Page 49 of Soul of a Psycho

“I don’t want a life without you.” Sky comes beside me.

I laugh, turning to look at her. Her words are a catch twenty-two, and she doesn’t even know it.

“You won’thavea life with me,” I tell her.

Hurt flits across her features, and my chest cracks open knowing I’ve caused it. I have to grind my teeth and remind myself that she doesn’t know.

“Just let me do this for you.” I turn away, back to Ruby, unsure if I can do what I have to under Sky’s confused expression.

And now my hand is shaking.Fuck.The blade dances over Ruby’s throat. I squeeze my eyes shut, willing myself to get it together. All that planning, all that work, and in the beat of a minute it has become nothing, coming to an end here, with one petty kill under the gaze of the first person I don’t hate. If it was anyone else, I wouldn’t think twice of spraying them with the blood of their roommate.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Sky

Oh, my god.

Oh, my god.

Oh, myfuckinggod.

My heart thumps rapidly in the pit of my stomach as I hold Ruby’s eyes while Cade wars within himself. I silently try to convey that it’s going to be okay, giving her a shaky nod. I only hope that the fear in her eyes isn’t reflected back at her, because I’m not really sure it’s going to be okay.

Cade iscrying.The stoic human embodiment of stone is unraveling before my eyes, and I’m as terrified as I am shredded by it. I want to reach out and pull him into my arms, but I also don’t want to set him off. He’s clearly not okay, and his knife is sharp, way too close to Ruby’s jugular. What if it slips? What did she even do that would make Cade want to hurt her?

I slowly edge closer, afraid of startling him but also needing to somehow get him to let go of her. The door is shut, but someone could walk in at any minute, and every second that I don’t diffuse this feels like a second closer to Cade being hauled out here and probably expelled, where I’ll never see him again. I know this is unacceptable, but I also know in my heart that he would never really hurt Ruby. This is just a mistake, a misunderstanding.

“Cade…” I school my tone into one of calm reassurance, and hover a hand over his shoulder.

He doesn’t acknowledge me, keeping his head down, dark hair over his face. If he didn’t have Ruby’s life hanging in the balance, I might say it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, watching a demon weep. He’s cloaked in black, damp from the rain and trembling with heat. But her lifeisat stake, and I catch her eyes again. She pointedly looks at the door and then back to me. There’s a subtle emphasis of strain in her stare, and I know she’s willing me to get help.

I give a slight shake of my head. That would blow this up way bigger than it needs to be. Cade is just… He just needs someone to love him through this. I don’t know what happened to him after they took him earlier in the day, but it couldn’t have been good.

“Cade,” I try again, gently letting my hand rest on him.

“Don’t,” he warns, but the growl is laced with pain.

“Let her go,” I say firmly, resisting the urge to stomp my foot.

He finally turns, but doesn’t remove the knife. “Why?”

I’m almost unsure as I see the look on his face. Crystal tears drip down his cheeks, collecting along his jaw, and his eyes are so earnest with confusion.

“Because…” I try to find the words, not knowing how to explain to him why he shouldn’t hold a knife to someone’s throat. “Because she’s my friend.”

“Friend?Friend?” He squeezes his eyes shut. “How can you be friends with someone like her?”

“Someone like what?” I glance between the two of them.

Ruby may be snippy and surly, but she’s been the only person here to invite me in. She’s not especially kind, but she’s definitely not cruel, and I feel closer to her than I ever felt to anyone back home. She’s actually real, despite our recent spat. And now myspawn of satan has his hand clamped so tightly over her mouth that her skin is going white around his fingers.

God, she’s not going to let me live this down.

Cade continues. “She’s a bully. She’s the reason I had to stitch you up.”

My bottom lip falls. A bully?Ruby? She’s more mouse than man.

“Why would you want to be friends with someone like that? Make it make sense, Sky. Please. I’m fucking begging you. Explain to me how you can put that aside.”

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