Please get some rest. Think it all over in peace, and I’m sure you’ll see everything in a different light. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

I feign hesitation, but eventually, I agree to the plan. It energizes him to act. His smile is faint. This time, he gives me space and doesn’t kiss me goodbye.

“Sleep well, my sweet Lily.”

He stops by the elevator, waiting until I’m safe in my apartment.

And I know that right as I’m doing this—closing the door behind me—he’s doing the same. I turn the lock to be sure.

Relief rushes out of my lungs.

The apartment is pitch black. Only a sliver of light filters in from the street, and that’s enough for me. Enveloped in darkness, I walk through the living room and stand by the window. Damien is leaving my building. Stopping by his car, he turns around and looks up.

I know for a fact that he doesn’t have me in his sight. Once he is in the back seat, the car begins to move away from the building.

The skin on the back of my neck goes numb, and my hairs stand on end. It’s just a hunch but—

“I can’t decide whether to be glad or angry that you didn’t bring him into the apartment.” A low voice cuts through the silence.

This voice is all too familiar.

And I think I knew from the moment I walked in that I wasn’t alone. It was all over me.

Each time we’re in the same room, this happens. It’s similar to something electric that moves under my skin.

“What are you doing here, Eli?” I ask and turn around. A silhouette emerges from the darkness of my kitchen. The only thing I can make out is an outline of his face.

He takes two steps and stops. As if lost in thought, he pays no attention to my question. “Then this whole thing would end right here and now. I can’t decide if I’d rather snap his neck or strangle him. No… That would be too swift a death.”

After tonight’s events and Eli’s words, I have absolutely no desire for any company.

“Go home, Eli. There’s no reason for you to be here.”

I need to take this damn dress off and take a shower. My strength is gone. I don’t have the energy for these games.

I head for the bedroom, but Eli catches up to me in two strides and grabs my shoulders. His hand reaches for the light switch. The soft darkness vanishes.

His eyes are dull, like something is destroying him from within. The muscle in his cheek jumps as he clenches his jaw.

And that’s fine. At least I’m not the only one who’s pissed off.

At a snail’s pace, his eyes travel over every inch of my face, then move down to my neck, my chest, and lower. For a moment, he stares at my knee.

“Zoe—”

“It’s merely a scratch,” I reply.

He doesn’t believe my words even though he’s seeing it with his own eyes. I can feel it under my skin.

“You got hurt in his company, and that’s no small thing to me. That’s all. Tell me, Raven, that you’re okay.”

“I’m fine,” I confirm, almost in a whisper. “It all happened so fast, and it was impulse—” I trail off. The gravity of what happened hits me all at once.

Fuck, I could have died out there.

My eyebrows knit. I press my lips together so I don’t say that thought out loud, though it explodes in my head and I can hear nothing but that one thing. It takes me a full minute to recover from it. Only then do I say to him, “Go home, Eli.”

As I break free from his embrace and take a step toward the door, I hear him. “I can’t.” It’s a choked voice. “I just can’t. Don’t you understand?” A strong hunch tells me this isn’t over, but I don’t turn around. My heart races, though, and my hands shake. “For God’s sake, don’t ask me what this is about, because I can’t answer with a single sentence. All I know is that when I heard the gunshots over the phone, my heart stopped. Literally. I couldn’t catch my breath. If Ryker hadn’t slapped me in the face, I think I really would have passed out. It sounds crazy, but it’s true, Zoe.”