Page 25 of Requiem
Until it broke him.
My hand presses against my chest, like I can physically hold myself together. “I’m sorry,” I whisper, even though it feels useless. “I’m so sorry.”
His expression goes flat. Empty. “I don’t want your fucking apology.”
Hot tears spill down my face.
“I want yougone.”
Silence crashes into the room. I can’t breathe. He’s just there, shaking, sick, broken…
And looking at me likeI’mthe reason.
A sob forces its way out of me, my hand flying up to cover my mouth.
His breathingis speeding up, his chest rising and falling fast. And then he stills. His head tilts slightly, his eyes locking onto me with a sudden, sharp focus that makes my skin prickle.
My heart stutters. Something shifts. “Hey, wait—”
He moves before I can finish. One second, he’s on the bed. And the next, he’s off it. Chains clatter as he lunges forward, the sound exploding through the room. The sudden movement rips a gasp out of me. I stagger back again. His eyes are wide now, and locked right on me. But they’re not him. His eyes are…black. Like a predator zeroing in on its prey.
My breath catches. “Jude, please—”
“I’ll fucking kill you,” he snaps. “Get out before I do.”
The chains snap tight again as he strains against them, his entire body shaking with the effort, veins standing out along his neck. His gaze flickers across my face again, and I see him flinch and recoil, like looking at me ishurtinghim.
His voice fractures, panic bleeding through. “He’s going to—he’s going to hurt me.”
“Alexei’s not here,” I say, forcing calm into my voice. “You’re safe.”
“Please. I don’t want to hurt you.” His voice cracks, desperation slipping through for just a second. Almost like he wants me here but knows I can’t be. And then it’s gone. “GET OUT!” he shouts, the words ripping out of him as he surges forward again.
The chains jerk, and I stumble back harder this time, my body slamming into the wall.This isn’t safe. This isn’t something I can control. This is—
“Emma.”
Micah’s voice reaches me from the doorway behind me.
My hand finds the doorknob, but I can’t stop looking at him. At the man I love. I can’t keep doing this. Not when I’m hurting him just bybeinghere. Not when he looks at me like I’m something he needs to escape. My heart is breaking. God, it hurts.
I take a shaky step back. Then another.
Jude watches me move, his breathing still uneven, his hands clenched into fists so tight they’re shaking.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, my voice breaking. “I’m so sorry. I love you.”
His jaw tightens.His eyes narrow, like he doesn’t trust a single word coming out of my mouth.
I turn before I can change my mind. And I walk out. The moment the door shuts behind me, the world tilts. I don’t make it far. I barely take two steps before my body gives out completely, my knees buckling beneath me as my soul rips in half.
Micah catches me before I hit the ground. “Hey, hey—” His arms are immediately around me, steadying me as I collapse into him, my hands clutching at his shirt.
I can’t breathe. I can’t think. It all just—
“He was once so full of life,” I sob, my voice breaking as I reach for his best friend. “A bright light in this world—” My voice shatters. “They stole his soul, Micah.” The words barely make it out of me. “He’s—he’s gone.”
Micah goes completely still. His grip tightens, like he’s bracing himself.
