The threat arrived disguised as an invitation.
It waited in Damien's inbox the following afternoon polite, precise, and calculated down to the last word. Marcus Vale requested a private meeting, framed as a discussion of "mutual interests" and "future alignment."
Damien read it once.
Then again.
Elias watched from across the room, sprawled on the sofa with a book he wasn't reading. He could tell by the stillness in Damien's shoulders that something had shifted.
"Marcus," Elias said.
Damien looked up, unsurprised. "Yes."
"Soon?" Elias asked.
"Tonight."
Silence settled between them, taut and humming.
Elias set the book aside and stood. He crossed the room slowly, stopping just in front of Damien. "You're not going alone."
Damien's gaze lifted, intent and assessing. "It may be safer if"
"No," Elias said gently but firmly. "You promised visibility."
Damien studied him for a long moment. Then, a faint smile touched his mouth. "You're learning."
They didn't argue further. They never did
not like this. The tension between them had evolved into something quieter, heavier. Trust with sharp edges.
When evening came, they dressed without ceremony. Damien in black—tailored, immaculate. Elias in charcoal and silk, softer lines, deliberate contrast.
In the elevator, Damien reached for Elias's hand.
Not to steady him.
To ground himself.
Marcus Vale's penthouse was all glass and angles, cold luxury curated to intimidate. Marcus greeted them with a smile that lingered a second too long on Elias.
"I see you've brought your… associate," Marcus said.
"Partner," Damien corrected calmly.
The word landed like a challenge.
Marcus's eyes flickered. "Interesting."
The conversation that followed was layered and careful business veiled in insinuation, power measured in glances. Marcus circled, probing for reaction, watching for cracks.
Elias didn't give him any.
When Marcus finally leaned back, folding his hands, his tone sharpened. "You're making yourself vulnerable, Damien. Attachment has consequences."
Damien's voice was cool. "So does underestimating me."
Marcus smiled thinly. "I'm not."
The meeting ended without resolution. Without agreement. Without overt threat.
Which made it more dangerous.
They left together, the night air heavy with tension.
In the car, Elias exhaled slowly. "He wanted to rattle us."
"Yes," Damien said. "And failed."
Elias turned toward him. "You didn't even flinch."
Damien glanced at him. "That's not true."
Elias raised a brow.
"I flinched when he looked at you like something he could take," Damien said quietly.
The honesty sent a ripple through Elias's chest.
Back in the penthouse, the door barely closed before the restraint snapped.
Damien turned to Elias and kissed him deep, demanding, heat flaring instantly. Elias responded without hesitation, hands sliding into Damien's jacket, pulling him closer.
The kiss wasn't gentle.
It was relief. Possession. Need sharpened by threat.
Damien backed Elias toward the wall, one hand braced beside his head, the other firm at his waist. Their bodies pressed together, breath mingling, the city glowing behind them through glass.
"I don't like being watched," Elias murmured against Damien's mouth.
"Neither do I," Damien replied. "But I like knowing you're mine when it happens."
The words sent heat spiraling low in Elias's stomach.
He kissed Damien harder, teeth grazing his lower lip. Damien answered with a low sound that vibrated through Elias, felt more than heard.
They moved together instinctively
shedding jackets, loosening buttons, mouths never fully parting. The world narrowed to skin and breath and the steady build of something consuming.
Damien lifted Elias effortlessly, carrying him toward the bedroom. Elias wrapped his legs around Damien's waist, hands gripping his shoulders, trusting completely.
The bed caught them in a tangle of limbs and heat.
Damien hovered over Elias, eyes dark, searching. "Tell me to stop."
Elias didn't hesitate. "Don't."
The permission changed everything.
Damien kissed him again slower now, deeper hands exploring with intent, learning, claiming without force. Elias arched into the touch, breath breaking, every nerve awake.
Their intimacy unfolded in a rhythm that felt inevitable kisses trailing along jaw and throat, fingers tracing lines that memorized and reassured all at once. The world outside ceased to exist.
Damien's control remained but it softened, shaped by care. He read Elias's body with precision, responding to every shift, every breathless sound.
Elias clutched at him, grounding himself in the strength and warmth of Damien's presence. "You make me feel… chosen," he whispered.
Damien paused, forehead resting against his. "Because you are."
They moved together until thought dissolved, until only sensation remained heat building, breaking, spilling into something that felt like surrender without loss.
When it was over, they lay tangled in sheets and shadow, bodies pressed close, hearts still racing.
Damien's arm curved around Elias, protective without restraint. Elias rested his head against Damien's chest, listening to the steady rhythm beneath his ear.
"That was…" Elias began.
"Necessary," Damien finished quietly.
They lay in silence for a while, the aftermath warm and heavy.
Eventually, Elias spoke again. "Marcus won't stop."
"No," Damien agreed. "He'll escalate."
Elias tilted his head, meeting Damien's gaze. "Then so will we."
Damien smiled slow, dangerous, and unmistakably proud. "Yes," he said. "We will."
Outside, the city pulsed unaware, uncaring.
Inside, something irrevocable had taken shape.
Not just desire.
Defiance.
And whatever came next, they would meet it together lips bruised, bodies marked, hearts dangerously aligned.
And he didn't know if he was ready for it but all he knows is he had him.