Damien Vladermer's Arc

Chapter 3 of 13

Morning light filled the penthouse. Damien had a problem no one warned him about. Skylar had woken hungry, and he kept no human food in his tower. He had never needed it. So he ordered a meal and waited in the kitchen. Now a plate sat on the counter. A croissant, two eggs, bright fruit, all arranged like art. Beside it steamed a cup of coffee. He heard the shower shut off. He set his hands flat on the cold stone and listened for her steps. Skylar came out in yesterday's clothes, hair still damp. Her eyes found the food and she crossed the room fast. She wrapped both hands around the coffee first. Then she picked up the fork and started on the eggs. "Thank you," she said between bites. "You didn't have to do this." "I wanted to," Damien said. He stood still and watched her eat. Her cheeks were warm now. The steam had drawn color up her neck. He could almost taste the pulse under her skin, the one scent that could end his thirst. He kept his hands on the counter. He did not move toward her. She finished the fruit and set the fork down clean. "I'm heading out soon," she said. "Sorry to take up your space. I'll get out of your way." His dead heart clenched. He had cleared every barrier to reach her. Now she meant to walk out on her own. A room and a meal had not been enough. He forced his voice level. "Where will you go?" he asked. Skylar looked down at her empty plate. She did not answer right away. Her jaw tightened. "I have a thing today," she said. "A meeting. Sort of." "What kind of meeting?" She turned the coffee cup in slow circles. He watched her decide how much to say. She had grown up reading faces, guarding herself. He waited without pushing. "A school," she finally said. "Veilborn Academy. They turned me down once. I'm asking again." She lifted her chin, daring him to laugh. "I want a place. A real one. That's why I sell what I make. To get in." Damien understood then. The struggling shop, the sleepless park bench, all of it fed one goal he never guessed. She was not just surviving. She was trying to build a family of her own. "That's not in my way," he said. "When is it?" "An hour." She pushed off the counter. "I should walk now. It's far." Damien stepped forward at last. "Let me take you," he said. "You'll get there warm and on time. No cost. Same as the room." Skylar studied him a long moment. The fear he'd watched fade last night flickered again, then settled. "Okay," she said. "But I go in alone." "Alone," he agreed. She grabbed her bag. The obstacle had held: she was leaving. But she was letting him drive. And now he knew exactly where she was going, and why.