Page 33 of Sweet Temptation

Damien places a hand on my shoulder, causing me to flinch away. Pulling back, quickly he turns to Damon before backing away. "Hanna…" Damon's voice comes out soft as he strides toward me and pulls me into his arms.

I melt instantly, burying my face in his chest as the tears fall the moment I rest my head down. A loud angry voice comes from the busted door, and my body goes rigid.

"Saint!" Lenard booms, stepping into the apartment. My entire body tenses as his voice fills the small apartment. Damien glares before his eyes go dark and cold.

I've never seen this side of Damien, and the look in his eyes sends shivers down my spine. "We're fucking leaving," Damon growls. Damien pushes past Lenard and heads out the door.

"Not so fast!" Lenard growls, a gun gripped in his hand as he points it at Damon. "Your mother said it, didn't she? You do as you're told, or she dies."

Damon eyes the gun, then Lenard, before he shoves me toward Damien, who I latch onto instantly, ignoring the voice in my brain. "You could just let me walk away. I know how to keep my mouth shut," Damon replies calmly, though I know that won’t happen.

Lenard laughs so loud I shudder in terror and grip Damon's brother. "Just forget it," Damon replies as he moves to step past him.

A loud ringing in my ears causes my heart to crack. Gun shot. I feel a body move past me, but I don't register it. My eyes pop open and the tears flow the moment I see it. Damon. He's lying on the floor of the apartment, blood oozing from his chest as he holds his hand over the wound.

"No!" I don't even hear the voice until I realise I'm kneeled beside Damon. It was mine. My entire body shakes as I cry.

My hand clamps over Damon's as I scream for help. "You can't die. You can't die… I—Damon!" I scream. My heart is shattering with each moment we sit here and wait for help. I should have called him. I should have never left my house and followed those orders.

I know Damien called the police and he wouldn't let Damon die. Sobs shake through my body as I cling to Damon's motionless body. "You have to live. Please! I-I'm sorry," I cry out.

I don't even register anything around me as paramedics swarm Damon and pull me away. Damien clutches me as ear-rippling screams come from my throat. I don't feel anything. I don't want to feel. I can't feel it. I'm shattered and helpless as a team of paramedics pull Damon's body through the open door on a stretcher, away from the apartment, away from me.

NINETEEN

I feel arms wrap around my body, but I don't feel it. My eyes stay on Damon's body as it moves farther and farther from me.

Please don't take him from me. I look up at the ceiling as I feel myself being lifted off the ground and carried out of the apartment.

Salty tears touch my lips as I shudder into another sobbing fit. "He'll pay, Hanna. He'll pay," Damien murmurs in my ear as he hauls me to Damon's car. I can't even see the surroundings that pass by me. My entire body is lifeless, yet I'm still breathing. I didn't know what wanting to die for someone was until I heard that gunshot.

I wish I was in his place. I wish I could have stopped it. I'd die for him, in a heartbeat. Without a second thought, I'd die for him.

Tears stream down my cheeks and settle, soaking my cheeks and lips once again. I don't even register Damien beside me. I can't. All I know is I need to get to him. They need to save him. He has to come back to me.

Once the car comes to a stop outside a mansion, I don't even think. The door flies open, and my legs race across the hard surface toward the entrance of a building. "Hanna!" Damien yells behind me before he jumps from the car, grabbing my arm.

"You can't just run in there. This isn't a hospital, and these people will not take orders from you. They don't take orders from the likes of you," he snaps.

My body stops as I turn to face him with questions in my eyes. "This isn't a hospital? Then why are we here?" I ask while my body still buzzes with adrenaline.

"Because I can't let Damon go to a hospital. This is where he comes. We have a doctor and a team that will fix him up," Damien replies, though his eyes are twitching.

"Can you tell me more?" I ask, my lips trembling.

"No, that's for Damon to do," he replies as he stalks past me and through the front doors.

I follow closely and stare around the room. The floors are granite, and this building looks like it's caked in riches. Like it was built for the rich. As I stare around the area, there are guards with guns strapped to their chest, walking around like the entire building is under attack. There is a staircase that leads to god knows where, with lots of people who look like doctors walking up and down the stairs. This place is definitely not a hospital.

"Damon Saint," I ask when I step up to a desk with a woman tucked behind it, but she ignores me. Someone taps my shoulder, and I turn to the guard that Damien stands beside.

He nods at the staircase, then goes back to staring at his phone. "He's in medical. You can wait here." Nobody seems to be worried about the situation with Damon.

I hate this world. Why didn’t we just go to a hospital! I want Damon! My legs buckle, causing me to collapse to the ground, leaning my weight against the wall.

Pulling my knees to my chest, I don't stop as more tears escape my eyes. I'm not waiting another fucking minute. I’ll be there when Damon opens his eyes, because he will. He has to know I'm sorry. For what, I don't know, but I know I'm sorry.

I can't go another day without him knowing how I feel. The sobs rack through my body as Soren kneels next to me with emotionless eyes.