Chasing His Kickass Luna Back Chapter 358

Abby

“Is there a problem here?”

Damon’s voice is powerful and firm despite the sound of the party whirling around us. His grip tightens around my shoulders, pulling me in closer against his warm body. I stumble a bit in my heels and feel my body press against him in a way that makes me shiver.

“I’m just trying to speak with Abby,” Karl says calmly, standing up straighter and smoothing down his suit jacket. “If you wouldn’t mind giving us a few minutes of privacy, please.”

Damon stares coolly at Karl for a few long moments before he looks down at me. His green eyes seem to flash in the light of the chandeliers. “You look frightened, Abby,” he says softly. “Are you alright?”

I open my mouth to respond, but no words will come. I’m not sure why; I want to tell Damon that I’m fine, that I’m happy to see Karl despite everything and that I would very much like to speak with my ex-husband in private.

But the words feel caught on my tongue, as if it’s been tied up in knots inside of my mouth.

Damon exhales through his nose, noticing my hesitation, and looks back up at Karl. “Whatever you have to say to Abby, you can say in front of me. But I won’t leave her alone with you.”

“Very well.” Karl pulls his shoulders back and levels me with a steady gaze. He seems to ignore Damon’s piercing green eyes on him as he speaks. “Abby, I love you. I will always love you, and…” His eyes shift down to my belly, and his gaze seems to soften. “...Our baby. But if you truly want nothing to do with me, just say the words and I’ll leave you alone. Forever.”

There’s a long silence between us. I don’t know what to say—or rather, it’s that I can’t say anything. My tongue feels like a brick in my mouth, thick and heavy. My voice is useless.

After several long moments of silence, Karl takes a step closer to me, his eyes searching my face. “Abby—” he begins.

But then it happens. Damon’s arm tightens around me, and I find myself recoiling slightly, although whether it’s from Karl or Damon’s touch, I can’t quite tell.

All I know is that when it happens, Damon chuckles slightly and Karl drops his hand back to his side, his shoulders slumping.

“Can’t you see?” Damon asks. “She’s frightened of you. Don’t worry, Abby. I’ll protect you. Guards!”

Karl’s eyes widen. “No, wait—”

It’s too late. Before I can even fully register what’s happening, two heavyset guards are storming toward us. Their eyes flash with obedient fury as Damon snaps his fingers toward Karl, who is still standing there with his eyes locked onto mine.

“Abby, please,” Karl says. “Don’t do this. Come home with me.”

Once again, I open my mouth to speak; and once again, no words come out. Nothing at all. Not even a breath.

Then, suddenly, the guards are taking Karl under the arms and pulling him away. He struggles against their cold grips, but it’s no use. They’re too huge for him to fight on his own, and it’s already causing a scene as nearby guests begin to turn and whisper amongst themselves.

“Abby!” Karl calls out. “Abby, please!”

“Good day, Karl,” Damon calls out with a polite wave. “I do hope you enjoyed the party while it lasted.”

Tears mist over my eyes as I watch Karl being carried away. I feel frozen like a statue in Damon’s arms, or rather like a puppet. Inside of me, my wolf roils; but she’s mute, too, just like me.

The last thing I hear just before the guards disappear around a bend with Karl is one last desperate plea on his lips.

“Abby! The daffodils!” he cries out. “Don’t forget the daffodils!”

And then he’s gone. His voice is no more than an echo in my mind.

Once Karl and the guards are finally out of sight, Damon releases his iron grip on me and I feel like I can breathe once again. He turns to me, holding me gently by both shoulders as he stoops to look me deeply in the eyes. Those green eyes of his have returned to their usual soft gaze.

“Oh, dear,” he says softly. He reaches for his pocket square and dabs at my eyes. “Don’t cry, Abby. It’s over now.”

I swallow and sniffle at the same time. I still feel unable to speak, but this time, something feels strangely different.

“Are you alright, Abby?” Damon asks once he’s dried my tears. “Should I have Edgar bring you to your room? Perhaps you should rest.”

