Damon's P.O.V
"But you're mad now," I state, making her eyebrows pull together as her foot taps furiously against the ground.
"I'm not mad at you." She manages after a moment.
"But you are mad?"
"No. I'm not mad." She says dropping the fork and leaning back into her chair. She pulls her legs up beneath her and runs a hand through her hair. Frustration rippling off of her in waves as she shifts uncomfortably until she finally settles with a sigh, placing her arm against her knee. "I don't really know. I'm just confused."
I bite my tongue to stop from pressing any further, not when there was so much distress tumbling from her as she looked up at me as if I held the answers but I didn't hold shit.
I place my own fork down gently and fold my arms against the table. Watching her and waiting patiently for her to continue when she was ready to.
"When people touch me, I feel sick." The words send the blade deeper between my chest, sending Theo howling with regret. "Not always sick, it feels horrible. Most times, it's like a flip is switched and I can't breathe or think straight, I just fall apart. Other times, I break out in hives or I vomit. The worst times, I can't move. Not a single inch, it's like I'm completely paralyzed or something. I just have to touch someone and... I hate it so much."
My chest constricts, eyes filling.
"I'm so sor-"
"No. Don't apologize, please don't apologize," Will says quickly to cut me off. A weak smile pulls at her lips while she keeps her eyes trained on me. "It's different with you Damon, I don't feel any of that with you." She whispers, the smile spreading as color fills her cheeks. "With you, it feels normal... good even. I don't know why, but just then, it didn't feel like it usually does."
Relief floods my body like a tidal wave, slamming into my muscles until they were forced to relax and the air refilled my withering lungs. I shut my eyes and force myself to repeat her words like a sacred mantra to live by.
"That probably freaks you out." She continues as she huddles closer to herself. "I shouldn't have said all that, I'm sorry."
"Don't be." I all but beg as I run a hand through my own hair, distracting my fingers from reaching over to hug her. "I thought I hurt you."
"You didn't," Will confirms, dissipating the last of my worries with her gentle smile. She picks up her knife and prods nervously at the remaining food on her plate.
"Then why did you scream?" I ask while leaning forward, resting my arms against the small wooden table. Ears twitching with alert as her confusion slowly spills into my veins.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." She whispers with a soft chuckle, eyes remaining on the plate.
"I will," I promise, but she doesn't budge. "Please tell me."
"It's crazy. I don't even believe it myself or understand it..." She tries again, her eyes lifting to meet mine. Doubt blaring through her gaze, her desperate need to deflect apparent, but I don't let her.
"Then maybe I will," I suggest, my body pressing forward just a little bit more. "
I watch carefully as the many emotions pass through her, the wall struggling to build itself back up with her not wanting to be alone. I don't move an inch, not wanting to scare her off or rush her. Her eyes don't leave mine until she shuts them and takes in a deep breath.
"I..." She starts, voice fading as her eyes part slowly. "I, um... I saw you." Her eyes immediately dart up to me, questions ringing through them but she continues. "When I opened my eyes, I saw you. Your face all of it."
"What do you mean?" I ask and she sighs, turning away slightly defeated.
"I don't know." She grumbles, her fingers gripping her hair with frustration.
"Yes, you do." I correct firmly, letting a little bit of the raw alpha spill from my lips. The tone worked on wolves to calm them when scared and I was hoping it would work a little on my mate to do the same. "You do know, so tell me."
"It wasn't blurry." She confesses, heart racing with anxiety. "You weren't blurry. For a second, I saw like I used to."
Understanding blankets me finally as her words sink in before pure confusion pushes its way inside my mind. I believed her, I knew she wasn't lying but it didn't make any sense. The mate bond was the most probable answer, but that was assumptions.
The mate bond has been known to heal before, from the bite in particular - Theo fills in, voice light with contemplation. Touch being effective is quite peculiar but I'm sure there must be hundreds of accounts in the archives.
But isn't that wolf and wolf? Will is human - I reply quickly knowing the archives weren't an option. Those were home, in pack lands, somewhere I had no interest in going back to any time soon.
Then it should work even better - Theo replies with excitement. Humans biological composition is much weaker than a wolf's, mixing it may very well be strong enough to heal, even at this level.
Or it may be strong enough to hurt - I say voicing the other side of this proposition
"You think I'm crazy." Will voices pulling me from my slight deliberation with Theo.
She stands to her feet, taking her plate along with mine and escaping to the kitchen. I grab our empty glasses and follow quickly.
"No, I was just thinking about it," I promise, setting the glasses on the counter opposite her as she scrapes the plates clean before washing them.
"Thinking about the crazy shit I just said." She dismisses, scrubbing the dishes with worrying aggression.
"I don't think you're crazy," I say slowly, emphasizing the words in hopes of her believing them. Goddess knows I hoped she wouldn't think I was crazy when I eventually told her what I really was. "I think it's a good thing."
Will raises a questioning brow and I read the question off her lips before she can voice it.
"You got your sight back. Granted it was just a second, but it still counts." I explain, the hope and excitement embarrassingly visible in my tone and quickly growing smile. Will stops washing, staying still as her eyes remain glued to the dishes below. Heart still accelerating at a dangerous pace while her mind reels, I would give anything to take a look inside.
"I could've just been filling in the blanks." She replies, setting the water off and resting her hands against the sink. "My mind pulling together an imaginary image in efforts to see the face I was talking to. I'm sure my doctors could find a million similar cases for others in my state."
My excitement dwindles as I look at her, her face strained with exhaustion and sadness. Hope a feeling she'd been living without for so long that she couldn't even muster it up at this moment. It was sad that she'd been burned so many times she no longer tried or cared... she didn't seem to care. And when I thought about it, Will didn't seem to care about much of anything, she didn't seem to have any friends or family she cared about. Nothing but her stupid dog.
She was empty.
"I'm sure they can." I reply, nodding slowly promising myself to fill her life with so much happiness she would have no choice but to smile every day, even when she slept. "You can find anything if you try hard enough, but I don't think that was the case here. I think you saw the sexy beast that I am, you didn't imagine it."
"Oh yeah?" Will questions laughing helplessly.
"Yeah. To prove it, you're going to try it again." I say holding her gaze as her eyes widen.
"There's no need to do this Damon," She replies, shaking her head in decline.
"Maybe not, but what's the harm in trying?"
"Me vomiting all over you." Will deadpans.
"Don't even joke about that." I snap, closing my eyes and covering my mouth to stop myself from hagging. A disgusted shiver runs through me at even the thought, I'd probably kill myself to end it.
"Okay, okay," Wilona says through giggles, I peak an eye open to see her hands up in surrender. "I won't so stop being such a big baby."
I look around the apartment, finding the most lamps around the couch that sat in front of the large flat screen tv. I pocket the question of how she watched tv for later and walk towards the space. I make quick work of turning on all the lamps until the place is brighter than the fucking sun.
"What are you doing?"