The Poison in His Blood

Elena’s POV

Damon hides it well, but not well enough.

The wolfsbane is still in his system. I can smell it in the faint bitterness beneath his scent. I can see it in the way he stretches his fingers like they ache. I can hear it in the slight roughness of his breathing.

He walks beside me down the packhouse corridor, shoulders rigid, jaw tight.

Pretending strength.

Pretending nothing is wrong.

I study him closely. “You do not feel well.”

He ...