Chapter 17 – Caged Wings
453 Words
Elena sat by the massive window of Damon’s penthouse, staring at the city skyline. The world outside bustled with life—people going about their day, free to make their own choices.
Choices.
Something Damon had taken from her.
But she wasn’t going to stay trapped forever.
If she wanted to survive this, she needed to be smart. Calculated.
If Damon Blackwell thought she would simply submit… he had another thing coming.
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The sound of footsteps broke her thoughts.
Damon.
She didn’t turn as he approached, his presence looming behind her.
“You’re quiet today,” he observed.
Elena forced herself to remain composed. “Just thinking.”
He moved beside her, slipping his hands into his pockets. “About escape?”
Her breath hitched, but she masked it quickly. “Would it matter if I was?”
Damon let out a low chuckle, dark and knowing. “It would be a waste of your time.”
She turned to him then, her expression unreadable. “You keep me here like I’m some kind of prisoner, but you haven’t told me why. What do you really want from me?”
Damon’s gaze flickered with something unreadable.
“I already told you,” he said smoothly. “Loyalty. Obedience. Availability.”
Her stomach twisted. “That sounds an awful lot like ownership.”
A smirk tugged at his lips. “Does it?”
Her pulse pounded. Damon was impossible to read—his words layered with meanings she couldn’t quite decipher.
But she wasn’t going to let him win this game so easily.
“Tell me something,” she said, tilting her head. “If you have me now, why do you still act like you’re trying to convince me to stay?”
Damon stilled, his smirk fading just slightly.
Got you, she thought.
For the first time, she saw something flicker behind his cold exterior—something uncertain.
But it was gone in a heartbeat.
He stepped closer, his presence suffocating. “I don’t need to convince you, Elena.” His voice was low, almost hypnotic. “I just need you to understand.”
“Understand what?” she challenged.
“That running won’t change what’s already mine.”
Her breath caught as he reached out, his fingers brushing her jaw, tilting her chin up.
“You can fight,” he murmured, his dark eyes locking onto hers. “You can lie to yourself. But deep down, you know the truth.”
She swallowed hard. “And what truth is that?”
Damon’s lips curved into something dangerous.
“You don’t want to escape.”
Her pulse pounded in her ears.
Because the terrifying part was—he wasn’t entirely wrong.
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- Writer
