Afterlight (Fanfiction) ✓

chapter fifteen

Chloe

THE man standing before me was like a shadow of Justin, only darker, older—more dangerous. His eyes, so like Justin's, pierced me with an intensity that was both familiar and entirely alien. Where Justin's gaze usually held warmth, or at least, a flicker of something softer, Damien's eyes now reflected pure disdain, a cold, calculated cruelty that made my skin prickle. His smirk twisted in a way that felt rehearsed, like he knew exactly how to manipulate the situation—and me.

I felt Justin's arm tighten around my shoulder, a shield that didn't feel nearly strong enough. My heart was thundering in my chest, and the air around us felt suddenly too thick, suffocating. The weight of Damien's scrutiny bore down on me, and I could sense that he was toying with me, playing out some unseen game I wasn't prepared to understand.

He stood there, taking me in with a quiet amusement, his gaze flicking between us as though measuring, weighing, calculating the best way to break the silence.

"So this is what you're doing now?" His voice was a slow, languid drawl, coated in disdain. He let the words hang in the air, heavy with judgment. "Picking up strays?"

The sting of his words caught me off guard, a sharp, unexpected insult. I could feel my breath catch in my throat, but Justin didn't flinch. His eyes narrowed, his jaw tightening with a barely contained fury that I knew all too well.

"Watch your mouth," Justin growled, his voice low and threatening, the kind of tone that made my blood run cold.

For a fleeting moment, I thought the tension would snap, that Damien might lash out, but instead, he remained unnervingly calm. His smirk only deepened, his eyes scanning me like I was some new curiosity, something to inspect, to break down piece by piece.

Justin's hand brushed mine gently, grounding me in the midst of the storm swirling around us. "Go sit down," he murmured softly, the command wrapped in reassurance. There was a tenderness in his voice, but I could hear the silent warning behind it. "I've got this."

I nodded, my legs unsteady beneath me. I started toward the kitchen, but I could feel Damien's eyes like knives at my back, cutting through me with the kind of disdain that made my spine stiffen. Each step felt heavier than the last, and my mind raced with thoughts I couldn't grasp.

Suddenly, I heard Damien's voice again, smooth, almost taunting. "Don't be so shy, come here." He beckoned with a casual motion of his hand, and something twisted in my chest at the sound of his voice.

My feet moved before my mind could catch up, and I found myself walking toward him, drawn into his orbit like some cruel force of nature. He wrapped his arms around me in a hug that felt far too intimate, too suffocating. His breath was warm against my neck, and for a moment, I couldn't breathe. This was no ordinary hug. This was the embrace of someone who could end my life in a single, brutal motion, and he was enjoying the terror in my veins.

"Welcome to Stratford," he murmured into my ear, his voice smooth as silk but cold as ice. "Chloe," he whispered my real name, so quietly, only for me to hear.

I froze. My heart stuttered in my chest, a jagged beat of panic. He knew. He knew who I was, and the realization hit me like a slap to the face.

I pulled away from him as quickly as I could, but Damien didn't let me go right away. His grip tightened around my arm, and he held out my driver's license, the one I had tried so desperately to keep hidden, the one that proved who I really was. His eyes gleamed with something dark and malicious as he let the card fall into my hand.

I could feel Justin's confused stare on me from the corner of my eye, but I couldn't bring myself to meet his gaze. I slowly, reluctantly, returned to stand beside him, closer than I had before. It was a strange, desperate comfort, though I knew Justin couldn't protect me forever. Not from this and not from Damien.