MY DARLING DAREDEVIL

A claim

A smug remained on her face as Aziza stared proudly at Damon without care and concern. Then the sting came, this time more harshly, that her head wheeled to the other side. Her cheek grew hot and her ears echoed for a moment there. She instantly snapped out of her head and imagination and snapped her gaze back to Vanessa who was still alive and who had slapped her again. Her anger slowly surfacing and her annoyance pushing her demons out just as she had imagined. She wished that she had actually done what she had imagined in her head. At that point, killing a grieving woman did not seem so bad especially since that woman was calling for her death so bad.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Vanessa growled at her. Her hands itching more to do something to the killer of her father.

“What? Do you want to kill me too?” she moved closer to Ivy, daring her to do her worse. Just like her father, she understood power, and she was willing to bet that the red hair would not be able to hurt her. Her father’s death was a mistake, she was going to make that woman pay.

Just then Damon stepped in and pulled her by her arm and away from Ivy. She snatched her arm away from him in a fit of rage and flashed him a glare.

“And you,” she pointed her fingers at his face.

“You dare disrespect my father by bringing her here?” she screeched between gritted teeth. He sighed heavily and turned his gaze to his assistant. She was still glaring so hard at Vanessa like she was about to do something, but her cheeks had gone all red and so had her ears. This was the exact reason he had not wanted her to be there. Vanessa just like every other person would think that she was the same as Aziza and would want revenge, justice or even more. But how could he have told her no, when her face was already putting her through so much? His heart softened at the sight of how helpless she was and he could not help but wish that he had brought Aziza. She would never have taken those hits, but then again, it would mean that he disrespected the late man by bringing his unremorseful murderer to the funeral.

Ivy flashed him a glare of her own at the way he looked at her. She hated that look in his eyes, pity. He didn’t help her as Ivy at that moment, but he shouldn’t pity her as well.

Damon ran his hand through his hair and turned back to Vanessa. His eyes watched her for a while, she was like a ticking bomb and the wrong word or push would make her flying and exploding right before him.

“She isn’t the red hair,” his voice came low and soft. Her gaze hardened at him in an instance then a grin appeared on her lips.

“You take me for a fool, right?” she yelled and he took a step back.

“Look at her,” he replied, keeping his calm as he tried to understand her feelings.

“She is so helpless, you even slapped her twice. You met the red hair, tell me honestly, do you think she would have let you do that?” he asked. Reluctantly, she turned her gaze to the woman she had just slapped and glared even harder at her. Ivy hated what she was about to do but she forcefully lowered her gaze so to look the Ivy part and cursed inwardly. Oh, she was going to tear that woman to shreds.

Vanessa didn’t want to believe what Damon had said, but she took note of that face, she took note of her lowered head and in all the nonsense Damon was saying, her heart found truth, yet she simply refused to accept it.

“I’m no fool Damon.” She snapped her eyes back to him and closed her hands into a fist. Her gaze held fire and fury, she looked like she was about to explode just like a volcano.

“This is one of your ways to save her. Your precious little guard, or assassin. You think you can save her from me?” she yelled and he scoffed. She was being ignorant and he understood, he could be a patient man as well and his guilt over her father’s death made him want to be even more patient with her.

“It’s actually the other way around,” he crossed his hand over his chest and ran his thumb over his lips with his thought flying back to Aziza. His heart warmed up and he could not help but wonder if she was watching at that particular moment. Vanessa glared at him. If her eyes could kill, then he would be dead as well. Only she cared about Mr. Roxwell too much to want him dead.

“I’m saving you from her.” he added and went closer to her. He could see her raging fire inside, but he only wanted to calm her down. He took her hands and detangled it from where she had crossed over her chest, then he turned to Ivy once more while Vanessa followed his gaze. Ivy growled inwardly and lowered her gaze again when they both turned to her and swore to herself.

“Aziza has red hair, dark eyes, fair skinned and Ivy is blonde, blue eyes and fair skin. Where Ivy would only look helpless over a slap from the late senator’s daughter, Aziza would….” He paused and smiled at the thought of her.

