Tempting The Forbidden

Whispers in the Dark.

(Elara)

I watched from my balcony as the sun set in the distance showing that I had spent almost a full day in Damon’s house. I sighed as the scent of garlic and grilled meat filled the air luring me downstairs.

I made my way downstairs hoping to see if what Damon was whipping up tasted as good as it smelled. I did not realize how hungry I was till I saw the long black dining table set for two.

It was already dark outside, the last hints of sun swallowed by the towering pines that surrounded Damon’s mansion. The dining room lights were dimmed, casting long shadows across the polished floor.

I paused at the foot of the stairs when I heard voices. To my knowledge, the only people who were in this house were Damon and I but now, I heard a third voice I couldn't recognize.

The voice wasn't coming from the kitchen or the dining room area. It was from somewhere further back, the same place Damon had asked me not to go to. The place where the picture of the blonde-haired woman was placed.

I listened carefully and realized the voice belonged to a male. The voice was almost as intense as Damon’s but lower.

“She’s here?” the unfamiliar voice snapped. “Do you have any idea what that means?”

“She’s under my protection,” Damon replied, rather coldly. “That is all that matters,”

Protection?

I stepped closer, careful not to make a sound so as not to alert them of my presence.

I heard the unfamiliar voice let out a sigh before continuing. “This wasn’t supposed to touch her. But if the people who attacked her father know she’s in your custody….”

“They don’t. And they won’t.” Damon replied, cutting him off.

“You’re playing with fire, Damon.”

“She’s not involved,” Damon spat out. “She’s just a girl.”

“She’s his girl. The mess he made all those years ago is back to bite him in the ass. It is quite unfortunate that he has a daughter now and knowing how ruthless these people are, they won't spare his daughter either,”

What did my father do that was so terrible?, I thought to myself as I bit my nails. A terrible habit I indulged in anytime I got nervous.

I heard the sound of a chair scraping the ground and I immediately pulled away so as not to get caught eavesdropping.

Some minutes later, the door swung open. I ducked behind the corner wall near the dining room. My heart was pounding loudly out of fear of being caught. I caught a glimpse of Damon standing in front of a man. He was tall, with broad shoulders and almost taller than Damon. He had grey hair or as Camila would like to say, salt-and-pepper hair. He wore a long black coat.

They exchanged something. A file? A photograph?

“Burn that,” Damon said. “No traces.”

“And the girl?”

“She stays.” Damon replied with finality in his voice.

My breath hitched in my throat.

I stepped back too fast causing me elbow to hit a tall metal wine rack. The sound was so loud and it was sure to catch Damon’s attention.

I heard footsteps approaching toward me and I had no choice but to step away from the corner where I hid.

“Elara?,” Damon called, his voice sharper than usual.

I gave him a sheepish smile as I knew I had been caught. “I…. I was coming down for dinner,” I said, pointing at the untouched plate at the table.

He looked behind him, then shut the hallway door with a single tap. “You should’ve called me. I would’ve come up.”

“I didn’t want to bother you,” I said, as I scanned his face. I noticed he looked… tense. On edge.

“I had a meeting,” he added. “Old friend. Nothing important.”

It was obvious that he was lying but I wasn't going to push.

I looked toward the hallway again. “Sounded intense.”

His jaw clenched. “You shouldn’t be wandering around the house alone, Elara.”

“Why not? It's just a house…maybe a big one but still a house” I said, folding my arms. “Afraid I might find something you don’t want me to?”

His eyes darkened. “Eat,” he said, stepping past me toward the stairs. “And stay out of that hallway.”

He didn’t wait for my response.

I watched him disappear up the staircase, his footsteps echoing louder than anything I had heard so far in this house.

And suddenly, the warm meal on the table didn’t look so appetizing anymore.

I sat in front of my laptop in the living room later that night, trying to finish the lines of code I’d been working on for weeks. It was part of my summer project, something to keep my mind sharp before the next semester began. A scholarship had required it. Back then, it felt like the most important thing in the world.

Now? My fingers hovered over the keyboard, but my mind kept replaying the conversation I wasn’t meant to hear.

“She’s his girl.”

“Burn that. No traces.”

“She stays.”

What the hell had Damon gotten me into?

I stared at the terminal window, blinking at the blinking cursor like it could blink back answers.

I typed a few lines of Python, only to delete them seconds later as it wasn't making any sense.

I needed to focus.

I decided to go to the kitchen for a glass of water. I tried to shake of the feeling of paranoia creeping over my shoulders blaming it on exhaustion and stress.

But when I returned to the living room and sat before my laptop, something felt off.

The screen was no longer on the code editor. My project had closed. Instead, there was a black terminal window, lines of white text scrolling rapidly, as if someone had been running scripts.

What the hell?

I stared at it, frozen. Then the terminal closed on its own.

I reached for the mouse, as my hands trembled slightly, and checked the system logs.

It read;

Access: Remote attempt detected.

Origin: Unknown IP.

Firewall: Breached.

Time: 9:46 PM.

My pulse thundered in my ears. That was less than fifteen minutes ago.

I wasn’t crazy. Someone had been in my system.

Was it the same person who attacked me? Or someone else entirely?

I rushed to unplug the laptop as my heart pounded. Damon had said I was safe here. He’d locked me behind steel gates and fancy security systems. But the danger wasn’t just outside anymore.

It had followed me in.