Page 77 of Devilish Ink

She shoved me away but I grabbed onto her wrists. I couldn’t let her pull away.

“That’s not possible,” she said, her voice hollow.

“I’m sorry. I should have told you earlier,” I said, my excuses sounding hollow, “but—”

“Rian doesn’t have abrother.”

I was so startled by her words that she was able to wrench her hands from my touch. The loss of her sent an ache through me.

“He has a brother,” I said. “You know he does.”

“Rian has a demon,” she said, her voice growing cold and cruel. “He has a monster. He has a cruel past that still won’t let him go…but Rian has nobrother.”

She might as well have stabbed me with a knife, it hurt that much.

She fell back on her heel away from me, putting more and more distance between us.

Fuck. I was losing her.

“I can explain,” I said, moving toward her, palms up and out. “There’s more to the story that you—that he—doesn’t know.”

“Get out.” She pointed a trembling finger toward the door. “Get out right fucking now.”

“I’m not leaving, Ry,” I said.

“Don’t call me that,” she shouted. “Riancalls me that. My best friend calls me that.”

I was desperate. I had to make her listen. I grabbed her, pinning her arms to her torso.

“Let go of me!” she screamed as she struggled to get free.

“You have no idea how cruel my father was,” I told her as she kicked at me. “How—”

“Let go!” She punched me in the stomach.

I let out a grunt and let her go. She scrambled away from me, her eyes darting between me and the door behind me.

“Ry,” I begged, “he told me he’d kill Rian if I tried to help him.”

“Oh God, I’m such an idiot,” she said, spitting out the words with bitter laughter. “That’s why you’re in Dublin. Fuck, how did I not see it sooner? You being so interested in me. You asking all those questions. Ididsee you outside here that day. Youwerefollowing me!”

If she could just hear me. If she could just understand.

“Okay, yes, I did come here to make things right with Rian,” I admitted. I had to be truthful. I couldn’t cover up my liesanymore. “I did follow you to Dublin Ink from this apartment. But then Imetyou and—”

“You were using me to get to Rian,” Ry said, looking at me with renewed shock and horror. “None of it was real.”

Anger flared up in my chest. She could call me all sorts of names, accuse me of all sorts of things. And I’d take them.

But notthat.

I stepped toward her, my shadow looming. My voice dangerously low as I spoke, pointing my finger at her. “That’s a lie and you know it. You fucking know it.”

Ry glared at me, madness in her grey eyes. “I’m glad it was all a lie. Because I could never love who you really are. The man behind the mask. No, theanimalbehind the fucking mask.”

I stalked toward her and she retreated, putting the couch between us. I moved to one side, she the other.

I was breathing heavily. Panting like the animal she accused me of being. I slammed my hands down on the back of the couch.

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