Scarlett immediately dropped to the cold gravel next to a thorny rose bush.

She wrapped her arms tightly around her knees, curling herself into a small, defenseless ball.

She forced her body to tremble violently, biting the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood.

Tears of manufactured terror streamed down her pale face, soaking into the thin silk of her nightgown.

The heavy garden gates burst open with a deafening crash.

Damian tore through the entrance.

His face was deathly pale, his jaw locked so tight the muscles twitched.

His dark eyes blazed with a murderous, unhinged rage that seemed to suck the oxygen out of the air.

Elias Vance, his head of security, followed closely behind with a dozen heavily armed bodyguards.

Damian's frantic gaze swept the area and locked onto Scarlett on the ground.

He rushed to her, his expensive leather shoes crushing the roses in his path.

He dropped heavily to his knees beside her, the sharp gravel biting into his suit pants.

He reached out to touch her shoulder, but his large hands stopped inches away.

His fingers were shaking violently. He was terrified that touching her would break her.

Scarlett looked up through her wet lashes.

Her eyes were wide with perfect, calculated fear.

She suddenly uncurled her body and threw herself directly into Damian's broad chest.

Damian's entire body went rigid.

He turned to solid stone in absolute shock at her unexpected, voluntary embrace.

For a second, he forgot how to breathe.

Then, very slowly, as if handling a bomb, he wrapped his arms around her trembling frame.

He held her tightly, pulling her into the warmth of his body.

His heart pounded against his ribs, the heavy thuds vibrating against Scarlett's cheek.

Scarlett buried her face deep into his dark shirt, inhaling his sharp cedarwood scent.

She sobbed loudly, her voice muffled against his chest.

"He... he tried to grab me. A strange man. He tried to hurt me."

Damian's gaze snapped away from her hair and locked onto Chase.

Chase was still writhing on the gravel, groaning in pathetic, breathless agony.

Damian's aura turned instantly lethal.

The air around him seemed to drop several degrees, freezing the blood of everyone present.

Elias stepped forward, his face completely devoid of emotion.

He clicked a heavy tactical flashlight on, shining the blinding beam directly onto Chase's sweating, pale face.

Elias stared at the man on the ground, his eyes narrowing.

"Sir. The intruder is Chase Vanderbilt Jr."

Damian looked down at the woman shivering in his arms.

He asked softly, his voice a dangerous, quiet rumble, "Do you know this man, Scarlett?"

Scarlett shook her head frantically, rubbing her tears into his expensive shirt.

"No! I've never seen him before! He's a disgusting monster! Make him go away!"

Chase heard her words through the ringing in his ears.

He forced his eyes open against the blinding light, trying to speak.

"Scar... Scarlett... what are you..." he gasped out, trying to expose their elopement plan.

Before Chase could finish his sentence, Scarlett screamed again.

She buried her head deeper into Damian's coat, covering her ears with her hands.

"Make him stop talking! Please!" she begged, her voice trembling with perfect vulnerability.

Damian stared at her weeping face. His mind, razor-sharp and trained to detect the slightest deceit, screamed that she was lying. He knew her history with Vanderbilt. But as he felt her trembling violently against his chest, a darker, more desperate part of his soul took over. A trap? A lie? He found he didn't care. If she was using him as a shield, then he would gladly be her shield.

He gently moved her hands away and covered her ears with his own large, warm palms.

He pressed her head firmly against his chest, physically blocking out the world.

Damian looked up at Elias.

His eyes were dead, his voice devoid of any human emotion as he gave a chilling order.

"Ruin him. Make sure he never has the physical capability to harm a woman again."

Chase's eyes widened in absolute, primal horror.

He realized what Damian meant.

"No! Wait! Blackwood, you don't understand-" Chase began to beg, thrashing wildly on the ground.

Elias nodded coldly.

He gestured for two massive bodyguards to step forward.

They grabbed Chase by the armpits, dragging him roughly toward the basement entrance.

Chase screamed Scarlett's name, his voice cracking in desperation.

Elias casually pulled a dirty cloth from his pocket and swiftly shoved it into Chase's mouth, gagging him completely.

The bodyguards hauled the struggling, muffled Chase away into the darkness.

His fate was permanently sealed.

Damian slowly removed his hands from Scarlett's ears.

He looked down at her, his dark eyes filled with an intense, conflicted devotion.

Scarlett looked up at him, her tear-filled eyes reflecting only absolute trust and reliance.

Damian didn't say a word.

He effortlessly scooped her up into his arms, lifting her off the cold ground. As he did, his sharp eyes caught the dark smears of blood on the pale soles of her bare feet. A new, terrifying wave of murderous fury washed over him, his jaw tightening so hard it ached. He would make Vanderbilt pay for every single drop of her blood.

He held her tightly against his chest, carrying her bridal style back toward the mansion.