GABRIELLE’S POV
The dinner hall glittered like something out of a dream. There were old chandeliers, soft violin music, and people dressed in wealth so casually it looked like a second skin. But none of it touched me.
I was too aware of Damon.
Too aware of the way the world seemed to shift the moment he stepped into a room.
He placed a hand at the small of my back as we walked in, a simple gesture that somehow felt like I was his possession.
“It’s not a family event but I’m bound to run into some of my relatives,” he said, his voice pulling me out of my thoughts.
“Oh,” I responded simply.
“Damon!!” I heard a high-pitched voice behind us.
A teenage girl beelined straight toward us in heels she clearly couldn’t walk in. She threw her arms around him, her eyes sparkling as she sta
