Tempting The Forbidden

Where Safety begins……and ends.

(Elara)

The soft glow of sunlight escaped through my curtains, casting slanted lines across my bedroom floor. It was the last time I’d see the sunlight stretch that way from this room as someone had made it their goal to target my life.

I stared at the ceiling for a while, feeling empty. Everything from last night still played in my mind like a bad dream. The threatening texts. The gunshots. My father’s sad expression. And then the bombshell that came late at night: I’d be moving in with Damon.

Not temporarily visiting. Not supervised relocation or a courtesy visit. But living under the same roof as the man I’d been secretly fantasizing about for years. The same man who’s face was in my mind anytime I rode through the waves of orgasm with my fingers.

The man who’d once kissed my forehead when I graduated high school and congratulated me like I was still a child.

The same man who now had to protect me from a threat neither of us fully understood.

My door swung open rather loudly , snapping me out of my thoughts. Camila stepped in, already dressed, her long braids pulled into a high bun. She looked tired, but still somehow radiant as always.

“You up?” she asked softly.

“Barely.” I replied as I ran my hands down my face.

She sat beside me on the bed as the silence settled between us. “Are you okay babes?,”

I sat up, pushing the covers away. “Do I look okay?”

“Nope. You look like someone who just got told she’s about to go live with a dangerously hot older man.”

I groaned. “Cam.”

She shrugged as her eyes held a mischievous glint in them.

“What? Tell me I’m wrong. Go on. I’ll wait.”

I rolled my eyes at her. “This isn’t funny.”

“It’s a little funny.” She leaned back on the bed. “I mean, come on. Out of all the safe houses in the country, your dad decides to Damon’s fortress of secrecy?”

“It’s not like I asked for this,” I replied in a groan.

“No, you didn’t,” she replied. Suddenly, Cam shot up the bed as though something had bitten her.

“What is it?,” I asked, curiousity creeping in.

“What if you maybe, just maybe, you could use this to your advantage,”she replied with a sly smile on her lips.

I raised a brow. “Meaning?”

Camila smirked. “You’ve had a crush on him since forever. Don’t pretend you haven’t imagined him pulling you into his arms and kissing you senseless and more.”

Heat crawled up my thighs. “You’re insane Cam.”

“Maybe. But I’m not blind. Damon looks at you like he’s swallowing fire.”

I shoved her with a pillow, and she laughed, catching it before it bounced off her head.

“Stop,” I said, though a small smile found its to my lips.

Camila got serious then. “But for real, Elara… be careful. Damon’s not just any man. He’s older and a bit complicated from what I can see. And your dad trusts him with your life. Don’t play games with him unless you’re ready for the consequences.”

“I’m not playing anything,” I muttered, pulling open my closet. “I just want to feel safe again.”

“Then let him protect you,” she said, suddenly somber. “And if something more happens… just be sure it’s what you want. Not just a reaction to chaos.”

I nodded, my heart heavy. Cam was right.

I just needed to focus on being safe for now and get Damon off my dirty thoughts.

We packed in silence for a while. I didn’t have the luxury of picking cute outfits. Just practical things; jeans, hoodies, leggings. My camera, my journal. The worn paperback Damon gave me last Christmas still sat on my shelf untouched. I hesitated, then added it to the pile.

By the time my suitcase was zipped shut, I felt like I was stepping out of one life and into something I had no idea about.

Camila helped me carry it downstairs. Damon was already waiting by the door, dressed in black jeans and a dark blue shirt, his duffel bag slung over one shoulder. His presence filled the room as usual; brooding, and restrained.

“Ready?” he asked, his voice low.

I nodded. My parents were nearby, speaking to someone on the phone in hushed tones. My mother gave me a tight hug while trying to hide the unshed tears in her eyes. My father kissed the top of my head like I was five again and for a moment, a tear dropped down my eye.

Then it was time.

Camila squeezed my hand as we reached the door. “Text me every day and if you need me to come over, I’ll be there faster than the speed of lightening. And if he tries anything, remember, I know how to hack a GPS tracker.”

I gave her a half-laugh, half-sob. “Thanks Cam. I love you,”

“I love you too,” she replied sadly and watched as I followed Damon out to his car.

The SUV was sleek and black, tinted windows shielding us from the world. Damon loaded my suitcase into the back and opened the passenger door for me. I slid in, the leather seats cool against my skin.

He didn’t say a word as he got in and started the engine.

The silence between us wasn’t awkward. It was… thick. Heavy. Full of things neither of us were ready to say.

I watched him as he drove. His jaw was tight, one hand gripping the steering wheel and the other was on the gear. He looked straight ahead, not once bothering to give me a look.

I couldn’t even guess where we were going as miles rolled by. I focused on watching the buildings as we left the city behind quickly, winding through country roads and hills.

I stared out the window, the trees running past. The tension in my chest wouldn’t go away as I could feel his every move.

I wanted to say something and break the silence. I wanted to ask him what he was thinking. But I didn’t.

He was protecting me. That was the only reason I was here.

That had to be enough. For him.

Still, I couldn’t ignore the way my stomach twisted when his veiny hands moved against the wheel. Or the way my skin tingled when his arm brushed mine as he adjusted the mirror.

“Do you always drive in silence?” I finally asked. My voice felt too loud in the quiet.

Damon looked at me then, just once. “I think better when it’s quiet.”

“Do you think I’m a burden?”

His fingers tightened on the wheel. “No.”

“Then what are you thinking?”

“That this shouldn’t be happening,” he said. “That you should be at school. Living your life. Not being hunted by shadows from your father’s past.”

I didn’t respond. What could I say to that?

My father’s past is the reason I’m being targeted and from the way Damon gripped the wheel tighter, the demons from my father’s past were back.

For me.