#Chapter 216 – Across Death Itself

Lila I woke to the storm having past and a rhythm pulsing steady and low…a heartbeat. Damon’s. At first, I thought it was some phantom echo from the night before. But then I realized it matched the pattern of my own heart exactly, down to the space between beats. When mine quickened, his did too. When I held my breath, his faltered. The connection was sharp, constant, undeniable. He was still asleep on the table, his chest bare beneath a blanket, the faint scars of the battle gleaming in the dim light. His skin had color again, his breathing steady. He should have looked peaceful. Instead, he looked like temptation and heartbreak. Ruby stretching lazily like a cat waking from a long sleep. He’s here. Whole. Ours. “Not ours,” I whispered back. She ignored me, humming through the bond with pleasure. You feel him, don’t you? The way his soul hums with ours? I pressed my hand to my sternum, as if I could muffle that steady rhythm. It was like standing next to a fo