"You are so cruel."
The words lingered in the air, heavy and sharp, cutting through the fragile tension between them. It was enough to make Damon stop completely, his lips still against Jacob's skin as if frozen in place.
Slowly, he lifted his head, his gaze rising until it met Jacob's.
Jacob was already looking at him. But something was wrong. His eyes were blank, cold, distant, almost unfamiliar. It was as if, in that moment, Jacob had turned into someone else entirely, someone detached from everything that had just happened.
"What?" Damon asked after a long silence, his voice low and uncertain, as if he wasn't sure he had heard it right.
"You are so cruel," Jacob repeated, his tone unchanged, carrying the same chilling calmness that sent something uneasy crawling beneath Damon's skin.
Damon froze.
The words sank deeper than they should have.
"Am I…?" he murmured under his breath, though it was loud enough for Jacob to hear.
