“Release him,” Drake commanded as he took off his jacket and threw it to the ground. He did not pause in his stride as he did, and he kept his gaze on the Greek man the entire time.
His men immediately let go of Damen.
“You know there’s a restraining order against you, Leventis. You’re already in violation of it, so if you know what’s good for you, you’re going to leave.”
A restraining order? Against Damen? For who? Her? Mairi tried to take a step towards Damen, needing to clarify everything, but two of Drake’s men suddenly moved towards her, blocking Mairi’s path.
Damen saw everything that was happening, saw the fear and confusion register on Mairi’s face, and he snarled. “If you dare hurt her, you will pay for it.”
“Stay there, Mairi. My men are also officers of the law and they’re only doing their duty by keeping you from Leventis.”
Drake’s words were nearly incomprehensible. Too many things were happening and they were happening too fast. Mairi looked at the expressionless men that had retreated at her side. She knew that if she took another step towards Damen, they would block her path again.
Slowly, she glanced back at Damen. He was breathing hard, his body taut, and he was wiping away blood from a small cut on the corner of his mouth. It was her first time to notice the wound, and the sight of Damen bleeding suddenly made everything excruciatingly real. She wanted to cry. She hadn’t wanted this. She hadn’t wanted him to be hurt. She didn’t want anyone to be hurt because of her. She was so tired, so damn exhausted at the way everything seemed to fall apart around them when she and Damen were together.
Unbidden, she whispered, “Damen—”
Damen stiffened, and when he looked at Mairi, his heart shattered. She was looking at him like she did not want him anymore, and now more than anything, Damen knew that it could be permanent. With another man to love her and make Mairi forget that she had loved Damen first, with another man to make Mairi realize that there were so many men who were more deserving of her love – there was every chance that if he let go of Mairi now, she would be gone. Forever.
“Don’t say it,” he said harshly.
She shook her head, the tears streaking down her face. “I can’t do this anymore. We can’t be together and not hurt each other, not hurt other people—”
“I LOVE YOU,” he roared.
She sobbed harder at the words. “You love me, but you threw me away! You sent me to jail. To jail, Damen! Like I’m some thief who stole a space in your bed, and when you had enough of me you – y-you made the police take me away.”
“Because I had it all wrong,” he whispered in agonized regret. “I had it all wrong and I know it now. There were so many things, Mairi…so many things that I thought I knew but didn’t. My greatest mistake was not trusting you, but I trust you now. I trust you with my life, I trust you with everything, and I will never doubt you again.”
He took a step forward.
Drake stiffened. “Do not take another step, Leventis. I won’t give you another warning. I have the legal authority to beat you into a bloody pulp if you try to come near Mairi.”
Damen did not pay the other man any heed. All he had eyes for was Mairi, and he offered everything in him, his f**king heart on a platter, his soul, his life – his eyes told Mairi that he was giving everything to her as he said bleakly, “Whether you’re mine or not, I will always be yours.”
He took another step.
Drake’s fist struck out, connecting hard enough with his face to make Damen’s head snap to the side.
“No,” Mairi screamed. She tried to run towards the two, but again the men at her side moved, holding her back. Damen had swiftly gotten up to fight, giving it as good as he got, but it was clear for everyone to see that although Damen was a strong fighter, he was no match for someone who had been trained to kill.
“Stop it, Drake, please!” She screamed again as another of Drake’s powerful punches knocked Damen to the ground.
“Tell your ex-fiancé not to pursue you anymore and I’ll stop.”
“Never,” Damen snarled as he forced himself to get up.
“Damen, please,” Mairi sobbed. “Please just leave—” She screamed again and she tried harder, tried with all her might to get free from Drake’s guards when she saw Damen had been knocked down for the third time. His lip was badly cut and bleeding profusely, and one of his eyes was swollen.
“Please, Damen,” she whispered. “Please just leave.”
“You heard the lady, Leventis.”
Damen shook his head. His body ached all over, but he didn’t give a damn, and his face remained cold as he looked at the other man. “We can do this again and again, but I won’t give her up.” He came to his feet.
Mairi’s voice had become hoarse. “Drake, please stop.”
“It’s his call, Mairi.”
Her eyes swung wildly to Damen, and the swollen and bruised face made Mairi lose all color. “Why are you doing this?” she whispered. “Can’t you see? It won’t work between us.”
“I love you.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but Drake cut her off, his head whipping towards her. His voice was bland, but his gaze was icily challenging when he asked softly, “Are you going to believe him again, Mairi? After what you learned today? Your body was mine last night. And his body…”
Had belonged to Alina.
The pain of those words, of the pictures it invoked in her mind, made Mairi cry out.
While she had been hurting, he had been with Alina.
While she had cried for him, another girl was crying out his name in his bed.
While she had loved him, he had loved Alina’s body with his.
Her eyes closed, and the tears fell quietly.
Damen didn’t know what was happening. He didn’t understand a damn thing that Drake had said, but he knew that Mairi was hurt – so goddamn hurt that she looked like she had just been through hell. “Mairi?” She didn’t answer. His voice became frantic. “Mairi, answer me.” But still she didn’t answer. It was as if he no longer existed for her.
“MAIRI, ANSWER ME!”
But she only shook her head, the tears still falling silently.
His voice broke. He was losing her. He really was losing her. “I love you,” he said fiercely. “I know I f**ked up so many times, but I f**ked up because of love and that love will always be there for you.”