“Would have probably snapped your head and we would have your dead body in the ground by now. Yet she would look unapologetically at me and say,” his lips twitched even when he didn’t want it to.

“Humans can be very stupid,” he repeated one of her most favorite phrases.

Ivy’s lips twitched to smile at his words but she pushed it back inside, remembering the very present she was. Yet she could not deny that her heart had felt that tingling sensation but it disappeared immediately after and she shook the thought to the back of her mind.

Vanessa glared at the woman who looked like she was about to cry before her and looked away. Damon must be saying the truth, for she knew him to be a respectable man and would never want to disrespect her father.

“Well,” she raised her shoulders higher just like a proud princess and spoiled daughter of a senator would do.

“Where is she then?” she asked. He let go of her hands and moved away and her heart instantly dropped. The warmth he brought with him, left with him and so did the feel that surrounded him. She clapped her hand together and held it in her front and ignored the fact that it didn’t feel like his at all.

“She is around here,” he replied smugly and thought of inviting her over for dinner later that evening. This time, he was going to lock up his wine bar or simply never show her anything that had to do with his prized possessions.

“What?” Vanessa growled, her anger returning once more. While Ivy stood by the side, her lips forcing itself to widen into a smile yet she held it in.

“She follows me around to keep me safe. Don’t worry, she wouldn’t come close,” he moved closer to her again, closing the space between them. Her heart warmed up at the close range and it softened when the feel of him and his scent around her became even stronger. Wanting so bad to lean into him, at least he would console her for her loss, she instantly threw her arms around him and jammed her body against him then tears came rolling down her eyes.

Ivy snapped her gaze towards them in an instance and her eyes went dark. Her demons pushed against her and her heart ached at the sight of the both of them. Her hands twitched and she pushed back a growl that was about to come out loudly from her mouth. she simply hated the way she held him, no one was supposed to hold him that way except for his mother yet there was someone now. She bawled her hands into a fist and swallowed hard as she tried to keep herself under control. Yet, her demons pushed, wanting to show claim over what was theirs. Her hands shook as it vibrated with her fight for control, yet her eyes remained trained on the both of them.

Damon was taken aback by the sudden hug but he wrapped his hand around the small woman nonetheless. Anything to make it up to the man who had taken a bullet meant for him.

Aziza’s heart exploded with rage, yet it stung just like it had felt years ago when she would always see him in bed with numerous women. Her thoughts instantly travelled back to those nights. Nights he would drink and have over three women all at once. She remembered the dirty game he played, how he would cuff them or blind fold them while he drew pleasure from their body. Her mind travelled back to the way their hands always snaked around him as they felt every bit and inch of his skin like he was theirs. Like an arrow, it struck her heart even then, it struck her heart a few months back when he had slept with a very sassy blonde in Amsterdam and it struck her even more now. Pushing the pain away, she tilted her head to the side as she tried to look away from him. And just like she had told herself those days and nights, she told herself again.

“He is simply the job, no feelings, no emotions. Just a ticket back to my world,” she repeated and tried to open her eyes. The moment she did, she found them still in that same position, body against body and the pain struck even mightier than before. Her mate bonds, pushing her to feel it more than before. She gulped, and pushed herself to ignore what he was doing. He was a man after all, one with feelings, with emotions and hormones. She had no claim over him but was only a guard. Her demons scolded her, all of it cursed at her and disappeared with the pain they all felt too. Then she sighed, raised her gaze and met Damon’s gaze, piercing deep into her soul. Her heart skipped instantly and she could only pray that he did not just see her act like a girlfriend who was trying so hard to not snatch him away from that woman’s hold. But she knew that he did.

The light in his eyes and the grin on his lips said it all.

“Please stay with me today,” Vanessa mumbled into his shirt and held him tighter. Aziza’s demons rose instantly and fear descended on her, fear of losing again……

“Please I need you today,” she added.