A familiar face came in to view and, although it was not Daemon, I was relieved to see it nonetheless. Logan approached us looking frantic and emotionally haggard. His normally smiling eyes were turned down and defeated. Even the hint of a smile was absent from his expression and my heart fell when I saw him. He appeared to be limping and I noticed that his shirt was torn. When he reached us, he dropped to the ground in front of me.
“Please tell me you all have seen Daemon.” I felt like I would implode at Logan’s words. The tiny spark of hope that I continued to carry was all but smothered under the realization that nobody had seen Daemon. It had been at least twenty minutes since the explosion and the very real possibility that Daemon didn’t make it hung over us like a shadow that blocked all light. An audible sigh escaped from Alex and I heard him mumble some obscenity after Logan spoke. We didn’t have to answer Logan’s question for him to know that we had not, in fact, seen Daemon.
The crowd started to spread out and thin as the minutes continued to tick by. The silence amongst our small group was emphasized by the continued cries of the wounded. The fire had been extinguished from the club and I watched intently as rescue personnel came walking out the front doors. Smoke continued to pour from the building and settled like a fog concealing the people wandering around outside. My mood fell farther as I realized that with the amount of smoke in the air, I wouldn’t be able to spot Daemon unless I was practically on top of him.
I know it was wrong. I know that I gave everybody a heart attack with what I did next, but they had to understand. Daemon…Buddy…was out there somewhere and I couldn’t just sit around and wait any longer. As soon as Alex’ defenses were down and his grip around me had loosened, I shot up and sprinted into the smoke filled environment. I could hear Alex screaming for me to stop, but I shoved past people to get lost within the lingering crowd. I approached every form, every silhouette, every figure that could possibly be Daemon. People yelled as I ran into them, but once I identified that they weren’t the person I was looking for, I ran on to seek out the next possibility. I was frantic in my search, grabbing people and spinning them so that I could see their faces. I moved from one to the next, full of despair that I hadn’t yet found the one person I needed to survive this.
As I pushed farther away from where my group of friends were sitting, the smoke became thicker and harder to navigate. I turned to go back in the direction of my friends when a hand grabbed my arm and pulled me against a large, strong chest. I spun on my heel immediately, seeking out Daemon’s blue eyes. My breath was knocked out of me at the sight of the evil glare that met me instead.
“About fucking time, whore! I’ve been waiting for you to separate from the rest of your little group since I blew up this fucking place! I was shocked to see you here. Not only did I get to take out your precious boyfriend, but I get to kill you as well.” Chris’ breath rolled along my cheek as he held me to him. I fought against him with all the strength that I had, but his grip was too strong. His fingers dug into the skin of my arm as his other hand came up around me to cover my mouth. He started dragging me back toward the building and turned a sharp left to go around the side of the club.
My feet continued kicking out as I struggled to gain traction. Desperate to be released, I opened my mouth slightly and bit down on one of his fingers. He let go almost instantly and I screamed out a blood-curdling scream. My body twisted and contorted as I struggled against Chris’ continued hold on my arm. He pulled me into his chest once more and I threw my head back, catching him on the nose. He yelled out when I impacted with his face and his grip loosened enough that I could break free. I began running at full speed back towards the front of the building. I spotted a policeman setting up perimeter tape and I slammed into him as I escaped from Chris. The officer spun around and steadied me.
“Watch where you are going, Miss, you need to be out of this area.”
My arm came up and pointed in the direction where I had last seen Chris. “Please! He went that way, he tried to kidnap me. Please!” The heaving of my chest as I attempted to gain control over my breathing made it difficult to talk and the officer stood there looking at me like I had lost my mind. “Go get him now! Chris Baxter, the man who set this fire is around the building. Fucking go!” I’d lost all patience and was forcefully pushing the officer in the direction of Chris. I could see in his expression the moment he comprehended what I was saying. He grabbed his radio and called in a request for backup before grabbing his gun and running in the direction I was pointing.
