The Betrayal

Chapter Thirty-Five

"Mae, have you listened to a word I said?" Damon's voice drifted through my ears. I glanced up, grabbing my glass of water from off of the table and bringing it to my lips. I wiped the condensation off the cup with my sleeve and put it down, staring at the man in front of me.

"I'm sorry. I'm just worried. What if we both die?"

"You're not going to die."

"Well, what if he dies then?" I asked, my brows knotting together.

"He marked you without your consent, started a war with me right after, wouldn't kill Alexandra for you. He's betrayed you. Multiple times. Why do you care if he dies or not?" Damon asked.

"Because... he was my best friend for years. He's been with me through the hard times. I've been with him through the hard parts of his life. Just because he's done that to me, doesn't mean I never cared about him before. I don't want to see him dead, Damon."

Damon growled lowly, cutting into his steak. His jaw clenched. "I just don't understand why you're so hung up about this. He's hurt you."

"So have you but I still care about you!" I yelled across the table, surprising myself.

He frowned, averting his gaze.

Regret immediately rushed through me and I sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I'm just... I care about him still. Not in a romantic type of way... but as a friend. I don't want him to die, just as I would never want Aaisha to die."

For a few moments he silently ate his food, but then he nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. I'm just... jealous."

I smiled at him from the table and gently grabbed his forearm. "You don't have to be jealous of him. He's just a friend."

"But, at one point in your life he was more than just a friend." With each word his eyes grew darker.

I took a deep breath. "He was, but he's not anymore. I'm in love with you Damon," I reassured him.

He forced a smile, gazing down at his food. "Do you want me there tomorrow?"

I pressed my lips together. I haven't even thought about if he should be there or not. But it wasn't about me. If this was Luca's last day, what would he want?

Reluctantly, I shook my head at him. "Luca probably won't want you there."

Damon's grip on his fork tightened, but he nodded. "Okay, but make sure Valerio is with you. I trust him. I don't trust Luca and I don't want Luca trying to hurt you."

"Okay," I nodded.

We finished the rest of our dinner in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts.

The worst possible scenario was replaying in my mind. Over and over and over again.

I was so lost, I didn't even realize Damon had cleaned up until the clank of a metal container on the table sent me out of my thoughts.

My gaze drifted to the can of whipped cream in front of me. I raised a brow at Damon.

The corners of his lip turned up, and then he retreated into another room in the cabin. Where was he going? I stood and grabbed the whipped cream, following him.

"Stay there!" he yelled. I sighed, plopped down into my seat and opened the can.

Suddenly, soft music began playing through the cabin. Damon walked back of the room, the smirk still on his face. He strutted over to me, slowly unbuttoning his shirt.

I pressed my lips together, a giggle escaping my lips. "Damon, what are you doing?"

He continued to unbutton his shirt, moving his hips to the music. He grabbed my hands, running them up and down his body. Oh, my gosh, was he seriously doing this right now? My giggles turned into full-on belly laughs.