Page 115 of Dark Knight (Knight's Ridge Empire 10)

DAEMON

Istare at my phone with my teeth clenched and my hand shaking with my grip.

Angel: Are you okay? You should come join us.

Confusion wars inside me. I’ve done the right thing since being sent away from Damien’s house on Friday night. Or at least, I’ve let her think I have. Truth is, I’ve been watching her every night, feeding my obsession and soothing my worry over the fact that neither Alex nor Ant has visited her.

It allows me to be able to lie to myself that the words I growl to her every time I near her could be true. That she could be mine.

She sent this message hours ago. It was the final thing that shattered my restraint—if I have any, when it comes to Calli—and I got straight in my car and followed the dots of their trackers, all the while making myself invisible so if I decided to make my presence known, I could turn up as a ghost in the night and have none of them expecting it.

The second I open the car door, quiet laughter floats down, making my stomach knot and my chest ache.

Yes, I was invited. But like every invite I get, I never feel it’s sincere. They ask because they feel it’s their duty to try to include me instead of actually wanting me here.

With the sun long set, I’m able to stalk through the trees while having almost perfect vision of their… camp, I guess.

Seb had explained the place to me, shown me pictures even in his attempt to convince me to come with them. But while it might have looked impressive online, it’s nothing compared to reality.

There’s nothing around here. Literally nothing. And the only thing that can be heard aside from them all enjoying themselves is the sound of a couple of owls somewhere behind me.

It’s heaven.

I allow my mind to wander, imagining what it might be like to spend time with Calli alone somewhere like this. Somewhere we don’t have to hide, sneak about and pretend this thing that I’ve craved between us doesn’t exist.

A shriek of laughs startles me, and fear of being caught spying on them all has me lifting myself up a tree so they don’t accidentally walk into me.

Nico and Brianna burst through the trees only a few seconds later, both of them with wide, happy smiles on their faces before he backs her up against one of the tipis, pinning her against it. Leaning in, he whispers something in her ear which makes her body sag with need before he claims her lips in a kiss that makes my stomach tumble and my balls ache.

Fuck. I need my girl.

Ripping my eyes from them, I search her out. But while everyone else might be hanging out around the fire, I can’t find her.

My heart jumps into my throat at the thought of her hiding, or even being sick in one of those tipis and no one being with her. Then she bursts out of one, her phone in her hand and a deep frown etched onto her face.

Her thumbs race over the screen as she furiously types something out, and I can’t say I’m wholly surprised when my phone vibrates in my pocket.

I continue watching as Emmie calls her over.

But she doesn’t go straight there. Instead, she detours into the biggest tipi, and when she emerges a few minutes later, it’s with alcohol.

Dropping into the space beside Alex, she twists the top of her mixer drink and tips it to her lips.

He leans in to speak to her, but she barely even registers it as she focuses on drowning out reality.

I hate that she’s doing that because of me. I fucking hate that I have any effect on her, almost as much as I love it.

Once I’m confident that the light of my phone won’t catch anyone’s eye, I pull it free and read what she sent me.

Angel: You’re a coward, Nikolas.

All the air rushes from my lungs as I stare at those words from the one person who can see me better than anyone else.

They cut deep, leaving me carved open and bleeding up in this stupid tree.

But still, I don’t find it in me to do anything.

I sit there for the longest time as the moon moves across the sky, changing the shadows it casts across their camp as I just watch them all enjoy themselves.