Page 89 of Destined for the Devil
Ugh. I didn't want to see anyone, only Roman.
It had been just over three months since our breakup.Three months.Besides him showing up randomly on the street a few times, we hadn't seen or spoken to each other since the library incident, and I knew nothing about his life. I was dying—dyinginside.
Was it possible to die from heartbreak?
School was kicking my butt, I hated living in the cold, and Sam paid way more attention to me than I wanted or was comfortable with.
"Hi Sam," I sighed, no happiness in my greeting.
He raised an eyebrow. “Wow, that excited to see me, huh?" he quipped, sizing me up again. Where the fuck even was I? Lost in my thoughts, I hadn’t realized I had made it back to campus.
"Sorry,” I mumbled, already mentally checked out. “Just a lot on my mind. I’ve gotta run though. I'll catch up with you later." I tried not to engage, but obviously, Sam had to.
"Come on, I'll walk you home. It's not that far, right?"
"No, no, it's okay! I need to get groceries anyway."
"I'll join you, come on." Before I could protest again, Sam was already taking quick steps ahead of me. Well, fuck! I relented and followed, and he quickly fell into step beside me, way too pleased with himself. I washoping he would slip on ice, and I just wouldn't notice and continue on.
He tried to make small talk about something, but I was way too defeated in my life to pay attention. Thankfully, the snow was piling on, and the wind blasted us in the face, making it impossible to uphold a conversation.
Finally, we turned onto my street, relief flooding all of me. I couldn’t wait to go upstairs, lock the doors, and be alone. “Thanks for walking me, Sam. You really didn’t have to. See ya.”
But just as I turned to head inside, Sam caught my hand and pulled me to a stop. "Isla..." he began uncertainly, and all of me plunged into dread. I was really hoping this wasn’t what my intuition was screaming at me. "Show me your new place?"
Wow. Was he fucking serious? Sam was a school friend, an acquaintance even,nothingmore. There was no chance in the universe that I was ever going to invite him to my home.
“Oh, um. You know what? I don’t have any furniture yet, and I…I still have to clean it. It's not ready to be seen yet." I forced the words out of me, doing my best to make it light, but he squeezed my hand tighter, taking a step closer. On instinct, I leaned back, doing my utmost to keep distance.
"That's okay,” he said softly. “I don't care about furniture. I just...I just want to spend some time with you." I froze, fear permeating all my limbs.
The street was empty. Snow swirled around us, muffling all sounds. Sam was tall and strong, and he could have tossed me around like a ragdoll. And this was not a situation I ever wanted to be in.
"You've been so hard to catch, Isla,” he continued, his tone darker now. “And I've beendyingto get to know you. You're such a closed book. A mysterious girl." His eyes flicked down my face, and he took another step forward.
I stumbled back, petrified at this encounter. I thought I knew Sam, but it turned out he was a complete stranger. Speechless, I stared up at him, realizing that I should say something, or else he would take my silence as a good sign.
"Sam, I…I'm sorry I’m—” I began speaking, making something—anything—up. “I'm just not in a place right now…where I can or want to spend time with anyone." I nodded to myself, thinking that it was a logical and normal response, but instead of releasing me, he held on tight.
"Well, I think you just need someone to help you…unwind." And suddenly, Sam tugged my hand—hard—and pulled me toward the front door. Astounded, I held my ground, doing my best not to move, but my boots slid on the snowy sidewalk.
My legs numb with fear, I protested, pulling back, but Sam didn’t pause, yanking me harder. "Sam! Let go. Please, Sam! Stop! Stop!” I choked out in a panic, but Sam stayed silent, a small smile on his face again, my hand firmly in his claws.
But then—
"Did you hear what she said, Sam?" A deep and familiar voice pierced the cold air, speaking loudly behind me.
I knew exactly who that was.
I whirled around to see Roman a few feet away from me, his eyes burning with rage and his clothes all black. At the sight of him, I lost all strength and fell on my knees from Sam's relentless pulling. Sam paused but didn’t let my hand go.
It was like a scene from a painting. Roman—appearing out of nowhere—dressed in all black like the devil, his hair and coat slowly being covered with snow; me on the ground—powerless, and Sam, clearly not helping, but forcing me.
"Move along, man. I got this." Sam brushed Roman off, tightening hisgrip on my fingers until they lost all feeling.
Mesmerized and still on my knees, I stared at Roman—the dangerous man—shocked to see him here.
Roman didn’t flinch, his eyes eating Sam alive. With a swift movement of his arm, a gun appeared in his hand, pointing right at Sam.
