The car moves so fast the city becomes little more than streaks of light. Every turn feels too sharp, every stop too abrupt, every second too loud inside my skull. Two security vehicles trail us, one in front, one behind. Damian sits beside me, silent, jaw locked, eyes fixed on the road ahead as if he could will the world into obedience.
I press myself against the far door, needing distance, needing space, needing air. The leather beneath me is soft and expensive, but nothing about it feels comforting.
“I do not want to be here,” I say for the third time. My voice is thin, frayed at the edges. “I do not want to be trapped again.”
“You are not trapped,” Damian answers without looking at me.
“You brought me here without asking. That is trapping me.”
His head turns sharply, eyes dark. “T
