“Wiiiiiiiiiinter,” somone sang. “Winter~”
I groaned in annoyance and opened my eyes, staring lazily upward when I found Damon hovering over me on the couch.
“Did I fall asleep again?” I said then, sitting up.
“Yes,” he said then, lashes lowering, “I think it’s time for you to go to bed.”
“Oh… okay.”
“You can stay here, or you can go home,” he suggested. “Which would you prefer?”
“I want to go home,” I said, exhaling a long yawn. “My mom will be back in the morning. I don’t want to worry her.”
“Alright,” he said then, helping me up, “I’ll walk with you.”
I stood then and pulled on my jacket.
A minute later, we were walking down the street again.
“Damon,” I said then.
“Alpha Damon,” he corrected, smirking.
“I’m not succumbing to that,” I said then, glancing over at him in annoyance. “But, anyways, I was meaning to ask if you were taking me all the way or something.”
“I am,” he said then, still beside me.
“So… do you watch me all the time? Like what do you do when you have to pee?”
He nearly snorted. “I don’t do it all the time. But—occasionally—when I’m bored, I’ll find you. I can always use my wolf-smell skills and find you.”
“You seem bored all the time,” I uttered then.
He just watched me, smirking.
But we finally made it to my house, and I walked up the porch steps and opened the door.
After Damon stepped in with me, I closed and locked the front door.
I didn’t particularly care that he followed me inside, and I just made it to my bedroom door.
He followed after me.
As I changed into my night outfit in the bathroom, he waited on my bed, probably snooping—knowing him—but I didn’t care.
I finally finished brushing my teeth and pulling my hair out from its ponytail, and I stepped out of my bathroom…
To find my room completely engulfed in darkness.
I blinked, glancing around the room nervously. “Damon…?”
I suddenly felt a hand glide over my back, and I stiffened.
But when I inhaled shakily, expecting a sickly drunk scent or cigarette smoke… I then blinked when I smelled wood…
“I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Damon said from behind me, pushing my hair over my other shoulder. “Are you afraid of me?”
I looked up into the darkness. “No.”
He suddenly flipped his pocketknife open and pressed the blade to my throat. “What about now?”
I turned my head to look back at him. “No.”
I watched his soft eyes meet mine when he pulled the knife away and snapped it back into the holster. “Why?”
“You won’t hurt me,” I said then, watching his form step around me. “No one can.”
“How do you know for sure?” he said then.
“Because you won’t allow it,” I stated.
I felt his amusement thicken the darkness. “You trust me that much?”
“Yes,” I responded.
“Is that why you taunted that shooter?”
I gazed up. “Yes. I knew you weren’t going to let him hurt me.”
Damon just stepped back over to me, stopping in front of me as his face leveled with mine. “What are you afraid of, Winter Williams?”
I gazed up at him, not caring if the question was rhetorical or not. “I’m afraid of failure.”
He tipped his head to the side. “Is that all?”
“Yes.”
“You’re not afraid of clowns?” he said then. “Snakes? Spiders? Wasps? Pain?”
“No,” I said then.
“Why?” he asked me.
“Because,” I said again, “nothing can hurt me. You won’t allow it.”
He was silent then. “And me?”
“I’m not afraid of you.”
“I can hurt you,” he said then.
“No, you can’t,” I explained.
“But I will kill you.”
“So?” I countered. “You won’t allow anything to harm me. Therefore, I have no reason to be afraid.”
“You trust a man knowing he’s going to kill you the moment you find your father’s killer? He will show no remorse? He will slaughter you without a second thought? Offer you great deals of pain?”
I shook my head and looked back up at him. “I trust a man who’s going to help me complete my one and only goal in life. And you are wrong. You will show remorse. You may slaughter me without a second thought, but you will not cause me pain. I know this because we were friends. And just a couple days ago, you promised me you wouldn’t make it hurt.”
He was silent then, breaths softening.
“I do not fear you,” I said then. “I do not fear pain. I do not fear others. I fear only failure. Failure of losing my father’s murderer.”
Damon just stepped closer to me, leveling my eyes with his. “You trust me beyond words? You trust me endlessly?”
“Yes.”
“I am dangerous, Winter.”
“I like dangerous,” I said then. “And I honestly don’t care… danger cannot hurt me. You won’t allow it.”
“You only fear failure?” he said then, face getting slightly closer to mine. “Is that it?”
“Yes.”
“You fear nothing else?” he said then, breath dusting my cheeks. “You do not fear losing your mother or losing yourself?”
“Losing my mother is failure in my part to keep her safe,” I said then. “And I have already lost myself.”
“If you fear nothing but failure, why do you resist me?” he said then.
My gaze flickered to his. “What?”
“You resist me,” he said then, “my everything. My moves, my touch. It makes me question if you fear me.”
“I do not fear you,” I said again.
“So if I kissed you right now,” he said then, face getting closer. “Would you push me away?”
I felt my heartbeat quicken. “Push… you… away?”
“If you fear nothing but failure,” he said then, breath dusting my cheeks, “then it means you don’t fear giving into your killer.”
“My killer is my savior,” I said then.
He chuckled. “Kitten… your act is dropping.”
“You’re too close and it’s overwhelming. I can’t focus,” I said then, staring up at him. “And you already know I’m crazy… why should I hide this side of me from you?”
He tipped my chin up. “Will you push me away?”
My breath shuttered.
“Are you afraid of me?” he said again.
“No.”
“Do you trust me with your life?” he said then.
“Yes.”
“Close your eyes,” he said then.
I did, letting my lashes flutter shut.
I felt his fingers tip my head up higher, and I breathed uneasily.
But his lips set on mine, and I felt every inch of my being shatter.
He was so warm… so hot.
But it only lasted a moment, and he pulled away.
“Keep your eyes closed,” he instructed.
I listened.
His hand slipped into mine, and he lightly pulled it, telling me to start walking forward.
I did, feeling him pull me a couple steps forward before tugging me to the right.
He then guided me into bed, and I laid down, keeping my lashes shut when he pulled the covers over me.
He then knelt by the bed. “Tomorrow at eight o’clock. Meet me outside your neighbor’s yard. I want to show you something.”
I turned my head to his direction, parting my lashes. “But I have stuff to do. And you already stalk me. I have to give my cat some attention, too.”
He brushed his pinkie along my nose. “Did I tell you to open your eyes?”
I just let them shut, sighing.
“I do everything for you,” he said then, more amused than hurt. “I allow you no harm. The least you could do would be succumbing to a bit of your alpha’s orders.”
“I’m not a werewolf, Damon.”
“I’m still your alpha, Winter.”
I just sighed. “Fine. Whatever. It better be interesting, though.”
He chuckled. “Oh, it will.”
We sat in silence for a bit.
“I noticed something about you,” he said then.
“Oh?”
“When I get very close, you’re spit fire personality falters, and you show me no resistance.”
I just turned to face him. “So?”
He just ran his pinkie along my nose again. “Go to sleep.”
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