The Possessive Lord's Contract Wife

Eloise remained still, giving Damien the time he needed to settle down. She glanced at the bed, wishing they were there instead of the chair, which was not long enough for Damien to be comfortable.

The hard edge of the seat pressed against her thigh, and she longed for the softness of the mattress.

Damien’s hand stopped shaking, but Eloise didn’t think it was the right time to disturb him.

The silence between them was heavy, filled with unspoken fears.

Damien’s breathing slowed, and for a moment she thought the weight of his grief had finally dragged him into slumber.

’How am I to lift him if he is ready to sleep?’ Eloise wondered, panic rising in her chest.

Her arms were not strong enough to carry him, and the thought of leaving him there seemed cruel. She could rest her back on the table behind her and endure it all night, but Damien wouldn’t be comfortable.

The idea of him waking with pain in his neck or shoulders troubled her more than her own discomfort.

As though he could hear her thoughts, Damien’s eyes opened. He smiled as though he knew the turmoil she faced.

"It is time you get to bed," Damien said, rising from Eloise’s lap.

"I need to finish my braids, so you should get undressed first. I will join you in a moment," Eloise promised.

Damien stood up and began to discard layers of his clothing.

Eloise turned to face the mirror, watching Damien’s reflection as she quietly worked on braiding her hair. Her fingers moved with practised precision while her eyes lingered on him.

She noticed Damien set down a gun upon a dresser.

Her fingers stopped as she stared at it.

The sight chilled her.

It made his intentions for the day clear and surprised her even more by how much he had held himself back from killing Hayden.

Eloise finished the last of her braid and stood up to join Damien in bed. She wanted nothing more than to be at his side, not only because he needed to be comforted, but because it was all she needed.

She got onto the bed and lay beside Damien, resting her hand on his shoulder.

"I am thankful," Eloise said, staring out the window at the night sky. "That anger we face when losing a parent is hard to control. Whatever decision you made, I would have supported it, but I am thankful you are here with me now."

Eloise continued, "Perhaps you don’t believe in such a thing, but I believe when justice is served, souls can rest. Your parents’ souls no longer have to worry about danger being so close to you, so they can rest."

"Once my father’s soul has rested with Clive’s death, I like to think my parents shall greet each other. I am sorry if it upsets you," Eloise said, looking up at Damien, her eyes searching his face for understanding.

"It doesn’t. You are sharing your honest thoughts. I do hope it is so that they can rest. My greatest concern now is how do I tell my siblings? They didn’t have any trouble with Hayden as I did," Damien said.

"As difficult as it might be, you must tell them the truth as they deserve to know. They won’t take it well, as you have all spent many years around Hayden, but they must know. I can be with you when you share it, when you need," Eloise offered. "Or you can ask Zayne to join you."

"Jane isn’t going to take it well. She’s spent most of her life idolising their marriage. She was the one to be in Camille’s home the most and be around our cousins. I worry most about her," Damien said, looking to the roof.

"Perhaps it would be best to let her enjoy these few days of fun and then tell her when we return. Gather all of them," Eloise suggested. "She deserves a bit of happiness before her world comes crumbling down."

"It is hardly fair that good people are taken by the hands of greedy people. Ripping us of the time we deserve with our parents," Eloise said, anger flaring in her chest. "They were good people."

"They were. I used to wonder if they were ripped from us together because one wouldn’t have lived on without the other. I wished one had been so well to push through and still be with us now, but they might have been depressed," Damien said.

"I have heard of lovers following the other shortly after they lost their partner. It wouldn’t have been pleasant to lose another after the accident. The only comfort you can give yourself is hoping they are together. That is what I always think," Eloise said, her thoughts drifting to her own parents.

"So," Damien said, peering down at Eloise. "Would your heart ache for me and follow me if I were gone?"

"Only you would think of this now. I would certainly experience heartbreak, Damien. I watched my father experience it even years after we had lost my mother. I don’t know what I would do without you," Eloise said, not wanting to imagine such a life.

Eloise continued, "I will be silly to think we can be so fortunate to live forever. As well as everyone around us."

"I’ll let you keep that thought for now. You can rest now since I am well," Damien said, not wanting to keep Eloise awake any longer. "Most of my anger is gone."

"I would hope so. Your gun is near, and I am the only one here with you. I would hate for you to wake from your sleep and mistake me for Hayden in a panic," Eloise joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"You are too beautiful to be mistaken for Hayden. Did you drink?" Damien wondered, believing it was why she had such a thought.

"I drank water. That is all," Eloise answered.

"Then the water here cannot be good. You should stop drinking it if you want to remain in good health and keep your senses. I want my wife back just as I sent her off," Damien said jokingly.

Eloise chuckled and moved her head to rest on Damien’s chest. The steady beat of his heart soothed her. "You are the silly one, Damien. The water here is perfectly fine. It is merely that I am awful at telling jokes to cheer you up. I will try to do better."

"I’m afraid you cannot be intentionally funny, Eloise. You have good jokes when it comes out of the blue," Damien said, spoiling Eloise’s hopes with a teasing grin.

"You wouldn’t even be so kind as to pretend to laugh at my attempt to humour you. How awful for you," Eloise said, resting her right hand on Damien’s chest. "I am not yet tired, so we may continue this talk a little longer if you wish."

"You say this, and then quite often you fall asleep right after. You are the cruel one," Damien said, already noticing her drowsiness.

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