Chapter 41 – Unchained Tension
605 Words
The car ride back to the penthouse was thick with unspoken words. Damon sat beside Elena, his presence looming, his fingers drumming against his knee in a slow, controlled rhythm.
He was furious.
Not just because she had run, but because she had made him feel something he never wanted to feel—fear.
Fear of losing her.
And that was unacceptable.
Elena stared out the window, her arms crossed over her chest. She wasn’t looking at him, wasn’t acknowledging him, but he could feel the tension radiating off her in waves.
She was angry.
Good.
Because so was he.
When the car finally pulled into the underground parking garage of the penthouse, Damon stepped out first. He turned to Elena, holding the door open, waiting.
She didn’t move.
“Elena,” he said, voice low and dangerous.
Still, she didn’t move.
Jaxon stood a few feet away, watching the standoff in silence.
Damon exhaled sharply, then leaned down, his hand reaching inside. Before she could react, he gripped her wrist and pulled her out of the car.
She gasped, stumbling slightly before regaining her footing.
“Let go of me,” she hissed, her eyes flashing with defiance.
Damon didn’t loosen his grip. “No.”
He turned and started walking, dragging her with him.
She fought him every step of the way, but he didn’t stop until they were inside the private elevator. The doors slid shut, enclosing them in a silence that felt like a pressure cooker about to explode.
Elena yanked her wrist free, taking a step back. “You don’t have to just control me, Damon.”
He turned toward her, his jaw tight. “I control everything, Elena. And you—” His voice dropped lower, more intense. “—are not an exception.”
She let out a sharp laugh, but there was no humor in it. “That’s the problem. You think you own me.”
Damon stepped closer, forcing her against the elevator wall. His body radiated heat, his scent overwhelming. “I don’t think, Elena.” He leaned in, his lips hovering near her ear. “I know.”
A shiver ran through her, but she clenched her fists, refusing to let him see how much he affected her.
She pushed against his chest, but he didn’t budge. “This isn’t how this works, Damon.”
“Then tell me how it works,” he challenged, his eyes burning into hers. “Tell me how I’m supposed to let you go when you make me feel like this.”
Her breath caught in her throat. “Feel like what?”
He exhaled sharply, his grip tightening on the wall behind her. “Like I’m losing my mind.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The elevator dinged, the doors sliding open to reveal the penthouse.
Damon stepped back, his face an unreadable mask once more.
“Go to your room,” he said coldly.
Elena’s jaw tightened. “You don’t have to order me around.”
Damon turned toward her, his patience clearly wearing thin. “You don’t want to test me right now.”
She met his gaze head-on. “Or what?”
His eyes darkened. “Or you won’t like the consequences.”
Elena swallowed, but she didn’t let herself look away.
After a long moment, she turned on her heel and stormed toward her room, slamming the door behind her.
Damon stood there for a moment, staring after her, his hands clenched at his sides.
He had her back.
But why did it still feel like he was losing her?
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- Writer