When the officer had run far enough into the fog, I lost sight of him. I stood motionless and watched as five more officers ran past me, following the path the first had taken. My chest heaved from the lack of oxygen in the air and I slowly started walking back to where I knew Alex and the rest of the group would be waiting for me. As I made my way through the smoke, I was once again grabbed and pulled against someone. I didn’t hesitate to scream this time and my throat was torn raw. A hand came up over my mouth and I instantly bit down on the first finger I could isolate. I was released almost instantly and I heard a string of obscenities being yelled out behind me. I took off as quickly as I could and didn’t turn back to see who’d grabbed me. I heard heavy footfalls pounding behind me as I was being pursued. Dodging past people, I continued heading in the direction of Alex.
When I spotted the group, I picked up even more speed at the promise of safety. Their expressions were odd as I approached and I threw myself into Alex’ lap as soon as I was close by. I buried my head in his chest, sure that Chris would not have continued pursuing me this close to where my friends were located.
“Paige? What the hell are you running from?” Alex’ voice sounded anxious and relieved all at the same time.
“Chris….Chris was following me. He tried to grab me when I was looking for Daemon. He was chasing me, Alex.” Words poured from me as I attempted to explain my behavior. Alex grabbed my head and pulled my face up to look in my eyes.
“What in the hell are you talking about? I think you confused someone else with Chris.”
“No!” The force of my denial made me jump. “No! That fucker is out there in the crowd. I know it was him! He tried to drag me around the building.” At this point, I was on the verge of a breakdown. Alex chuckled and I became angry that he wasn’t believing my story.
“Paige. You need to turn around and take a look, babe.”
I wanted to continue screaming at him, but his eyes were staring at whatever was behind me. I pushed myself away from him and turned to follow the path of his gaze.
All my breath was knocked out of me the moment I was met with Daemon’s beautiful blue eyes. The noise of the crowd was muffled by the sudden sound of blood rushing to me head. In an instant, everything caught up to me. I felt dizzy just as my vision tunneled and blackness overtook me.
Chapter Two
“Damsel?”
A hand was lightly tapping against my cheek as I regained consciousness. “Paige, wake up baby.”
I was confused and disoriented as I woke up on the ground. My head was pounding and my eyes burned even though they were still closed.
“Paige, baby, please wake up. You fainted, Damsel, you need to come back to me.”
I forced my eyes to crack open and I found Daemon hovering over me tapping my cheek as he tried to bring me back. The concerned expression on his face was made even more pathetic by the smeared soot along his forehead and cheeks. As soon as my brain registered that he was alive and well, I shot up and wrapped my arms tightly around his shoulders. He winced from my sudden hold and I pulled back slightly to look him over. His shirt looked singed in places and torn in others. I backed further away and noticed that his jeans were also torn and stained dark red from blood. I instantly panicked and tried to get a better look at his injuries.
“Oh my god, Daemon, you’re hurt! We need to get you to one of the ambulances.” My words were raspy and weak due to the raw feeling in my throat. Daemon??
?s hand came up to my face and he pulled my gaze away from his injuries and back up to his face.
“I’m fine, Damsel. The wounds aren’t that bad.” Our stares burned into each other and the agony and pain that had earlier consumed me was replaced with relief and overabundant joy. He was alive. I still had him. Once again, I threw my arms around him and, this time, he returned the embrace. “Hey, I’m okay…I’m sorry it took so long to find you. People needed help and I was trying to do what I could to get people out of the club.”
Pride filled me as I imagined Daemon saving lives but I couldn’t help my annoyance at the thought of him risking his life. “I thought I’d lost you...again. I thought …”
“Shhhhhh, Damsel, I’m okay. I was careful to get myself and the others out of the club safely. I was with three police officers when the explosion occurred. They helped me get people out the rear exit. I couldn’t get to you because of the fucking beam that fell. I went fucking apeshit until I remembered that Alex had you and I knew he would be sure to get you out of the building.” Daemon’s words were said in a manner intended to sooth me. I leaned into him, pulling myself as close as possible. I held onto him tightly for fear that if I let go, he would disappear again. Daemon rocked me back and forth in an attempt to calm me down. My mind raced through the evening’s events and I pulled back from Daemon when I remembered my run in with Chris.
