falling in love with the enemy ➳ [z.m.]

Chapter 35.

Damon's POV

         I pull up into the driveway of my house not seeing a car parked anywhere. As my feet hit the stone-cold concrete underneath my feet, I feel like something is wrong...and usually I can sense whenever something bad has happened. The cold air hits me in the face and I feel different. Something inside of me feels different, and my mind is telling me to run into the house.

         No. This cannot be good.

         I hop out of my car and hastily walk up to the front door where it is unlocked. Nope this is definitely not good. "Natalia?!" I shout as I run up several flights of stairs. It's very silent as I run throughout the house and the only thing I can hear are my leather shoes hitting the wooden floor. I bust open every single door, not finding Natalia or either of my guards in sight. Shit. When I reach the double doors, I push them open with as much force as I can and as soon as I walk in, the air becomes denser...and my heart stops because of what I see in front of me.

         My perfectly white carpet is now covered in blood and I see two of my men laying on the ground in front of me...

         Dead.

         I look around the room and try to look for Natalia. She has to be in here. She has to be fucking in here. This is the last place that I haven't checked throughout the house. As I walk to the other side of the couch, the sight of Natalia lying on the ground, with a puddle of blood surrounding her catches my eye. I feel my breath hitch in my throat and I run over to the girl. "Natalia!" I shout as I kneel on the ground in front of her. I pick the poor, limp girl up in my arms and I realize that her usual olive skin now has a grayish tint to it. As I brush her hair away from her face, only to get her blood on my black suit, I hear her ragged breathing raggedly and her eyes slowly flutter open revealing her brown eyes. "Damon?" she says so softly that I can barely hear it with my bare ears.
 
         I watch as Natalia's face scrunches up in discomfort, and her eyes fill with pain. "We have got to get you to the hospital Natalia," I say quickly before beginning to stand up, holding her safely in my arms.

         "No Damon," Natalia says faintly. Her eyes are struggling to stay open as she says those few words to me. She lets out a small cough and blood comes out of her mouth as well. "It's over for me. I just hung on so that I could say goodbye to you."

         "No!" I shout as a tear runs down my cheek. "It's not over. You've got to hang on!" I shout through my tears. I look down at Natalia whose eyes are still struggling to stay open. "Is that what you want...to-to die?!"

         "Yes," she says before shutting her eyes and sighing. "I'm sorry Damon," she says faintly before swallowing slowly. I blink away my tears before setting Natalia on the nearby couch. Her blood stains the white furniture she is on and I quickly grab a blanket before securely wrapping it around her. Her breathing is becoming softer and softer by the minute and she reaches for my hand. As I hold her hand, I can feel her shivering and I wish I could take all of her pain away. This is all my fucking fault. If I had come sooner and didn't stay at the office to finish up some late work, this wouldn't have fucking happened.

         "Shhh," I coo while looking at her emotionless face. "This is all my fucking fault." This is all my fault. "I'm going to kill them for you. For us," I say while rubbing my thumb across her now cold and clammy hands. "I promise."

         "It's not your fault Damon," she says. "We all makes mistakes...and besides...it's better for me to die than you." More tears fall down my cheeks at I watch the only person I have left die in front of me. Even though Natalia isn't my blood daughter, I still treat her like she is. She deserves to be treated like a princess after all the shit she's been through. "Thank you for everything Damon. You saved me...and if it weren't for you, I would have never met someone as amazing as you." That does it and all of the walls I have been holding up break. I find myself on my knees again and I lay my head on Natalia's stomach as I sob.