Page 34 of The Demon and the Broken Girl

Anger ignites in Silas’s eyes. He steps closer, voice low but dangerous. “Leaving? You’d take her with you? We only just arrived.”

He’s guessed my intention. I can see how his hand drifts near the crossbow, but it remains at his side for now. Tension crackles in the cramped space, drawing Cole’s and Ryn’s attention. Calla inhales sharply, worry radiating through our bond.

I set my jaw. “I have matters to attend to outside these walls,” I reply, voice tight with restrained emotion. “I won’t remain in this place for long. And yes, Calla must accompany me. It’s part of our… arrangement.”

Calla shoots me a stricken look. She’s known I’d eventually leave, but hearing it stated so bluntly in front of everyone cracks the veneer of peace we’ve clung to since entering this settlement.Damn this tension.I swallow, trying to control my voice from trembling with the swirl of contradictory emotions: desperation, guilt, fear of losing her, and fear of harming her if she stays.

“What arrangement?” Silas demands, focusing on Calla now. “You’re truly going to follow him, out into the wild? We only just got you somewhere safe.”

Calla’s hands curl into fists at her sides, eyes darting between me and Silas. “I—I have to,” she says softly. “It’s the only way to protect you. All of you.”

Silas’s face twists with disbelief, then betrayal. “Protect us? He’s the one who threatened your soul, right?He’s the one who demands a price.How is leaving with him better than living here?”

Her voice shakes. “Because the contract is sealed. I can’t just… pretend it doesn’t exist. He can’t either.”

A cold spear of shame pierces me.They’re discussing me like I’m a plague.Perhaps I am. Silence grips the room for a moment. Even Cole and Ryn, though not outwardly hostile, share uncertain glances.

Jenna, from her bench, lifts her head. “If Calla’s certain, we have to respect it,” she says, her voice hoarse. “She… she saved me, saved all of us. Let her decide her path.”

But Silas’s anger won’t be quelled so easily. “You’d do that, Calla? Walk off with this demon, leaving us behind, all so you can… what? Pay off a debt in blood?”

She flinches. I sense her despair through our bond, as if a sharp needle pricks at my chest.She’s hurting because of me.My anger stirs, directed at Silas’s scathing tone, but more at myself for causing this rift.

Without warning, Silas jerks into motion, crossing the room in a few swift strides. He pivots, leveling the crossbow at me. My eyes narrow behind the hood, darkness stirring in my blood. The swirl of demonic power flares in response to the threat, and I feel the old instinct to kill or be killed whisper at the back of my mind.

“Silas, don’t!” Calla yells, stepping forward.

But Silas’s finger tightens on the trigger, terror warring with fury in his gaze. “I won’t let you take her away,” he snarls. “If you’re gone, she’s free from the contract, right?”

“Stop it!” Cole barks, surging forward to grab Silas’s arm. But Silas shakes him off, pure desperation fueling him.

Everything slows. The crossbow fires with a twang that cuts through my eardrums. Reflex alone saves me. I twist sideways, letting the bolt whistle past my hood, embedding itself in the wooden wall behind me with a dullthunk. My heartbeat pounds in my ears. I want to tear him limb from limb for daring to attack. Another part recognizes Silas is just a frantic mortal, terrified of losing the woman he cares about.

He doesn’t wait. He’s already reloading with trembling hands. This time, my power surges before he can aim. A coil of black energy crackles around my arm, lashing forward to knock the crossbow from his grip. He gasps as it skitters across the floor. But in his desperation, Silas lunges at me with a dagger, face contorted in rage.

“Silas, no!” Calla’s voice breaks, echoing in my head.

I bare my teeth, raw fury sparking.He’d kill me if I let him.My cloak flares as I dodge, then I seize his wrist in a crushing grip. He cries out, the dagger clattering to the ground. My other hand snakes toward his throat, a lethal reflex. For a heartbeat, I see my claws raking across flesh, tasting the kill.

“Daeva, please!” Calla’s plea slices through my rage.

I freeze, Silas’s wrist pinned in my grip, my fingers hovering at his neck. The demon inside me rumbles for blood, but Calla’s presence is a bright flame staving off darkness. She’s behind me, her fear pummeling my senses. If I kill Silas, I kill part of her heart. I can’t—won’t—do that.

Slowly, I release Silas’s wrist, stepping back. He staggers, rubbing at bruised skin, eyes wide with confusion and fear. Cole and Ryn jump between us, unsure whether to restrain Silas or shield him. Jenna leans against the bench, horror etched on her features.

I spin away, forcing my breathing to steady. The recoil of my near-violence leaves me shaking inside. I sense Calla’s trembling as well. She rushes forward, placing a hand on my shoulder. Hervoice trembles with relief. “Thank you for not hurting him,” she whispers.

Silas collapses to his knees, fists clenched, staring at the ground in abject misery. “I… I’m sorry,” he rasps, though I’m not certain whether he’s speaking to me or Calla. “I can’t watch you leave with him. I can’t.”

Calla kneels beside him. “I’m so sorry, Silas,” she murmurs, her eyes glistening. “But this is my decision.”

He exhales a ragged sob, burying his face in his hands. Cole and Ryn hover, uncertain how to console him. Tension hums in the room, thick enough to smother us all. I remain rigid, every muscle coiled with leftover adrenaline. My mind spins with the realization: if I stay a moment longer, I might lose control. The demon inside me roars forspace.

I glance at Calla, and she meets my gaze, understanding. This settlement, these mortal entanglements—it’s too volatile. She sees in my eyes that I won’t remain here. She stands, a faint tremor in her posture, and crosses to my side.

“Silas,” she says softly, though he refuses to look up. “I have to go. If I stay… it only puts you in danger. That’s the truth.”

Jenna tries to protest, voice shaky, but Cole hushes her. Ryn steps forward and says gently, “At least give us a chance to say goodbye properly?”

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