Chapter 7 RUNO
RUNO
I swirled around in my chair, the wheels squeaking against the worn floor of my little cubby at the back of The Revival.
The seat across from me sat empty—no Nyla, no Gary, just silence, a void where their chatter used to grate on my nerves.
The quiet gave me space to think, but it also let the bastards in my head slip out.
They all clawed their way up, their voices buzzing around in my head as I tried to shift through the chaos.
I leaned back, groaning at the pain shooting through my side.
Samael and Slash had both told me it was stupid to be moving around so much, and Aeron just shot me a pitiful look as I found clothes to change into, fed my cat, and then took a bus to the newspaper.
There was a part to play, and it didn’t involve wallowing in bed.
My phone pinged with a picture, Jade stepping into a small cottage house a few cities away.
“Oh good,” I chuckled to myself. “Wasn’t sure if she had made it.
” Samael’s men were already watching her but even if they hadn’t, I would have had my ways of tracking her.
Now that she was taken care of, we could focus on Brent.
I had made it very clear that Samael was to let him stew until I got home. I’d let them in on my plan soon enough, the real one. For now, I had to calm down the alters I had created because they were getting annoying.
Especially Killian.
I found myself stolen away into my head, in the drab room Finn had created, Killian sitting across from me, his mismatched eyes smug as hell.
Killian: You can’t keep us locked down forever.
Dark: What do you mean?
Finn: DMD means there’s more of us. There will always be more of us, but we’re the most prominent. We’ve taken shape, and while it might’ve been a tactic at one point, we’ve taken on lives of our own.
Daemon: Do you mean we can take over?
Killian’s smugness thickened, like he’d been waiting for this. That’s exactly what I’m saying.
I gripped the arms of my chair as anger flared in my chest. I snapped back aloud, not wanting to get caught in my head. “You would all break if you took the driver’s seat. You don’t understand our men.”
Killian’s voice didn’t waver. What I do understand is that you’re pushing them away, just like you have everyone else. They’re terrified of you. A man with no soul.
I slammed my fist on the desk, the thud echoing in my cubby.
“No, I just have to make them see,” I muttered, my voice almost a growl.
My mind churned, the newsroom fading as I sank further into the argument in my head.
Killian was waiting for his chance to take over but I wouldn’t let him.
Finn was just as antsy but he would derail everything too, now that I knew he had created a piece of us.
Shut up, I snarled internally.
Finn: Dad’s not going to clean up after us forever.
Daemon: I’m surprised he hasn’t just turned you in at this point.
Killian’s words played over in my mind. No soul. Was that what my men saw? What if they were scared? I’d watched them love my other alters while I was buried, a ghost in my own head.
You’re wrong, I told Killian. They’re mine. I’ll show them.
Killian’s smugness didn’t fade. You’re pushing too hard. They’ll break before they bend.
They were too strong to bend. That would never happen. “Be careful, Killian. I made you.”
Killian: And it won’t be long before I take over again.
My laughter faded, replaced by a wicked grin as I leaned forward, picturing his mismatched eyes paling in that mental room I’d locked him in.
“We’re fracturing, remember? Slowly but surely, you’ll fall apart, but it’s okay.
I’ll make sure you feel the horror of losing yourself to me until there’s nothing left but silence. ”
DMD would be the death of us all. I would slowly lose my mind altogether or my body would give out first. Either way, it would be a chaotic future I was looking forward to with only a fluke allowing me to keep a piece of my sanity.
Killian’s smile faltered and I just grinned, knowing that I had finally grabbed the upper hand again.
A knock on the cubicle jolted me, and I spun around, my grin slipping.
One of the newsroom grunts—some guy whose name I never bothered learning—stood there, his eyebrow raised.
“I’ve never really thought talking to myself would work to flesh out an article, but here we are. ”
My gaze narrowed at him as I scooted toward the edge of my cubicle and glanced down the hallway. It was empty save for the man standing in front of me. “Hi, you never come down here. What do you want?”
He shrugged, already turning away. “I’ve been sent to fetch you. Apparently, there’s an officer who’d like a word.”
I frowned and pushed to my feet. Why the hell would Samael show up here?
My mind raced as I headed toward Alex’s office, wondering what game he was playing.
But when I stepped inside, it wasn’t Samael.
Tyrone sat at the edge of Alex’s desk, his tailored suit screaming cop.
He had never dressed like that at his little café.
My stomach twisted, and I made a mental note to chew Samael out later for not warning me Tyrone was a fucking officer.
I stepped inside, forcing a softer smile onto my face as I tried to channel Dark’s slick charm or Daemon’s bold edge.
It wasn’t working. My body felt too alive, too much mine, after years of being buried.
Runo Matthews wasn’t bending, not now. I clenched my jaw and hissed internally at Daemon.
Don’t do anything stupid, but I need you to take over.
Daemon’s voice rumbled back. If it means we’re not ending up in a cell, sure. But after this, we’re going to talk.
I rolled my eyes. Fine, if that’s what will make you feel better.
I took a deep breath and let Daemon slide into the driver’s seat, my consciousness pulling back like a curtain.
Killian: Finally.
My grin faltered, my heart falling into my stomach. What the hell did he have up his sleeve? We’re the same person but why did it feel like he was going to destroy us?