“Did they catch Chris? Please tell me they have that fucker locked up in the back of a patrol car or that he’s dead.” My eyes searched Daemon’s for an answer to my question, but all I was met with was a confused stare.
“What are you talking about, Paige? It wasn’t Chris that grabbed you. It was me. You bit the hell out of my finger.” Daemon pulled his hand to show me the teeth marks that marred the skin of his middle finger.
I looked up from his finger and back to his eyes. His body shook from subtle laughter as he explained, “I saw you walking through the crowd and I grabbed you to get your attention. When you started screaming I tried to hush you, but was met with some extremely sharp teeth. What do you do to those things? Are you filing them or something?”
I shook my head at his words and laughed a little bit to myself. I couldn’t understand why I thought I had seen Chris. I started to believe that I had been hallucinating due to smoke inhalation.
“Why were you trying to drag me around the side of the building?”
Daemon’s body instantly tensed. “What are you talking about?” His confusion was obvious from the expression on his face.
“When you first grabbed me, you tried to drag me to the back parking lot.”
“I only grabbed you once, Paige. When did somebody try to drag you around back?!” His voice had a lethal edge to it. I’m not sure, but I could have sworn I saw Logan and Alex physically tense in response.
“Right before you grabbed me…I broke free from him and ran to the nearest cop I could find.”
Daemon immediately started pushing himself up off the ground. I reached up to stop him, refusing to let him out of my sight again. Daemon’s hands gripped around my shoulders as he peeled me off of him. “Damsel, I need you to stay here with Alex and Logan while I go speak to the police to find out if they found that bastard. I promise you, I’m not going far.”
When Daemon was having problems removing me from his body, Alex and Logan grabbed onto me to pull me back. Daemon’s expression was sympathetic as he got up and started walking towards a group of police officers that were huddled near the building. My eyes followed him as he walked over and I relaxed some when he stopped to speak to them, remaining where I could see him.
My eyes wouldn’t move from Daemon as Alex spoke from behind me. “You should have stuck around here a little longer, Paige. Daemon found us within a minute or two of you taking off. I thought his head was going to explode when I had to tell him you ran away.” Alex chuckled. “For a second, I was worried he didn’t care what was going on around us, I thought I was about to have to defend myself from a madman. That is one scary dude you’ve got there.”
I laughed at Alex’ remarks as my eyes traveled slowly over Daemon’s body. He was a scary person alright, but in ways I would have never suspected. He was the only man that had the ability to completely destroy me; body, mind and spirit. My heart surged with love and admiration as I watched him talk to the group of officers. An aggravated expression covered his face, most likely in response to upsetting news. When he dragged his hand roughly through his hair, I knew that he was beyond frustrated with what he was being told. However, despite the chaotic atmosphere, and despite the exhaustion that was consuming every cell in my body, I smiled brightly while taking in the sight of the love of my life.
Daemon turned to look back over at me. When his eyes met mine, his mouth turned up in the corner displaying the perfect little indentation in his cheek. Before long, his grin changed into an even brighter smile. Through the smoke, the people and the mayhem, Daemon and I connected on such a deep level when our eyes met. I gasped at the feel of it. For the first time in my adult life, someone held my heart in his hands. I felt naked as he watched me from a distance, like every part of me was bared to him and him alone. It felt like he could touch my soul just by looking at me.
His hand came up to shake the officers’ hands before he turned to walk over to me. He reached down with both hands to help me up and I immediately reached up to accept his assistance. He smiled when he noticed that, for once, I didn’t slap his hands away and get up on my own. Something had definitely changed between him and I. It was frightening and exhilarating all at the same time.
