Page 92 of Ruined

“What is it about you?” Luna asks softly, peering over in the mirror on the wall. I’m not sure what she means. There’s nothing special about me. I’m damaged goods. I have baggage that no man should want.

Ryker wants control over my body. He doesn’t care if I tell him no because he knows it’s a lie; that I need to shut my brain off and let him have power over me. He’s the one that will make a bloody mess out of me but carry me to the shower to clean me just to make me a mess again. He’s the one that pays attention to how I like my coffee, to my cinnamon roll addiction. He’s the one that cares if I’m eating right and if I’m drinking enough water. He’s the bear that will tear your throat out unless he declares you worthy and when he does, he wraps you in his arms. Never to let you go.

But Jace makes me feel safe. He comforts me. He’s the one that will make me tea because I mentioned I had an upset stomach. He’s the one that rubs my feet while watching movies because he knows I want his soft touches. He’s the lion, willing to do anything for his lioness.

“I don’t understand how you show up one day, needing help, and they just bow down to kiss your feet,” she hisses. “The scars… how are you worthy of them?” Luna isn’t talking to me. She doesn’t want me to answer her. She just wants me to think lower about myself. And while I don’t understand why Jace and Ryker want me, I’ve accepted I’m the mold holding us together. Jace is the glue while Ryker is the barrier protecting us.

“I was the scared little girl once, too. I needed help; I was begging them for it. But what did you do?” She stops pacing, glancing over at me. I wait for her to cutme again, but she doesn’t. She growls, ripping the door open. My eyes widen as I see Ryker and Jace sitting in the living room tied to their chairs, tape covering their mouths. Their eyes find mine, their muffled groans filling the room.

“Why her!” she yells, holding the knife towards me. Jace stills, glaring at Luna while Ryker wiggles harder against his restraints. “Why is she so fucking special!” Slashing the knife over the back of my hand, my eyes slam shut.Breathe, you can do it,I remind myself.

Luna stomps over to the guys, ripping the tape off Ryker.

“I’m going to kill you,” he yells, thrashing against the chair.

Luna throws her head back, laughing. Is she that dumb? Ryker will rip her apart and eat her heart for the hell of it.

“You’d kill me because of her?” Luna tries to sober up.

“Yes,” Ryker doesn’t miss a beat. And while my heart speeds up at the admiration, it only makes Luna angry.

“I’ve been there for you for years!” she screams in his face. “I’ve been there for both of you!” She rips the tape off Jace’s mouth, and he doesn’t even flinch, his eyes remaining on mine.

“Would you kill me, Jacey?” she murmurs.

His eyes flicker to Luna before they fall back on me. “I love Blake.”

Oxygen gets sucked from my lungs, and my body breaks out in goosebumps. I know what I heard, but my head refuses to believe the words that Jace said. How can he love someone so damaged?

I shake my head, not believing his words.

“What?” Luna whispers, glancing back at me. I might have had a death wish, but the way Luna is staring down at me…she’s going to make it hurt, and she’s going to make them watch. Does Jace not realize this? Luna is obsessed with Jace and Ryker, and he just signed all of our death sentences.

“You love her!” Luna screams. Not waiting for either of them to answer, she rushes to me, punching me in the face. But she doesn’t stop there; she hits me over and over again.

“Leave her alone!” Ryker yells.

My eyes slam closed, counting as she takes her anger out on my body. I feel my nose crack, blood pouring down my chin.

“She’s not enough for you!” Luna squawks.

I feel the tip of the blade against my shoulder, the one that she had stitched up. Gritting my teeth, she pushes the knife into me.

“You were supposed to love me! Not her, not her!” Luna yanks the knife from my shoulder, slamming it into my thigh.

“STOP!” Jace bellows. But she doesn’t. She pulls it out, slicing up my arm, slashes the thing around as if I was a cushion and not a human being.

“Stop, Luna!” Ryker barks. I can hear them struggling against their restraints. I want to tell them there’s no use, Luna is going to keep carving into me. They fell in love with the wrong girl, and soon they’ll realize it.

The air gets knocked out of me as the chair I’m in gets tipped over. My shoulder connects with the ground, and my mouth opens, ready to scream when she kicks my stomach. My vision blurs as she kicks me again.

Crack.

I swallow hard, realizing she just broke one of my ribs. My eyes squeeze shut, and I try to curl up, but I can’t.

“You’re worthless!” she screams, dropping the knife behind me as she grabs my arm, holding me up as she kicks me again.

“Luna, stop! Leave her alone!” One of the guys yells. I can barely hear anything with the pressure in my brain.

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