I quickly shake my head. “No, I… I should just get back to the kitchen, I think,” I choke out. It’s funny; I can speak now. And the more moments pass, the more differently I feel about what just happened.

In fact, I think I didn’t speak because I was a coward. That was it.

And now I need to get away.

Damon hands me his pocket square instead of slipping it back into his pocket and rubs my shoulder gently. “Perhaps a little work might do you some good,” he says gently. “But please, if you need to return to your room at any point, don’t hesitate—”

“Is Karl going to be okay?” I blurt out.

Damon’s eyes widen slightly. Something seems to flicker in their green depths, but then it’s gone in an instant, and his gaze softens once more. “Of course,” he says softly. “I’m just having him removed from the property.”

I nod stiffly. “Okay,” I mutter. “I don’t—I don’t want any harm to come to him.”

“And none will.” Damon brushes a strand of hair out of my eyes, and this time, just this once, I don’t pull away. Maybe because I’m in too much shock to move.

Damon, noticing my pain, stoops down again to look me in the eyes. “I know that was hard for you, Abby,” he whispers. “But I must tell you something.”

I shoot him a curious look. “What is it?”

Damon draws in a deep breath before he continues. “You see, last night… I didn’t want to tell you because I thought it would hurt too much…” He sighs and shakes his head. “Karl broke into my study. He smashed the place to bits; my guards found him in the act.”

My eyes widen at Damon’s confession. “He what?” I whisper. “That doesn’t seem like Karl…”

“Follow me. I’ll show you.”

…

“I must warn you, what you are about to see may seem rather… disturbing,” Damon says with his hand on the doorknob to his study. “But I believe you must see it.”

I nod, swallowing. “I’m ready.”

With that, Damon pushes the door open; and my breath catches in my throat. I clap my hand over my mouth as I slowly walk into the room. It’s just as Damon described: everything has been smashed to bits. The windows, the furniture, the artwork, everything. Even the curtains have been torn.

And there, in the middle of the room, are the daffodils: the vase has been shattered and the yellow petals have been stomped into the floor with so much fury that it feels as if I’ve just walked in on a murder scene.

“Damon, I…”

“I know it’s a lot to process,” Damon says with a sigh, running a hand through his hair. “My men found him in the middle of the night, wreaking havoc here; it seems as though he… well, he caught wind of my little schoolboy crush on you, and he decided to pay me a visit.”

I swallow as I step over the broken things. Damon’s letter opener has even been stabbed into the wood of his desk. This was… violent, to say the least.

“To keep you from emotional harm, Abby, I had Karl thrown out without pressing charges,” Damon continues. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I figured he wouldn’t come back, but…” His voice trails off, and he shakes his head. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s… It’s alright, Damon,” I murmur. I’m still in disbelief, but… the daffodils feel so personal. Like an attack of passion. Karl knows about our connection to those flowers. Perhaps he saw that Damon gave me one and it threw him into a frenzy.

“Listen, Abby.” Damon turns toward me with a world of hurt in his green eyes. “I’m not showing you this to sway you, or to change your mind about taking Karl back. If you love him, truly, then I wish you all the best.”

He pauses then, licking his lips before continuing. “But… you must know that I will forever fear for your safety around a man like this,” he says as he gestures around at the mess. “A man who cannot contain his dark passions… Well, he’s hardly a man. An animal, rather.”

Damon’s words cut deep, but maybe because they’re true. Still, though, the very thought of it breaks my heart for the millionth time today. And right now, suddenly, I feel as if I might be sick.

“I… I need to think,” I say, taking a step back. “T-Thank you for telling me the truth.”

He nods, his green eyes cast down to the crushed yellow petals by his feet. “It’s the least I could do,” he whispers.

Before either of us can say another word, I’m turning on my heel and storming out of the room. Alone, in the dark hallway, I hike up my dress in my hands and break into a run.

My heels click on the marble tiles, and my sobs echo in the empty corridor.