“It’s late Damsel and there’s nothing more we can accomplish here. After everything that has happened in the past twenty-four hours, I want nothing more than to go home, take a long bath and fall asleep with you in tucked safely in my arms. Are you ready to leave?”
I nodded and Daemon pulled me up into a standing position. Alex, Logan and Ava stood up and we all hugged and said our goodbyes. I was concerned that Ava had to witness the insanity that had become our lives and I leaned down to ask if she was okay. A smile lit up her adorable face as she brushed off my concerns.
“I have to say, Paige, you are nothing, if not interesting.”
We both laughed at Ava’s words and I hugged her to me one more time. “Just remember not to judge Alex by that hot head of his. He has a heart of gold buried underneath that tough exterior.”
Ava’s bright green eyes looked up at me as she responded, “I know. I’ll drag the sensitive side out of him sooner or later.” Ava winked and I laughed again. This girl and I were going to get along fabulously.
I moved over to hug Alex and whispered, “She’s awesome, Alex. Don’t fuck things up with her.” I pulled away and shot him a pointed glare. The corners of his mouth quirked as his eyes flicked in Ava’s direction.
Alex lightly smacked my shoulder. “No worries, Paige. I’ve got this.” I nodded in response and turned to take Daemon’s hand.
The group separated and went off in search of their cars. Daemon and I slowly walked arm in arm as we went around to the back parking lot. “So, what did they tell you about Chris?”
The tick in Daemon’s jaw gave away the irritation he felt. “They didn’t find him. The smoke in the area was too thick, and by the time you alerted the police to his presence, he was already long gone. I don’t fucking understand where that son of a bitch is running off to. He keeps disappearing, but is staying close to the club.”
My arm tightened around Daemon’s and I sighed at the news that Chris was still running around loose. The guy was like a ghost; appearing when you least expect him, only to turn around and vanish back into thin air.
“He’s got balls, I’ll give him that.” Daemon’s voice was rough with aggravation and exhaustion.
“Well, I doubt he’ll return now that there’s nothing to return to. I suspect it will take a while to get the club up and running again.”
Daemon nodded at my words. “You are cor
rect, Damsel. Unfortunately I won’t know the true extent of the damage until I return during the day to perform the walk through with the police. Regardless, just because the club is shut down temporarily, we shouldn’t relax thinking this is the last we’ll see or hear from Chris. I have a feeling it won’t be long before he resurfaces.
My gut twisted at the realization that Daemon was right. Chris was just getting started.
~
I dropped my bag on the floor as soon as we stepped foot into Daemon’s bedroom. My muscles were suddenly weak and languid at the sight of his large, comfy bed, but there was also a bathtub calling my name. I made my way into the bathroom and started stripping off my clothes letting them lay where they landed. My hand reached over to flick on the water and my skin prickled. I turned to find Daemon leaning against the door frame watching me as I filled the tub.
I looked over Daemon’s dirty and torn up clothing and laughed at the soot and muck covering his skin. “We make one hell of a pair right now, don’t we? You should climb in this tub with me and clean up. It might make you feel better.”
The corner of Daemon’s mouth curled. “Even if you attempted to stop me, there is nothing that could stop me from soaking in that tub with you. I was just taking in the view before stripping down myself.”
“Well, let me help you with that. It’s the least I can do after making you wander out in the woods twice in one day.” I slowly walked over to Daemon while maintaining constant eye contact. His eyes sparkled with mischief and I smiled shyly in response. When I reached him, my hands moved to the bottom hem of his shirt. I began to tug the shirt up as Daemon leaned down to help pull the shirt up over his head. He straightened up and my eyes took in the definition of his chest and stomach. I sucked my bottom lip between my teeth as I ran my nails slowly down the ridges of his abdomen. His body slightly shuddered from my touch.
I reached down to undo the button on his pants. After pulling the zipper down, my hands went to his hips to remove the clothing from his body. As I brought the jeans down his legs, I noticed a huge gash above his left knee. “Holy crap, Daemon. You need to get this treated. How did your leg get cut?”