I nod weakly, still dizzy and a mess. Damian watches me exit the room, but I can’t decipher his cold silver eyes. I feel numb while Tonia escorts me out of the office. As we pass the door, I hear Neal’s voice. “Why the murderous look?”
The ding from the elevator makes me jump, and Tonia softly pushes me inside while my mind is still somewhere with Damian. I start sobbing again when the machine starts, and Tonia sighs. “Oh, Nora, you’ve had a tough day, huh? You have dark circles under your eyes, too...”
She rubs my back, trying to comfort me. Gosh, I just want to go home and curl up in my bed to cry once and for all...
Chapter 7
As predicted by Tonia, I had quite a fever that day. Too many emotions at once... I slept until the next morning, only waking up a few times to take medicine and eat. More than being sick, I was concerned about Damian not contacting me.
I did act as if I was rejecting him, but that wasn’t my intention! I was just scared, that’s all. I thought about it all night when I couldn’t fall asleep. When morning came, I was well-rested and totally awake. Bobo had slept in my room, back to usual, but I was waiting for Tonia. When I heard her knock and enter, I was almost on the edge of the bed.
“Hi, baby girl! How are you feeling?”
“Much better! I think I’m healed. Tonia, what about Damian?”
“Easy, girl, I don’t think you’ve healed already. Let me check your temperature first. Did you forget about your slow-healing thing?”
Is she eluding my questions right now? She sits next to me on the bed and puts a hand on my forehead, but I avoid her.
“Tonia!”
“Looks like you’re okay... And yes, the Boss called me last night, to know how you were. I said you were resting, and that’s it. I have to give him an update this morning.”
“Is he angry?”
“Angry? At you? Of course not, Nora, he’s just worried. Now, will you explain to me what happened yesterday? Without the unnecessary details, please.”
She has her big sister tone, but that’s not necessary. I need to talk to someone about this, and Tonia is the only one I can confide into here. Plus, she is a woman, and older than me, too. I don’t know how much she will understand me, but I don’t want to keep this bottled up. I sigh and start talking while nervously playing with my hair.
“Yesterday, Damian comforted me. We started kissing and... we got a bit passionate. I liked it, but when Damian started touching me, I... I couldn’t... I got petrified. I felt like I couldn’t stand him touching me like that.”
She listens to me with a frown, looking genuinely intrigued. After a while, she hesitates, then asks me a question on her own. “Nora, have you ever been... intimate with someone?”
I bite my lip. The only one who knows is Liam, and he doesn’t seem like he told his brothers... How do I explain this? I barely avoided Alec being killed yesterday, and now this.
“Not willingly. But I... This guy, Marcus Sickels, he... touched me several times back when I was still with the Jade Moon Clan. Just before Alec tried to... to kill me, Marcus almost...”
“...Raped you.” She whispers to finish my sentence.
“Damian knows,” I immediately add. “He felt through our bond that someone had tried to force me, and I told him about that guy. But now, sometimes, when Damian touches me, I... I can’t help but remember. I don’t want to feel like this when I’m with Damian!”
“It’s okay, Nora. I think you’re experiencing some form of PTSD. It’s not your fault, baby girl.”
PTSD? A traumatism? It might be... But how do I get out of it? I don’t want to feel like running away every time Damian touches me! I get up and head to my wardrobe, looking for something to put on.
“What are you doing, Nora? Come back to your bed!”
“No, I’m done resting. Let’s go to the gym.”
“Punching sandbags won’t solve this! What you need is some time, Nora, and talking to the Boss.”
I turn to face her, annoyed. “What do I tell Damian, Tonia? Sorry, some douchebag touched me before you did, so now you can’t touch me because I’m traumatized? I hate this!”
She rolls her eyes. I know I’m stubborn, but I don’t see anything better to do! I need to blow off some steam. But Tonia gets up and takes the workout clothes from me with a resolute look. She throws them on the floor and crosses her arms.
“Enough, Nora. I wasn’t talking about speaking to him about this issue. More like getting to know the Boss and letting him know you better. The two of you might be close because of your bond as fated mates, but the truth is you two barely know each other! I say you need to talk to the Boss, get to know him for real. Maybe this way, you will learn to trust him, and that will help you overcome your fear.”
She has a point... The attraction I feel to Damian from the start is probably mainly our bond’s work, but what else is there? All I know of him is what I heard from others. I don’t know his hobbies, his tastes, his habits, nothing. How can I even describe our relationship, then? And Damian, too, seems to know things I don’t, but... when do we ever really interact? He is often busy and only calls me from time to time to inquire how I am.
