𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥'𝐬 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 | 𝟏𝟖+

14

I wake up screaming, my heart pounding violently. I'm back in that cell, the chains heavy around my neck and the stench of blood and sweat in my nostrils.

"Damien!" I cry out, my voice high with panic.

But then, I'm in Damien's bed, tangled in his silk sheets. Relief crashes over me.

It's been 3 weeks since I escaped, 3 weeks since I woke up in the hospital to the news that our baby hadn't survived. Every time I close my eyes, I'm right back in that place.

I hear Damien's footsteps pounding down the hallway, and then he's bursting through the door, his eyes searching for a threat . He takes one look at me, at the tears streaming down my face and he's by my side in an instant.

"Shh, baby, it's okay," he whispers, gathering me into his arms and rocking me gently against his chest. "You're safe, I got you."

Since I got out of the hospital, I haven't been able to bring myself to leave the mansion.

The thought of stepping outside sends me into a panic attack every time. Damien has been my rock through it all, never leaving my side for more than a few minutes at a time.

He's there when I wake up screaming in the middle of the night, holding me and whispering soothing words.

He's there when I burst into tears at the slightest things, a sad song on the radio or a baby stroller on TV.

He never lets me out of his sight, never lets me go anywhere alone. It should feel suffocating but it's the only thing that makes me feel safe. Knowing that he's always just a heartbeat away.

"... I'm gonna make them pay for it. I promise you. I'm gonna to hunt them down and rip their fucking throats out." His words hang in the air, dripping with a violence I know he's all too capable of. I can feel the anger rolling off him. "I'll tear them limb from limb."

"Damien," I say softly, turning to face him. "I...already."

His eyes widen, "Already what? What do you mean?"

I shrug, a small smile tugging at my lips. "I killed him. The leader, at least. I stabbed him... 46 times, I counted."

Damien stares at me, I can see the gears turning in his head, "Jesus, Cat," he breathes, ".. how did you...?"

"I did what I had to do," I say simply, my gaze unflinching. "For our baby." 

I look away, blinking back the sudden tears. "I was going to name her Faith," I whisper, my voice cracking on the last word.

Damien's breath catches, his hand coming up to cup my cheek. "How did you know it was a girl?"

I freeze, I can't tell him about Penny. I've seen the way guys react when they find out you have a kid and I can't lose Damien. So I force a smile, tears flowing down my cheeks, "Just a feeling, I guess. Mother's intuition, or whatever."

"Look, can we just... not do this right now?" I plead. "I don't want to talk about it anymore, Damien. I just want things to go back to normal. I want to go out tonight, get dressed up and pretend like the last few months never happened."

I know there's no going back, no erasing the scars and the trauma. But Damien just nods, his thumb stroking over my cheekbone with a tenderness that breaks my heart. "Okay, baby. Whatever you want."

I step out of the steaming bathroom, a towel wrapped around my body and my wet hair clinging to my shoulders. Damien is waiting for me, on the edge of the bed with a look of intense focus on his chiseled face.

"I picked out something special for you, '' he says, holding up a mini dress made of white silk, covered in diamonds."I want all eyes on you tonight, babe."