Chapter 45 Chapter 45
“See, you shouldn’t be with someone like him, Valerie,” he said in a tone as soft as velvet, capturing her attention. She met his gaze and felt his breath on her lips.
“Damn it, get away from him,” Maxwell shouted furiously, but didn’t dare attack his reflection since chances were high he would hurt her by accident. Judging by the cunning smirk on the other man’s face, he was aware of this.
“Valerie, you can’t trust…” Maxwell started, but was suddenly interrupted by a horrifying snarl coming from behind him. A demon looking like a dog appeared at the door, but it was merely a skeleton without skin and flesh, and it set its sights on Maxwell.
He hadn’t recovered from the last demon attack and barely managed to evade before the dog's sharp teeth tore into his arm. Cursing, he willed a flash of light to strike the monster, but it wasn’t defeated so soon. It jumped at him again and bit his arm. He screamed, agony searing Valerie’s body. It felt terrible, and she could only imagine how much worse it was for him since he had to deal with blood loss and exhaustion, too.
Valerie couldn’t stand back and watch. Ripping herself away from Maxwell’s embrace, she grabbed the first thing she could see—a wooden chair—and ran at the two demons while the pain threatened to make her legs give in. She swung the chair at the skeleton and heard a crack when it collided.
The monster growled furiously as it was slammed away from Maxwell and hurled against the wall. He immediately followed up with another light attack, this time separating the skull from its body, rendering the monster motionless. The skeleton turned to ash. Valerie released a relieved breath, glancing at Maxwell with worry shining in her eyes.
“Will you be okay?” she asked, kneeling beside him. She took his hand, which felt colder than it should have. His shoulders were heaving in exertion, and it was plain to see he was reaching his limit. His deep red eyes met hers, fury and frustration burning in them. “Maxwell?” she asked again when she didn’t receive an answer.
“Valerie, get away from this filthy demon. He has no right to be near you,” Maxwell said, watching the scene with narrowed eyes. His tone sounded bitter, and the same bitterness was reflected in his chocolate eyes. “Trust me, he would kill you in a heartbeat if he could.”
She faltered but didn’t let go of the demon’s hand. “Who are you really, Maxwell? Why did you show up here?” she asked, ignoring his provocative words.
Maxwell’s smile could have belonged to an angel, so bright and sunny it blinded her. “Why, I already told you. I’m his better half, the one that isn’t tainted,” he said, reaching out to her. “Leave him; he doesn’t care about you anyway.”
“Shut up,” Maxwell growled. He clutched his shoulder as he got up from the floor and stood in a hunched-over posture, his enraged gaze never leaving Maxwell. Valerie remained at his side, trying to figure out what he was thinking.
“Sorry, but I’m staying here,” she said confidently and smiled. “I’m not leaving Maxwell.”
Maxwell’s smile dimmed and disappeared altogether, a glower taking its place. All of a sudden, he glared at her with such a different expression that she was taken aback by the change. “But why?” Maxwell hissed, his pleasant façade slipping. “I’m perfect. Why would you pick the imperfection?”
“Perfection isn’t everything,” she answered, only receiving a disbelieving stare.
“Ridiculous,” he spat, prompting her to flinch in shock at his unexpected outburst. Maxwell appeared like a completely different person, and she couldn’t believe this was the same man who had been so sweet to her moments before. Valerie had been naïve when she had followed him without hesitation. He couldn’t be trusted.
A strange movement of Maxwell’s arm caused the table behind him to float up in the air. Valerie’s eyes widened, unable to understand how this was possible. Maxwell obviously wasn’t human, but then what was he?
He abruptly pointed his arm at them, and the table was hurled in their direction. Valerie’s expression reflected pure terror—she froze, only to be pushed down by Maxwell.
They both landed on the dusty floor, evading the table narrowly. It crashed against the wall behind them, smashed to pieces. Maxwell groaned, gritting his teeth in pain since the impact on the ground had worsened his shoulder injury.
Nonetheless, he got up fast and pulled Valerie up by the wrist. They ran for cover when Maxwell let the splintered wood of the table rise in the air. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what he would do with it.
Maxwell frantically looked for cover, his eyes falling on the bed next to them. He pulled Valerie along, and they crouched behind it. “Stay down,” he hissed in her ear, hovering over her as he looked over the edge of the bed.
“Do you really think hiding there will keep you safe?” Maxwell said, chuckling amusedly. His laughter was disturbing since it sounded happy, not fitting for someone trying to murder two people. She was repulsed by hearing it, clenching her jaw and cursing herself for falling into his trap.
A splintered table leg shot toward Maxwell’s head, causing him to widen his eyes. He ducked down, the projectile hitting the wall behind him. Valerie looked up at him, meeting his frustrated gaze. He clenched his hands into fists, his tense posture conveying his anger as he leaned over her.
“I’m giving you one last chance, Valerie,” Maxwell chirped. “Come over here, and you’re going to be safe. That is all you need to do. Trust me, I only want the best for you.”
She hated how kind he sounded despite the cruelty of his actions, despite the threat in his words. Who was he? And why was he so keen on getting her to stay with him? There had to be a reason; she just couldn’t see it.
“Maxwell, why are you doing this?” she forced out.
“I can’t stand demons,” he answered immediately, “And I do all it takes to make them miserable.”