Elaine's POV
It had been almost a week since I arrived here with Damien, and to my surprise, it had been ethereal. We ended up making love here and there, but it never lasted long since he was so concerned about my preparation for the full moon. He taught me self-defense, including martial arts and how to manipulate objects in battle. Other times, he offered to be the test subject in my magic classes, taking whatever spell I cast—though I always had a reversal spell ready, just in case.
"You're quite a fast learner," he complimented, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Oh… the situation at hand calls for it," I shrugged, lifting a glass of water to my mouth.
"Today, we'll do something about your speed," he pointed out, letting me rest from the previous training session.
Everything had been going well, and although we were still trying to decipher what I truly was, I also struggled with controlling my speed. I either crashed into a huge tree trunk or tripped over something hard and fell to the ground.
It worried both of us because we knew how crucial quick reflexes would be in the upcoming battle. I had tried practicing on my own, but it only made things worse—and far more embarrassing. On the first day, Damien stayed out late searching for me because not only had I tripped, but I had also passed out on the spot.
"For a minute, I seriously thought I was getting better at this damn thing," I sighed, picking myself up from the couch to stop the alarm from ringing.
"Ready?" Damien asked, appearing in a flash.
"Hmmm..."
"This time, we're going to try something different, and here's how it will go. I ordered a tracking device with your credit card. Sorry about that, though," he quickly apologized. But it was too late—I had already hit his chest.
"How did you even get my pin?"
"Elaine, I've told you countless times—I'm more observant than you think. I always prove myself right in cases like this," he smirked before apologizing again, this time a little more seriously.
"I'll get back at you for it," I warned.
"Fine. Back to business. It's on your wristwatch. Kai also told me about a certain bracelet Cordelia gifted you… I was supposed to know your location the night the cult members showed up," he explained, bringing back that memory.
"What about it?"
"It functions almost the same way, except this one isn't enchanted," he chuckled.
"Silly you," I mocked him playfully.
"Yeah, yeah. Because anyone can get separated from their team in battle, one must always know how to defend themselves in every way possible. You ought to know how to run just as much as you know how to fight—because sometimes, escape is the best strategy, and not just any escape, but a swift one," he explained while fastening the wristwatch on my wrist.
"I thought we've done this before?" I whined, already tired of getting the same results.
"We have, but the difference is that I won't waste time searching for you in the woods. I'll track you as you run, so even if history repeats itself, I'll know exactly where to find you."
Rolling my eyes, I gave in. "Fine."
"Good. Now, you have thirty seconds. You know the mark already, and you have to return before time runs out. Remember—focus on a particular thought to help you concentrate. Trying to be aware of everything at once isn't ideal. Instead, think about reaching a specific goal. Alright?"
"Alright," I replied, getting into position.
Trying to follow his advice, I concentrated on my feet—since they had to do all the work. But that seemed to slow me down, so I switched my focus to the image of the man I had grown up thinking of as a father. That helped me complete the first lap, but on my way back, I started losing control.
Different thoughts flooded my mind all at once. Even though my eyes were open, I could tell I was heading in the wrong direction. I tried to focus on something—anything—to clear my head, but instead, Kai's face kept popping up, distracting me completely.
I kept running but tried to stop when I spotted a tree trunk ahead. Unfortunately, my legs were already moving faster than my brain. Like always, I crashed into it hard, sending me straight to the ground. I tried to get up, but with each attempt, it felt as if Kai was really there, pulling me back.
Feeling strange, disturbed, and helpless, I let myself fall into the abyss of my mind, shutting my eyes until the only color I saw was pitch black.
***
I mumbled as soon as I woke up, not caring if Damien was there. "I told you the result is always the same."
"You were almost there, Elaine," he replied from behind, making me jolt slightly.
"I didn't know you were here…" I trailed off, noticing a scratch across his face. "What happened to you?" I asked, sitting up to examine his wounds. The scratch on his face was fresh and looked so intentional as though whoever did it wanted him dead.
"Do you really want to know?" He asked, moving closer to me.
"Of course, I do. You weren't like this before I left. Now I feel guilty, because if you got hurt searching for me, then—wait, did the tracking device fail?"
"It didn't. But I need to know what happened to you before I tell you the full story."
"Does it always have to be this way?" I pouted.
"Not always, but this time, yes." His voice lowered as I tried to recall everything.
"It happened again… the flood of thoughts. I tried to focus on the dominant one, but nothing worked. Then suddenly, Kai's face popped up." I paused, waiting for his reaction, but he remained silent.
"What happened then?"
"I don't know. I lost control and ran into a tree trunk."
"Okay…"
"Yeah. But I have a favor to ask, and I'd really appreciate it if we didn't fight about it."
"What is it?"
"It's Kai. I want to go back to Raven Hollow to see him."
His silence made me nervous. I might have reacted the same way if I were in his shoes—or worse—but his lack of response felt like torture.
"It's still not safe—"
"It will never be safe, Damien. I have to make sure he's okay and ready, just like you've been helping me prepare for the full moon."
"I think he's better off helping himself. Whether you admit it or not, you could also kill him in the—"
"I can't kill the person I'm madly in love with," I blurted out without thinking.
Fuck, Elaine! I cursed myself.
I watched as Damien opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. My words had ruined everything we built over the past days. He withdrew from me, stood up without a word, and fought to keep his emotions contained.
"You're lying, right?" His voice was barely above a whisper.
Shame washed over me. I couldn't do anything but lower my head, unable to meet his eyes. None of us could say anything more than what had already been said, but it still lingered in the air. All the reactions and all the things that would have ripped our hearts open, especially his, to get out, screamed in the silence and utterly was all my fault.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, my eyes fixed on the bed as if my spine had snapped and I couldn't lift my head.
"Why did you let me love you if you were so sure about your feelings?" His voice cracked. "Why didn't you push me away the third time I made love to you on this very bed?!"
His eyes turned red, his body trembled, and his veins bulged from holding back tears. His voice held a dangerous mix of wrath, hurt and betrayal still, I couldn't even take back what I said and lie. Maybe say that I was just joking and I wanted to see how he was going to react to things like that. However, I couldn't. I couldn't because all he has ever done was to care for me in all the ways he could and what have I done?
"I promise to stay away from you when we return to Raven Hollow. And I'm deeply sorry for this, Damien."
"Sure," he sniffed, his voice cold. "I should have known better than to let you rip me apart for someone else."
And just like that, he vanished from my room before I could say a word.