Aria's POV
The punch was already coming—my whole body tensed, and I squeezed my eyes shut.
But the pain I expected never came.
I opened my eyes slowly. Damon's face was dark—frighteningly so. His eyes swirled with a storm, his fist frozen just inches from my nose. The veins bulging on the back of his hand were proof of just how much force he'd been ready to unleash.
If he'd held back even a second later, at best I'd be bruised and bloodied. At worst, I'd be unconscious in a hospital bed.
Jack seized the moment to catch his breath, scrambling away on all fours.
They were all gone. The way they'd looked back at me before they left—like I'd been caught red-handed—made my stomach turn.
The room had emptied out. Now it was just us.
Me. And Damon.
His hand closed around my nape, forcing
