Aria's POV
Damon was back.
He looked wrecked—like he'd been awake all night. Dark shadows under his eyes, stubble on his jaw, the whole exhausted vibe of someone who'd kept a vigil.
For Claudia.
"What the hell?" His furious dark gaze locked on me. "The bond… what did you do to it?"
The bond?
Oh. That "mate" shackle I'd broken.
So he could feel it after all.
Every bit of it—my pain, my heartbreak, my sadness.
And somehow, that felt... balanced. Strange, but balanced.
"Isn't this what you wanted?"
He looked angry. I didn't ask why. And I was too exhausted to care.
The fever, the sleepless night—my body was at its limit.
He let out a cold laugh, leaning down and planting his hands on the mattress on either side of me, caging me in his shadow.
"Aria, drop the act. All these cheap
