The Demon Within (39 page)

“He was just checking my injury.” Ruman shook his head and with a pang, he saw the happiness in her face drained away. “What? Only you and Caly are special? Only the two of you deserve happiness?”

Ruman flinched at the truth that most likely neither of them would get their happy ending. “Of course not, but it’s not going to be an easy road.”

A sob hiccupped out of her, and she nodded. “I don’t need easy. I just need there to be a way.”

Gathering her close, Ruman pulled Brie against his chest, speaking more to himself than her. “We’ll find a way. We have no choice.” He whispered it in her hair and kissed the top of her head.

* * *

Caly stopped at the top of the stairs, unable to breathe, unable to think past seeing Ruman hold Brie in his arms with a look of such emotion on his face. Had he ever looked at her that way?

Like a poison, the image spread numbness through her body. She didn’t speak, but they turned as if they sensed her.

“Caly?” Ruman dropped Brie’s arm, but something in her expression stopped him from saying more.

Smart man.

Brie stepped away. “It’s not what you think.”

“No, of course not.” She could hardly speak above a whisper, her throat too scratchy and dry. Then she shook it off and forced a smile, refusing to let her doubts ruin this, too. Ruman wouldn’t jump from her bed into the arms of another woman. Not after last night and not where she could so easily catch him.

Then she saw her blade.

Her mind rebelled, and the fragile hope for their future crumbled.

He was trying to leave her.

Darkness swelled as her wrath built. She could almost sense her demon’s thoughts.

Ruman had no right to take what was theirs.

And both the blade and Ruman were theirs.

“Why did you remove Carnwennan from my room?” Her heart pitched in her chest, willing him to give her even the most pathetic excuse, but he remained stubbornly mute. The pain cut quick, faster and deeper than any blade. Part of her rejected the idea he would hurt her this way, but she knew how desperately he wanted to return home. The blade would give him that way.

All he had to do was betray her.

Kelly stepped out of the kitchen, chomping on an apple, David a pace behind. She paused mid-bite at the tension in the room. “What’s happened?”

“Nothing.” Caly walked down the stairs on leaded legs. Part of her huddled up in a little ball, the other side wanted to rip out his throat. She circled around him, careful not to touch him.

Why would he steal the dagger but not run? Why touch Brie when he knew it would get back to her? Her feelings were clouding things. She had to sort through everything before she did something she’d regret.

“Caly—”

“I have work to do.” She entered the library and sat behind the desk, feeling incredibly old. Not bothering to look up at the audience, she pulled out her wax copy and waved them away.

Ruman blinked in shock at the change in Caly. All the animation he always associated with her had vanished, leaving behind only a ghost of herself. Everything he adored about her, she tucked away from him. He carefully set the dagger on the desk, mentally urging her to look at him. If he could only explain, he’d make her understand. “I—”

“Come.” Kelly latched onto his arm with a death grip and forcefully escorted him to the kitchen, her eyes telling him not to argue when all he wanted was to convince Caly he hadn’t betrayed her.

“What happened?”

Kelly shoved a hot mug of coffee in his direction. He automatically took the offering and stared down at the cup at a loss about what to do with it. He glanced toward the door, but something about Kelly’s behavior stayed him. He began pacing.

Kelly fished around in a cupboard, removing a bag of chocolate as he tried to organize his thoughts. She peeked into the hall, then broke the seal and placed a small piece of dark fudge onto the table in front of him. “Spill it.” She selected a larger piece, closed her eyes and took a bite.

“I’m not sure. Brie was upset and I—”

“Don’t tell me.” She raised a chocolate covered finger. “Caly saw.”

“They’re like sisters. Jarred and Brie are romantically involved. Why—”

“Wow, you’re truly dense about women, aren’t you?”

Ruman opened his mouth to defend himself only to be cut off.

“Don’t bother.” She shook her head, snuck a second piece of chocolate and groaned.

“I don’t understand.” Completely baffled, Ruman stopped pacing. “Why did you pull me out of the room when I could’ve cleared up everything?”

“Boy, we have a long night ahead of us.” She kicked out the wooden stool across from her. “Caly needs to come to the conclusion herself. She needs time. If you force it on her, the doubts will fester.”

Even though he didn’t like it, he understood. He sensed Kelly wasn’t finished. “Tell me.”

“We’ll need more coffee.” With her back turned, Kelly spoke casually. “You spent the night with Caly.”

Ruman was thankful she didn’t see the way his face heated, and a grin tugged the corner of his lips. He cleared his throat and scratched under his chin, uncertain where this conversation would lead. “Yes.”

“You haven’t known her long.”

“Long enough.”

She turned and looked at him over her shoulder. “I don’t think so. You only see what she’s allowed you.”

Not wanting her to see his annoyance, he took a sip from the mug. Ruman sat perched at the edge of the chair, ready to bolt. This was new territory in women’s psychology. He wasn’t sure he wanted to venture any further, but the need to know more about Caly kept him glued to the seat. “Tell me.”

