Page 83 of Daman

I slipped out of bed, tugged on sweats, and walked downstairs to brew a pot of coffee. Armen had the day off, so I decided to cook us pancakes. I liked to make a raspberry jam to go with them. Once they were done, I placed them on the warmer on the stove and returned upstairs to wake Daman.

“Wake up.” I kissed his jaw. “Coffee and breakfast await.”

He moved his head and grumbled, “Five more minutes.”

“Your pancakes will get cold.”

He cracked open his eyes. “Did you say pancakes?”

“Come downstairs and find out.”

“Fine. Whatever.” He mumbled under his breath about how it was too early as he pulled on clothes and shuffled out of the bedroom. His hair was messy, both from how hard he’d slept and how I’d yanked on it last night during sex. “Just my luck that I ended up married to a freaking morning person. How are you so awake? The sun’s not even up yet.”

I chuckled and tugged him against my chest. “I wanted to watch the sunrise with you.”

Daman pressed closer, tucking his head beneath my chin. He didn’t say anything, but his arms came around me. Despite his aversion to people, his love language was touch. And he said so much in those quiet moments. Words weren’t needed.

We each grabbed a small stack of pancakes and filled our mugs with coffee before walking to the dining room. One wall was made of glass, giving us a view of the snowy forest and the dark sky that was quickly lighting with the rising sun. And then, light broke across the horizon.

Daman rested his hand on my thigh. I linked our fingers and looked over at him. His eyes were on me too.

“I wasn’t always such a bitter bitch in the morning,” he said before taking a sip of coffee. “I used to wake up early and start the day gathering plants and herbs for Morys. He was the physician in town. A good man. Kind too.”

I remembered him telling me a little about his past before. “And you stole.”

He grinned. “Only a little. And never from Morys. I only stole from people who wouldn’t miss it. I…” His voice shook. “I had a friend. He was the same age as me. We lived together, and I took care of him.”

“Lycus,” I said, recalling the time he’d let the name slip on one of our morning walks.

“Yeah.” Daman’s gaze moved to the window. “He was ill. Always so pale and weak. He smiled a lot, though, despite all that. He loved hearing stories, so I’d tell him about the Great White Wolf and Balaur, the dragon who lived in the stars and watched over us at night.” Tears filled his eyes, and he quickly blinked them away. “Lycus was like my brother. The only person in my life besides Morys and the spirits in the forest who gave a damn about me.”

“What happened to him?”

“He died the day the Romans conquered Dacia. A demon possessed one of the soldiers and found us in the forest. Once he realized I was the son of a fallen angel, he stopped the attack. But then he hurt Lycus. Lazarus showed up right after that and took me away. He said Lycus died hours after I left.” Daman’s hand balled into a fist. “It was the first time I lost someone, and a part of me chipped away. Years later, my brother Kallias died when demons killed his bonded mate.”

“Kallias?”

“Melancholy, the eighth deadly sin. Not many people know of him. Part of his curse, I think. To be forgotten.” Daman cleared his throat and blinked a few times. He was trying so hard not to show emotion. “His death nearly destroyed me. I guess I’ve been afraid of getting too attached to people since then. Which is why I’m fucking terrified, War.” A tear slipped from his eye. “I don’t want to lose you.”

I wiped the tear away with my thumb and slid out of my chair to kneel in front of him. “You won’t.”

“You don’t know that for sure.” He shook his head and started to pull away.

I brought him right back. “Asa won’t win. I am utterly and wholeheartedly devoted to you. Have faith in me.”

“I want to.” Daman rested his face against my neck. “I really do.”

“But?”

“But I’m afraid that one day, you’ll wake up and see me for who I really am. You’ll realize you’re better off without me.”

His pessimistic mind constantly went to the worst-case scenario. However, he didn’t see the spark of joy in his eyes when he laughed or the way his brow crinkled when he was deep in thought. He didn’t feel the warmth of his touch, one that mended the pieces inside my chest I hadn’t even known were broken.

Beneath it all, Daman was a man who wanted to love and be loved. He only needed someone to show him he was worth it.

“Shut up,” I said, grabbing him by the jaw.

“Excuse me?”