Aria’s POV

He didn't answer me at once. His jaw worked like a pulley's rope, steady and slow. Then he said, in a voice like gravel warmed by sunlight, "You won't die. Not if I can help it."

"That's easy for you to say," I snapped, though the sound of my own voice surprised me with how small it came out. I clung to my defiance like a lifeline. "You broke the bond. You walked away. You left me vulnerable..."

"I broke it to keep you safe," Damon cut in, his hand a solid, terrifying thing ...