Page 21 of Dark Therapy
He took a step closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Or maybe you were just tooscaredto face me again.”
My breath caught in my throat, and I had to remind myself to breathe. “No, that’s not it,” I shot back, my voice trembling despite my efforts to sound firm. “I’m just… trying to take care of myself.”
“Self-care is important,” he replied smoothly, the playful edge in his voice making my skin crawl. “But you should know, avoiding what scares you only makes it stronger.”
I didn’t respond, my mind racing as I tried to decipher the underlying meaning in his words. Every moment spent in his presence felt like a game, and I was the unwilling pawn. Theshadows of the trees seemed to stretch toward me as if they were part of his machinations, and I felt the weight of his gaze burning into the side of my face again.
As we reached my house, the familiar brick façade loomed before me, a beacon of safety that suddenly felt inadequate. I hesitated for a moment, glancing back at Damien, who stood with his hands casually tucked into his pockets, an amused smirk playing on his lips. The night air felt charged, and I could sense the tension building between us.
“Thanks for walking me home,” I said, my voice sounding oddly strained. “You can go now.”
“Not just yet,” he replied, tilting his head slightly as if assessing me. “You seem… on edge. Are you sure you’re okay?”
I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, a voice cut through the stillness of the night. “Amelia!”
I turned around to see Jake Turner striding towards me, his friendly smile lighting up the dim street. Relief washed over meat the sight of my friend. “Jake!” I exclaimed, rushing toward him as he enveloped me in a warm hug.
“Wow, it’s good to see you!” he said, pulling back to look at me. “You look… well, a bit worn out, actually. Everything okay?”
“Yeah, just a rough week,” I said, trying to brush it off. My heart raced as I glanced back at Damien, who had taken a step back, his expression darkening as he watched us closely.
Jake turned to Damien, his eyebrows raised in surprise. “And who’s this?”
“Damien Blackwell,” he replied smoothly, extending a hand that Jake shook cautiously.
“Jake Turner. Nice to meet you,” Jake said, but I could sense the tension in his stance. He was perceptive, and I could only imagine what he must be feeling in the presence of someone like Damien.
I forced a smile, trying to ease the discomfort. “Jake just got back to town. He was my colleague at the hospital.”
“Oh really?” Damien replied, his voice laced with sarcasm. “That must have been a fun time.”
The way he said it sent an involuntary shiver down my spine, and I could sense the weight of his gaze like a heavy cloak draped over my shoulders.
Jake shifted slightly, his body language defensive, and I could feel the tension crackling in the air between the three of us. “Yeah, we had our moments,” Jake said cautiously, his eyes flicking between me and Damien.
“Moments can be… illuminating,” Damien said, his smirk widening. “But they can also haunt you if you’re not careful.”
“Right,” Jake replied, the unease evident in his tone. “Well, Amelia and I should probably catch up. It’s been a while.”
“Sure, why don’t you two enjoy your chat?” Damien stepped back slightly, but not without a lingering glance at me, a predator sizing up its prey.
With that, he turned and walked away, his silhouette slowly fading into the night, leaving behind a heavy silence that wrapped around us like a fog.
PREDATOR
Damien
The night air was cool, still, carrying only the faintest sound of her footsteps over the damp path. I trailed behind her, close enough to feel the tension rolling off her in waves, savoring each shiver that passed through her.
She didn’t know I was there, not at first. But soon, the unmistakablethrillof fear began to stir in her, tightening her shoulders, quickening her pace, a subtle panic radiating from her with each step. She hadsensedme— that shadow in the dark, just out of reach. It was beautiful, watching her instincts kick in, like a doe suddenly aware of the hunter in the woods.
I slowed down, just a touch, letting her anticipation build, letting the suspense coil around her like a vice. And then, when she least expected it, I stepped into her path.
The moment her gaze lifted to mine, recognition flaring in her eyes, I saw her mask crack — just for an instant. She looked as though she’d fallen straight into her nightmare.
As I stood there, brushing the dust from her clothes, I felt it again — thatpull, that undeniable magnetism that kept me coming back.Fuck. There was something about her that struck a chord deep within me, something twisted and dark, buried beneath all those layers of professional detachment.
She was different. So many people wore their lives like an open book, ready to be dissected with a glance. But Amelia? She was a fuckingmaze, a series of locked doors, each one leading to something even more intriguing than the last. Beneath that calm exterior was a woman both fierce and fragile, bound by past traumas that lingered just out of sight, waiting for someone willing to unravel them.