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“I don’t need to kill her. I refuse to stoop to her level. Killing her would only mean that I let her get to me.”
“Ha! And you called me pathetic,” the witch laughs.
“Are you sure?” Rukh asks me.
“Absolutely.”
Without hesitation, he grabs the witch’s neck through the mist.
“You’ll regret this,” she spits out.
He ignores her completely. Instead, he snaps her neck and lets her body drop to the floor. The mist dies with her, leaving only us in the cabin, the silence palpable.
Rukh turns to look at me, and I can’t quite comprehend the look he’s wearing. He walks over to me, putting his hands on either side of my face.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
“Yes,” I say, giving him a soft smile. “But what happens now?”
He drops his hands, looking away from me.
“Now you get to go back home. Clear your name, Annette. They’ll have no reason to keep you away after that. Your house is probably still vacant.”
“If they didn’t burn it,” I say.
But he’s right. I can go back to Mellara now.
“I can walk you there if you want me to,” he offers.
“No, that’s okay. You’ve done more than enough. I can get there on my own.” I feign a smile. “Then again, maybe I should stay where I’m wanted. I… I love you, you know.”
He bristles a little. “I told you. Demons don’t love. I enjoyed our time together, but this isn’t where you belong.”
I frown. “I suppose not. What about your plans to find us a cabin?”
He shakes his head. “You have a home you can return to now. There’s no reason for that.”
I can’t help but feel I’m being dismissed. I don’t know what to say in response even if I am. He did warn me from the beginning that demons didn’t have companions the way that humans did. Maybe I was stupid for ever thinking I was some kind of exception.
“I’ll walk you outside at least,” he says. I nod and follow him.
Once outside, we turn to each other. He gives me a tight smile, still not making eye contact. I look down at my feet, unsure of what to do. I’ve never had to say goodbye to someone like this before.
“I guess this is goodbye then,” I murmur.
He offers me a tight smile, finally looking at me. His eyes are a darker shade of red, and he almost appears to be angry. Confused by the hostility I’m sensing, I slowly turn to leave.
“Wait,” he says, grabbing my arm.
He closes the distance between us, leaning down. For a moment I close my eyes, thinking he’s going to kiss me. And he does, right on my forehead before pulling away. I try to hide my disappointment.
“Thanks for everything, Rukh. I don’t know where I would be right now if you hadn’t helped me find her.”
He nods, avoiding eye contact again.
“Okay,” I say.
This time, he lets me walk away. I head off into the forest, back to the only real home I’ve ever known. And away from the only person I’ve ever really cared about.
