Chapter 69 Chapter 69
With reluctance, she trudged up the steps to her flat, dragging her feet as she walked. Her fists were shaking at her sides. Before she could bring herself to unlock the door, she stood in front of it, staring at its white surface with furrowed brows. This was way harder than she imagined.
“Coward,” she scolded herself and finally unlocked the damn door to go inside. It was quiet in here, and the lamps were rather dim, she noticed. She discarded her shoes and jacket, walking down the hallway towards the living room, where she assumed him to be.
Suddenly, the door in front of her was ripped open from the other side, and she came face to face with a livid Maxwell. His eyes were dark red, his gaze hitting her with the intensity of a bullet, causing her to flinch. Mixed in with the anger in his eyes was crushing disappointment.
“Why did you run away? I thought we were over this!” he hissed resentfully.
She couldn’t answer, didn’t know what to say. Her tongue was glued to the roof of her mouth. She couldn’t form words, and her silence upset him further, the lamps on the ceiling brightening and dimming in turns, painting eerie shadows over his face.
Her breath hitched when an unwanted picture flashed before her eyes, showing her his face stained with human blood, making him look like the murderer he was. She instinctively took a step back when he took one forward.
His eyes became steely and narrowed. “Tell me where you went.” he demanded, becoming more impatient by the second. His temper was getting the best of him, she could tell.
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s none of your business,” she forced herself to say.
That was the wrong answer. He bridged the gap between them with fast strides and took her wrist, turning it over so the glowing star was visible. “You are my business. Here’s your proof,” he said icily. “When will you finally understand?”
She swallowed, not liking the way he worded it. Her unease grew, and she was no longer able to hide it. He could easily read it in her eyes. “Why are you looking at me like that?” he grumbled bitterly.
She ripped her wrist from his hand and stared at him in disbelief. “Isn’t it obvious?” she replied, voice sounding hysterical.
“It’s not.”
“I know what you did yesterday, demon,” she said, seeing his eyes widen in shock. He looked caught off guard, like he hadn’t expected her to ever find out about it.
“Who told you?” he snarled.
“Why do you want to know? So you can murder that person, too? I’ve told you before that I don’t like violence. I’ve had enough of that in my life already. Show some understanding for once.”
He gritted his teeth. “Why the fuck are you angry? You should be glad he’s gone. Don’t tell me you miss the bastard.”
“I don’t, but that doesn’t mean you could torture him to death.”
“He deserved it.”
“You’re so difficult,” she countered. “I can’t take this. I wish you had more empathy. Why did I have to get stuck with such an unfeeling prick? Is tormenting me all you ever wish to do?”
She brushed past him in a huff, running straight to her room and closing the door with a bang. That had been worse than she had imagined. He really had no regard for her feelings; probably just needed a way to let his boundless rage and hatred out.
Demons were despicable.
Valerie had a hard time calming the storm of emotions in her heart. They were all over the place, a mess. She didn’t want to deal with them, hating the way they made her feel. There was fury, there was disappointment, but there was also anguish.
She had gotten too close to the demon and had to let go of the illusion that he was trustworthy and safe to be around. He’d been tame for a while, but now the inevitable had happened, and his rage had boiled over.
She wondered if she should tell the police that she knew who the murderer was. Then again, what would that do? He was a demon; if they locked him up, he could just open a portal to hell and escape in a heartbeat. But before that, he would likely annihilate every single person in the vicinity, and she did not want any more bloodshed to happen because of him.
She needed to break that cursed bond at all costs! There was no other way if she wanted to lead a halfway decent and normal life. The demon had to go.
Valerie stayed in her room until the sky turned dark and the first stars became visible. The conversation from earlier kept repeating itself in her mind, and she nearly drove herself insane with it. “Stop thinking about it,” she told herself. As if it were that easy. Thoughts were hard to tame.
A sudden change in her bedroom caught her attention, and she glared at the flickering lamp above her in disdain, cursing the demon for fucking around with her again. Could he not at least leave her alone?
She got up and marched to the living room, where she discovered him watching a random movie. He didn’t look at her when she entered, causing her anger to surge.
“Demon,” she hissed. “Stop messing with the light.”
He snapped his head around to pierce her with his glare. “I’m not doing anything, human. You’re not worth the time.”
Her mouth fell open, and she glowered at him. “Yeah, of course. Stop lying to my face.”
“I am not lying. Get the fuck out of here,” he snarled. “I don’t want to see you.”
“Asshole,” she spat, turning on her heel, intending to do just that. She’d get the fuck out of this hellhole. Running towards the front door, she put on her sneakers, not caring to bring her jacket, and left the flat. He didn’t stop her.
She was controlled by rage and desperation. He was insufferable—one of the most difficult people she ever had to deal with. Angry tears burned in her eyes, blurring her surroundings. She fought the strong urge to let her anger out, to attack the next goddamn demon that looked at her for too long.
Since it was dark outside, many of them were around, scurrying through the shadows. Some of them stared at her creepily, but she was so caught up in her fury that she didn’t give a shit about them.