*{RUE}*

I stared at Damon, my lips parting, but no words came out.

The words I desperately wanted to say got tangled somewhere in my throat, trapped behind the shock that rippled through me like ice water.

"Rue?" His voice cut through the sudden silence, low and laced with a quiet amusement that made my skin prickle. When I didn't immediately answer, he leaned in slightly. "You still with me?"

"Yeah," I managed to squeeze out, the single word scraping against my dry throat.

"Did you actually hear what I just said?"

"Yeah… I did. I heard you." My voice sounded distant to my own ears, hollow and strange.

He...