Fragile To His Darkness

Chapter 7: The Attack

Elara was in the garden. It was her favorite place now. No dust, full of flowers, warm sun that was good for her lungs. She sat on a bench reading a romance novel Damon had bought for her.

She did not see the black car stop outside the mansion gate. She did not see two men in masks jump out.

Damon was in his office with Leo, counting money and guns.

"Boss, the Rossi family is angry you cancelled the deal last night for a girl. They think you are weak now," Leo said.

"Let them think whatever they want. I am not weak. I am just busy keeping someone alive," Damon replied.

Then they heard it. A scream. Elara's scream. Small, fragile, terrified.

Damon's blood froze. He ran faster than he had ever run in his life. He jumped out the garden door, gun already in his hand.

Two men were grabbing Elara. One had his hand over her mouth. She was coughing badly, struggling, her romance novel on the ground.

"LET HER GO!" Damon's voice was not human. It was animal. Pure rage.

The men turned. They saw Damon Black. They knew who he was. They dropped Elara and tried to run, but Damon's security was already there, tackling them.

Elara collapsed on the ground, shaking, coughing blood into her hand. The scare had triggered her disease.

Damon fell to his knees beside her, threw his gun away, and pulled her into his arms. He did not care about the attackers. He only cared about her blood on his white shirt.

"Elara! Breathe! Look at me! Breathe with me!" He held her inhaler to her mouth, his own hands shaking for the first time in his life.

She breathed, coughed, breathed again. Tears were streaming down her face.

"They... they tried to..."

"I know. Shhh. They are gone. No one will ever touch you again. I promise."

Leo dragged one attacker over. "Boss, they are from Rossi. They wanted to kidnap the girl to pressure you."

Damon looked at the man on the ground with eyes that promised death. But he held Elara so gently.

"Take them to the basement. I will deal with them later. And call Dr. Evans. NOW!"

He picked up Elara, her book, and carried her inside. Her whole body was shaking.

In her room, he laid her on the bed and did not leave her side. He wiped the blood from her lips with his own handkerchief.

"Are you hurt? Did they hurt you anywhere?" He checked her arms, her neck, panicking.

"No... just scared... I thought they would kill me..." she sobbed, clinging to his shirt, getting blood on it. She never clung to him before.

"They will never kill you. I will kill everyone in this city before I let someone kill you."

Dr. Evans came quickly and gave her oxygen and calming medicine.

"She had a severe panic attack. Her lungs are very weak today. She needs rest and no stress for 48 hours. No more garden alone. She needs a guard," the doctor said.

"I will be her guard," Damon said.

After the doctor left, Elara was sleepy from the medicine. But she held Damon's hand tightly.

"Don't go to the basement. Don't kill them," she whispered. "I don't want you to kill because of me."

Damon was silent. He wanted to kill those men slowly for touching her.

"Damon, please. Promise me you won't kill them. I don't want more blood because I am fragile and weak."

He looked at her pale, begging face. How could he say no?

"I won't kill them," he lied softly. He would not kill them today. He would let them live for one more day because she asked. But they would never see sunlight again.

"Thank you," she whispered and fell asleep, still holding his hand.

Damon sat there, holding the hand of the fragile girl who just saved two men's lives with one whisper, and realized something terrifying.

He was no longer a mafia boss who owned a fragile girl. He was a man who would burn his entire empire to keep that girl breathing.

And that made him more dangerous than ever before. Because now he had something to lose.

He kissed her forehead while she slept. "Sleep, my fragile treasure. No one will ever scare you again. I will build a wall around this house with their bodies if I have to."

Outside, Leo took the attackers to the basement, and everyone in the mansion knew: Elara Smith was no longer just Damon's possession. She was Damon's heart. And touching Damon's heart was punishable by death.