“She won’t thank me for it.” Kelly warned and faced the cupboard, placing her hands on the counter as if to brace herself. “Caly’s one of the best people this world has to offer. Unfortunately, this world has not returned the favor. She’s incredibly strong, carved out by necessity, but she’s a lot more vulnerable than she lets on and has the scars to prove it.”

“Jarred mentioned something about Carnwennan had healed her.”

“Physically maybe.” Kelly shrugged and picked at her fingernail. “A car accident years ago destroyed her life, changing her from a normal, healthy girl of six who was very much loved to an outcast no one wanted. She lost her innocence of the world and her parents in one fell swoop while Oscar found his perfect little killing machine.” She opened the cupboard and blindly rummaged inside.

“The accident happened fast. The Caprice crashed and rolled. Her parents died, while Caly remained trapped in the back seat.” Kelly took down the container of grounds but didn’t move to load the already full coffee maker. “The exhaust burned through the battery wire. Smoke filled the car. She was suffocating. But what sealed her fate was when a spark landed on a small pool of gasoline.

“Older vehicles were made of metal. The car was twisted in a way there was no hope of escape. Terrified of fire, Brie revealed herself and two girls devised a plan. The only way either was going to escape was by working together. So they merged. Demon strength and a girl’s desperation were enough.

“Caly shielded Brie from the fire, but no one protected her. Help arrived, but Caly was severely burned. Both were too weak to survive on their own.”

Kelly slammed the container against the tiled counter and turned, her expression contorted with rage. “The old bastard found out about the demon when she was at the hospital. They called him as her closest relative. He became suspicious at how quickly she healed. Too fast. He confirmed it when he forced her to touch metal.

“He trapped them together in order to find out what made demons tick, what could hurt them. He kept her isolated like a hermit. No one even knew Caly lived with him until years later.”

Horror grew in his mind as each word pounded into him, building a story worse than he’d imagined. How could he expect her to forgive, let alone love, a demon? She must see his actions as a betrayal. Ruman managed to choke only one word. “How?”

A sneer curled her lips. “He bound them with a metal band on her wrists.”

He flexed his own recently healed hand. “But metal burns the tissue if the demon is close—”

“It effectively trapped them together. That’s all that mattered.”

“Son of a bitch.” Ruman slammed his palm on the table, barely curbing the violent need to find someone to hurt. His arms ached to cradle Caly close and tell her it would never happen again. He’d make sure of it.

“She managed to break the manacle when puberty hit, but they were so closely joined, separation was to risk death. They did it anyway when she turned fourteen. What choice did they have? They either died together in an attempt to escape or remain trapped and died anyway.”

He didn’t want to hear more, but he needed to know. “And?”

“It took months for her to be able to function. She didn’t live, she only existed.” A nasty smile came, “The old man was livid.” Kelly stared him in the eye. “She lost half of herself and had to learn how to live all over again. And the only reason I know all this because Cunningham was worried and told me. If Caly ever found out I knew the truth, she would’ve vanished.”

She reached out for another piece of fudge, changed her mind and closed the bag instead. “She loves Brie. But Brie gained her freedom. Caly didn’t.”

The coffee he sipped earlier soured his stomach. “Why the hell would she stay?”

“Where would she go knowing demons existed, and she could see them? She had value. She had a mission. She couldn’t turn her back, not when she knew she could help others like herself.”

“You think I should leave.” Ruman stood, the chair scraped loudly on the floor. Leaving wasn’t an option. But the longer he stayed, the more pain he inflicted. He’d complained about his life when she’d suffered much worse. It was a wonder that she hadn’t rolled her eyes and told him to get over himself when he told her about his past.

An amused laugh filled the room, jerking him away from the incriminations running loose in his head. “That’s the last thing you should do.”

“Then why—”

“You need to make sure you know the difference between the two women.”

“Of course I know the difference.” Brie was like family. Caly was his life.

“Caly doesn’t know that. You jumped from her bed into Brie’s arms and happened to be holding her dagger.”

“That’s not the way it happened.”

“Prove it to her.”

“How?” Frustration made him growl the words. If he thought it would help, he’d reach across the table and force the words out of her.

Kelly smirked as if reading his thoughts and dodged out of reach. “You’re a big boy. Figure it out.” She sailed from the room without another word.

“Wait!” Ruman followed her and almost bumped into her back when she pulled up short.

“Don’t back down, don’t take no for an answer. Fight for her.” Kelly turned the corner and disappeared into the darkness, but the seed had been planted.

He needed to get Caly alone. With a house full of hunters and trackers, there was only one way to do it.

Ruman headed back toward Caly’s bedroom to plot. It was the last place she’d look for him if she thought to kick him out. He opened the door and was assailed by memories of what they’d shared.

He’d be damned if the first time would be the last time they spent in that bed.

Chapter Twenty-nine