Page 82 of Abundance of Obsession

Zoe I miss you

Damien

Not as much as I miss you. Thank goodness I’m home now. My frustration lasted for the entire trip.

Zoe

That’s part of the job. Get some rest, then.

Damien

It has nothing to do with work, but with the distance between us. I don’t need rest. I need to see you. Tonight?

Zoe

Are you sure you don’t need to take a break? We can put it off until tomorrow.

Damien

I’m hungry for your sight and hungry for your lips. Have mercy! 7 p.m.?

Zoe

Will wait :*

I’ve had a few days to think about my next move. Damien had left on business, as he put it. Was it about Veirix? Probably. But I couldn’t ask him directly.

What was he doing? What was he plotting? Does this have anything to do with the Pact? What’s the actual story with Aisling?

The questions kept piling up.

Still no answers.

The tension was gripping my body.

I was here with a specific mission, and I’d failed everyone.

Damien, meanwhile, had always been cautious in my presence. He never engaged in conversation, and none of his people came anywhere near. They were somewhere nearby, hiding in the crowd or the shadows, but still…

That left me with one option.

If Eli knew what I was planning, he would kill me on the spot.

I have to get into Damien’s apartment. No matter the cost. It’s the only way to find out more. That way, the Pact can gain the upper hand and be sure about Aisling.

That’s why I wrote that damn message. Now we have a date, and there’s no way I’m going to miss this opportunity.

The dumbest and most risky thing? I’m not letting either Ryker or Eli find out what’s been brewing in my head. They’re meeting at Feather tonight. This is my chance. I’ll deal with the consequences later.

For the first time since meeting him, I throw my arms around his neck, pretending how much I missed him while he was gone. I’m surprised he hasn’t tried to speed things up yet. It makes me feel lighter, though, because I don’t have a clue what I would have done if he had. It seems like he’s trying to take things slowly, almost like he really cares about me. He doesn’t want to screw it up or scare me off.

My reaction to his presence is how I expected. With a dazzling smile, he pulls me into a hug when I throw my arms around him and snuggle up.

“My love,” he says with a laugh. “It’s so good to finally be home. How is it possible that you’re even prettier than the last time?”

My head pulls away from the crook of his neck, and I smile too. “It must be because you missed me.”

“Yes, I missed you… But it’s not just my imagination.”