Page 125 of The Demon's Pet

“Why are you even making that point?”

Sam snorted. “I’m making it about Zadis. He may tell you things about me. That you’re not safe with me. That he can protect you. Don’t mistake his silken words for goodness, Cleo.” Then he started striding forward again.

“Stop,” I begged, walking after him. “If you kill that creature, I will never forgive you. I won’t even be able to look at you. It has done nothing wrong. You know this is wrong.”

Sam turned to flash a glare at me, looked around us at the passing villagers, then started hurrying in the direction of the cage again, sword still drawn.

No. No. No.

“Why did you even have me talk to it if you weren’t going to save it?”

He whirled to face me. “So I would know how a void walker even ended up in this realm.” He took a few steps closer to me. “Listen to me, Cleo. Is this fair? No. This world isn’t fair. It’s about alliances and who wants who killed and who will kill them. It’s dog-eat-dog, and the fae are our allies. I cannot spare him. Do you understand?” He seemed too aware that there were fae around us.

But the fae didn’t seem to care.

“If I don’t kill him… the consequences will be fatal to our alliance with the fae,” he said. “What is one little void walker in the scheme of things?”

“What is one little wolf?” I asked, tears biting my eyes. “What is any creature when so many are up against it simply because it fought back against impossible odds?”

“You didn’t burn people to death.”

“Neither did that thing!” I said. “Sam, if you kill him—”

“I’m killing him,” Sam said simply.

And that’s when I knew he must be as cold as Zadis said he was. Because he noted my tears, my begging, with not even a flinch and then continued toward the cage.

“I’ll make it fast,” he said. “It won’t hurt much.”

“But—”

“Creatures die, Cleo,” he said. “And if you want to save your skin, you’ll stop fighting me on this. I can’t afford to stall this anymore, though I will take no pleasure in killing this creature. We must leave, due to Zadis—”

“Don’t blame this on me!” I yelled back. “Zadis would never—”

Sam glared. “You know nothing about the fae. And I’m getting us out of here before you can do something stupid.”

“Stupid like staying with a belligerent angel who might kill me one day too, if that’s what the celestials or the fae want?”

His expression went dark and cold. “That’s what you think of me?”

I didn’t know what to think. Sam had even nodded when Gabe told him he’d need to kill me at the end of this.

My hands were clenched into fists so tight I could feel my nails biting into my palm, almost drawing blood.

“Are you going to kill him?” I asked.

He nodded. “It’s my job.”

“Then, yes,” I said. “That’s what I think about you. You’re someone I can’t trust. Someone I could never trust. You have no heart, no morals, you’ll probably kill me at the end of this, like you told Gabe you would, and—”

“If you truly can’t watch what’s about to happen, then go home and pack, Cleo,” Sam snapped as he turned away from me. “I’ll come for you when the execution is over.”

And then he turned and strode away, shoulders hunched, sword shining, muttering curses under his breath.

I was panicked. I wanted to save that thing in the cage, but I was helpless. I ran forward and saw Griffin and Os waiting by the cage.

“Stop him!” I yelled at them as Sam approached the cage.

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