THE MAID'S FORCED VOW

Chapter Five

Damon moved before I could speak again. He crossed the office in three quick strides, pulled a small device from beneath the edge of his desk, and held it up without a word. A tiny red light blinked steadily on its surface.

"How long has that been there," I whispered.

"I don't know." Damon's voice had gone hard, controlled in a way that scared me more than his fear had a moment ago. "Long enough, apparently."

He set the device down and crushed it under his heel. The light went dark. Neither of us said anything for a long moment, the silence stretching thin between us.

"If he heard everything," I said slowly, "then he knows you told me about the photo. About your father."

"Yes."

"So he'll move faster now."

Damon met my eyes. "Yes."

My hands curled into fists at my sides. I thought of Micah's voice on the phone, shaking and small, and something inside me hardened into resolve.

"Then I'm signing the contract," I said.

"Elena."

It was the first time he'd used my first name. It landed strangely, like something I hadn't expected to want.

"I don't have time to figure out who's telling the truth," I said. "I have a brother who's scared and alone somewhere, and a seventy hour clock that's already ticking down. If marrying you buys him safety, I'll do it. We can sort out the rest after."

Damon studied me for a long moment, something unreadable moving behind his eyes. "You understand what you're agreeing to. This isn't a simple contract. Once you're my wife, you're a target too. Maybe more than you already are."

"I'm already a target," I said. "At least this way I'll know why."

Something shifted in his face, and for the first time since I'd known him, Damon Cross looked less like a stranger and more like someone who might actually understand what it cost me to say yes.

He picked up a pen from his desk and held it out to me.

I took it with a steady hand, though my heart was pounding so loud I was certain he could hear it.

I signed my name beside his.

The moment the ink dried, my phone buzzed again.

New location. New deadline. Twelve hours.