Page 51 of Raising Hell: MMF Edition

But through all of this, I’ve noticed it.

Loss of control.

Yesterday, I yelled at Cas to bring me a drink and he simply rolled his eyes and kept reading his book. And yeah, okay, I was being lazy, but cut me some slack.

What’s the point of demonic minions if you can’t stay wrapped up in your blankets on a rainy day?

He didn’t do it on purpose. In fact, he didn’t even realize what he’d done. As he brushed off my command without a second thought, a pang of desperation intensified my fear.

The crack in my heart splintered further, reeling at the tangible evidence of my slipping control.

Falling in love with them was reckless.

A terrible decision.

I’d do it all over again.

“Ruby!” Cas shouts, and I jolt enough to spill a small splash of coffee on my sweater. He crashes into the room, wide-eyed, and shaking a piece of paper. “I’ve stroked a genius!”

My eyes furrow as a long-suffering sigh precedes Amon’s entrance into the living room. “What?” I finally manage.

Cas is crazed as his palms land on my cheeks, pulling my face flush to his until he’s a cyclops. “I’ve done it!”

I shake my head, still confused. “Who’s this genius you’ve stroked? Are you talking about Amon?”

A snort comes from Amon’s perch at the door. “Classic,” he mutters, looking pleased.

“No,focus!I’ve figured it out!”

It hits me then. “Oh, you’ve had a strokeofgenius.”

“That’s what I said,” he snaps, annoyed, and Amon chuckles again. “Now listen, because this is important.”

Forcing myself to give him my attention, I sit up straight. “Alright, tell me.”

The paper in his hand rattles as he shakes it even harder, preventing me from reading what’s written. “I’ve found a spell! One that will allow us to stay!”

Silence fills the room as I stare at him. He shifts uncomfortably as he backs up a step, but I grab his wrist that holds the paper. “You knew.”

“Wha—”

I launch myself off the couch, fury burning in my veins as I slam my palms against his chest. “Youknewsomething was wrong, and you kept the truth from me.”

Agony ripples in his eyes as he shakes his head. “Ruby…”

I whirl to Amon, whose stony face is unreadable. “Did you know, too? Were you also hiding things from me?”

His throat bobs in a swallow as he takes a step forward. Until this very moment, I’ve never seen Amon nervous, and it stifles some of my anger. “Ruby, please understand…”

“You were.” The words barely make a sound as tears spring to my eyes. “You lied to me.”

I try to push past him, to get away while I process, but powerful hands grab me and force me to spin into a heavy embrace. “I’m sorry,” Amon whispers, placing a soft kiss on the top of my head. “Neither of us wanted to keep it from you, but the only thing it would’ve accomplished is worrying you.”

“Please believe us,” Cas begs, joining the hug as they trap me between them. “We never want to hurt you, Ruby.”

“How long have you known something was wrong?”

“A couple of weeks,” Amon admits, and another spear of pain stings my heart. “We’ve been working day and night to fix it.”

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