My hand found its way to the doorknob, unlocking the door before opening it.
The first thing I saw was Damon.
He is standing by the door, with clenched shoulders, guilt and regret all over his face, standing there, embarrassed.
" Nikolai…" Before he could finish talking, I ignored him and passed right by him as if he didn't even exist.
I could not see his face but I could feel how hurt he was through our bond.
" Baby, please. I'm so sorry, Niko." He walked to me, trying to hold my forearm to stop me from walking away, but I instantly snatched my arm away from him as if I got electric shocked.
I glared at his regretful eyes " Don't. Fucking. Touch. Me." I said that angrily, pointing at his face with my index finger.
He nodded, agreeing to what I asked. " Okay, I won't. Just listen to me, baby."
" I don't want to hear your voice. I wanna leave. I will go back home. I don't feel safe here with you." As I dropped the bomb, I could see how his face washed out, fear in his eyes… Fear of losing me.
He started shaking his head in denial " No, baby, please. Don't leave me. I can't do it without you. I'm so sorry."
" You don't get to yell at me, bruising my wrist and almost breaking my bone, and now apologize and expect I will forgive you and stay with you after all that."
I could feel tears filling up my eyes, remembering that pain and fear that I felt for the first time in my life with my own mate.
I grabbed my car keys from the nightstand and paced toward the door, but Damon was fast enough and was able to close the door and block my way " Baby, please."
" Don't call me baby," I said emotionless but it was aching to say that.
I saw something break in his eyes when I said that. " Niko, Don't leave me. I love you."
Fuck, why did he have to say it like this?
" If you love me why would you hurt me like that? Huh? Why would you scare the person that you love over nothing? What even is in that basement that made you so angry because I wanted to see it? Huh?"
I could not stop myself from crying out all these questions in his face, furious at how he treated me earlier.
He sighed and nodded, walking closer to me " I didn't mean to hurt you, baby. I would never hurt you intentionally, never. The last thing I want to do is make my mate feel unsafe with me."
I sniffed watching how he gently held my hand, softly rolling my sleeve, his eyebrows furrowed angry at himself for causing that bruise.
He lifted my hand, kissing the bruise so gently, now that's him, that's my husband.
He lifted me in his arms bridal style and headed downstairs to the kitchen where he gently placed me on the counter while he could bring an ice packet to put it around my bruised wrist.
" I'm sorry, baby. I'm so sorry." He muttered while kissing my wrist and caressing the exposed skin of my forearm.
He averted his gaze up to look into my angry eyes and pouted lips, regret in his eyes as he spoke "I'm sorry Nikolai. I will never do anything like this again. I promise. I will never."
" Why did you do it? You still haven't answered me. WHY? Why did you yell at me and grab me like this? What are you hiding in the basement? What was it that you didn't want me to see that got you yelling at me like that? That's what I want to understand."
After I said that, Damon bit his inner lip in guilt " I'm not hiding anything in there."
Oh, yeah? That explains nothing.
" I have my tools in the basement, there are a lot of nails and pins and spikes and there's also some broken glass on the stairs. You were going barefoot I was just worried you would hurt your feet. That's why I didn't know why it got me so worked up. I was just worried you'd hurt yourself because of my carelessness. I will clean the basement today, I will clean the broken glass from the ground."
Oh, that makes sense.
Damon has always gotten so riled up and angry at himself even stressed when I get hurt somehow 'because of him'.
Once, he got so distressed just because I cut my finger by accident in the kitchen while trying to cook some chicken breast for myself.
That day he kept blaming himself for not getting home earlier so that he could cook for me and he spent the whole day stressed.
Maybe that is what happened today.
But still, his reaction earlier, that anger and that iron grip was new to me.
Something is not adding up…
" Whatever. Don't ever do that to me again." Damon immediately nodded " I will never hurt my baby again. I promise."
He cupped my face, looking into my eyes softly before pecking my lips in a kiss that soothed my heart " I'm so sorry, Niko."
Damon smiled and slowly kissed my cheeks, jaw, forehead, and eyes.
Showering my face with gentle kisses has always worked in making me feel better whenever Damon does it.
He softly grabbed my chin, lifting my face as I opened my legs so that he could go between them while I was still sitting on the counter.
" Are all the Russian men handsome like you?" Damon asked, cooing at how good-looking I was in his eyes.
" You better not try to look at some other Russian bastard, Damon. ты моя."
(ты моя= you are mine)
A hot wide smirk appeared on Damon's face " I like it when you are jealous. Tell me I'm yours again, baby."
"Ты мой, Дэймон." I did as he asked and let him know he was mine.
(Ты мой, Дэймон= you are mine, Damon)
" Yes, baby. You are mine and I'm all yours, forever. I love you, Nikolai." He wrapped his strong warm arms around me, surrounding me with his pheromones that spread all around me, making me feel safe again.
I closed my eyes and hugged him back.
But the thought of the basement and what happened today has not left my mind, because his concern and fear of me getting hurt still doesn't explain that amount of anger and aggression.