Elaine's POV
"Please, we don't want Luca to catch up with us here," he urged after some time of neither of us speaking to each other.
I still had questions for him, but of course, I didn't want Luca to meet us here, and it didn't look like he was going to speak to me either way, judging by how obviously he was restraining himself from saying more.
I followed him as he led the way, realizing at some point that we were in Raven Hollow. Duh, I muttered to myself. Of course, Luca stays in Raven Hollow, but Damien didn't seem to be heading home.
"And where are we going from here?" I asked carefully, still following him from behind.
"Home." He replied without even bothering to look back.
I swallowed hard, struggling to deal with this new Damien I was seeing currently. The Damien I knew really liked to talk. He enjoyed teasing whoever was on his mind, but now, for some reason, he was cold, and it didn't add up. Had something happened that I wasn't aware of? Did Luca do something to him?
It was mentally draining, so I just had to distract myself with fresh thoughts and let him take the lead. We stopped in front of his car, and at that point, I couldn't keep quiet and pretend everything was fine.
"We don't need a car to get home from here, Damien," I said, shifting my gaze from him to the vehicle.
"Of course we do," he replied plainly. "Get in."
"Where are you taking me, Damien?"
"Home. I'm taking you home, and you know very well that Raven Hollow isn't your home. It has been a nightmare for all the creatures who live in it. Not just me, but Kai also wants you out of here," he lowered his voice.
"Where is he?"
"Do you really want to know?" he asked, moving to the other side to stand behind the door, making it easy for him to open it and ensure I got in.
"Yes."
"I told you he was on his way here," he shrugged, as if that was all the explanation I needed.
"You lying thing!" I snapped. "If he was really following you, he'd have caught up with us by now."
"True. But how would I know if I left before him? And if he was attacked shortly after we decided to come after you?"
His words hit my chest hard.
"Attack?"
"Actually, he was, but he's fine now—"
"Where is he?" I interrupted.
"Home, where we're going," he answered, staring directly into my eyes and opening the door for me. I got in, and he quickly drove off.
"Uhm… you can breathe, you know… Kai is safe now. I just brought it up because I don't know… I wouldn't let him come out of it, and he was so fixed on it. I don't know if my explanation makes any sense—"
"It doesn't," I rolled my eyes.
"Okay, but all I'm trying to say is that he's fine and out of danger," he said, looking from the road to me, as if checking if I was okay.
"Fine," I sighed, choosing to trust his words.
"Good," he smiled—the kind of smile you wear when you've accomplished something meaningful. I was surprised to get such a big reaction from him over something so small.
"So… I'm quite sure Luca did awful things to you, but d-did he," he swallowed hard, as if struggling to find the right words. "Did he cross the line?"
His eyes were fixed on the road and his hands clenched around the steering wheel. It was as if the questionbhe had asked was going to bring him nightmares and the only way to prevent it was if he just held on tight to something.
"Are you okay?" I asked not meaning to change the topic entirely, but he didn't respond so I asked again.
"It's something I can deal with," he glanced at me briefly. "Don't worry about it."
"You just don't look or act okay and it so much looks like you dont have control over it… I'll let it slide though," I added when I saw how uncomfortable he was.
"Thank you, so back to you. I'm listening."
My mind drifted back to the question he had asked and it did take me a while to answer. Not just because he had asked, but because of the way he asked. There was something new in his eyes, and the more he fought it, the more I wondered if it had always been there, and I had just been too blind to see it.
"Can you at least say something?" he urged, still avoiding my gaze.
"Well, Luca will always be Luca," I murmured, sinking deeper into my seat. "At least I'm fine," I shrugged, finding it really awkward to open up to him about something like that.
"You can talk to me," he chuckled slightly. "Trust me, I understand pain a lot more than you do. So if you think I wouldn't get it or would act cold toward what you're feeling, I won't. Elaine, I won't make you feel like whatever happened there wasn't big enough," he said, not in a disrespectful way, but like he genuinely meant it.
"What's come over you?" I asked, meaning every word. "Are you trying to get something out of me—"
"I'm not!" he hit the steering wheel. "Jeez, Elaine! I'm not Luca, okay? And I'm not that cold." He exhaled, while I just stared at him. "You probably don't see it because all you see is Kai. Regardless, I do care for you in ways so unexplored, and I wish that maybe someday you'd—"
"Stop," I put my hand up in the air.
I couldn't let him finish. At the end of the day, whatever he was trying to do wouldn't get him anywhere. This part of him was so vulnerable, and to me, it was as scary as it was strange. Him being vulnerable could mean anything—including doing what Luca would do: pretend to be weak and manipulate me into something foolish.
"Fine."
That was the last word I heard from him. Afterward, he clenched his hands tightly, as if passing all his anger onto the steering wheel. He drove faster this time, and trust me when I say this—his eyes never blinked. For the first time since knowing Damien, his eyes were heavy with emotions. The kind that could break a man, bring him to his knees, and make his death swift.
Rethinking my decision, I wondered what would be so bad about telling him, especially since he was asking genuinely. I cleared my throat and was about to begin when Cordelia's words hit me—about how I had come to conclusions about Damien without giving him as much of a chance as I had given Kai. I pushed the thought aside, shut my eyes tightly, and took a deep breath.
"He broke the bond," I blurted out in a whisper, regretting it the moment the words left my mouth.
"Luca?" he asked, not surprised that Luca would do such a thing, but maybe because he was somewhat familiar with the pain that came with it.
"Never mind," I shook my head, physically trying to clear my thoughts, which made him stop to make sure I was okay.
"Elaine," he called softly before parking by the roadside.
I didn't answer. The pain felt fresh, and there was no way I was going to trust him for the first time and be this vulnerable. I fought hard to push back the tears, even though his whispers of concern made it harder.
"I shouldn't have said that," I sniffed, raising my head—but not to look at him.
"It's okay if you're not ready to talk about what happened," he told me, examining me thoroughly with his eyes.
"It's okay… If I hadn't gone through it, I wouldn't have known things like Luca's business with the cult, nor would I have learned some spells."
Those two lines stunned him. His lips parted slightly as he processed my words. Of course, he knew nothing about my abilities, and Luca being part of a cult was a surprise no one would have seen coming, which justified his reaction.
"No offense, but I'm lost. Can you explain better when we get home?"
"Okay," I replied, though I wasn't sure if I'd be able to open up again.
Finally reaching my apartment, I sighed and stepped out immediately, with one goal—to see Kai and get a warm hug from him. Damien, on the other hand, fell silent, as if he had lost his voice.
"You told me Kai was here, didn't you?" I turned to see Damien staring at the floor.
He lied.
"He's in Raven Hollow, and I'm not letting you see him. At least not for now."
He didn't finish before my hand moved across his cheek in anger.
"Get out of my way. Now!"