Demonic Bonds by Claire M (best books to read for self improvement txt) 📕

soul you stupid girl. He's just waiting for the right time."

That sentence repeated over and over in my mind, like a record stuck on repeat. And each time, it pierced my heart.

There was no way that couldn't be true, right? So many reasons why it had to be a lie.
Rufus was there for me, all those times. He'd helped me, been nice and shown kindness towards me! He even treated my wounds!

Sometimes I even forget that he's a demon.

But, I guess it had never crossed my mind...what demons eat. I mean, some stories of demons say that they devour human souls, but there's the possibility the real thing was different. In this case though, I guess it's true...

Another flash of lighting lit up the room and snapped me out of my thoughts. There was no way I was going to wait a second longer.

I jumped off the couch, grabbed the first thing that was on the coat hanger nearest the door which was my black hoodie, pulled on my trainers and ran out into the pouring rain.

The sentence replayed once more in my mind and this time I managed to push it away. I refused to believe it. It couldn't be true...

At least fifteen minutes had passed by the time reached the small pedestrian bridge which lead into the main town and to school.

As soon as I had stepped out of the door I had been soaked to the bone. It was ice cold, every drop of rain nipping at my skin.

But I kept running. I had a bad feeling growing in my chest. Something had happened.

I rested my hands on my thighs as I stopped for a breath and looked over the side of the bridge. The river was flowing dangerously fast and it was quite scary how high it had become. It looked like it could flood the bridge if it carried on raining like this for much longer.

Turning my head back to the bridge, I couldn't see anyone else as I squinted through the rain. He's not here either? Where did they go...?

I stood back up straight and began walking to start my search on the other side of the bridge. I needed to know that the feeling was wrong, that Rufus was okay.

That was when I saw him. Laid on the ground just a few feet before me was Rufus. Eve was nowhere to be seen.

Without a seconds hesitation I ran to him, falling to my knees beside him on the cold, wet pavement.

"Rufus!"

Then I saw the blood. It covered his face and surrounded his head and neck, mixing with the rain water and the puddle he was laying in.

He was obviously unconscious. The rain water washed away the blood and revealed a large wound on the top left of his forehead, a nasty bruise surrounding it. It looked pretty painful.

I pulled off my hoodie without thinking and bundled it up, pressing it onto the wound to try and stop the bleeding. Sure, he was a demon but I'm sure even loss of blood made even them weak. Right? Well I didn't want to risk it.

After a while the wound seemed to stop bleeding so I stopped applying pressure.

The rain and cold stung at my skin and I shivered. There was nothing I could do about it. My clothes were practically dripping as was my hair. Rufus was the same.

I reached over and pulled him into my arms, close to me. He was freezing, contact with his skin was like touching an icicle. I frowned. He was usually so warm, I couldn't remember him ever being this cold. I held him there for a few minutes as I tried to get whatever warmth I had in myself to reach him.

During that time I pondered calling an ambulance which was a stupid idea and I immediatly shook it away. There was no way I was going to take him to a hospital. They'd find out he wasn't human! There would be chaos!

No. I would just take him home and treat him myself.

With that I wrapped his arm over my shoulder and pulled him up. God, how could he be so heavy?

I was about to start walking when I heard a thud and a splash, as though someone had jumped and landed in a deep puddle. Then footsteps followed. I stopped and turned round, almost growling at the young woman who stood before me.

Eve.

"Well thats a nice way to greet someone-" I cut her off. I didn't want to listen to her. I felt like I was going to snap already, it only took looking at that nasty smirk on her face to send my rage soaring, especially when she was obviously the one who had hurt Rufus.

"What do you want?" I snarled. I didn't know I could become so angry. Eve said nothing and simply smiled, somewhat amused. At what I didn't know. Maybe at the fact that I was so angry.

I carefully lay Rufus back on the ground, putting my hoodie over his body.

I breathed and managed to speak, trying not to let my voice break and my anger get the best of me.

"Tell me. How did he get that wound?"

Eve smirked. She actually dared to smirk. So it was her who hurt Rufus.

"Hmmm...I wonder what that stupid boy would do if he knew I had this..." She pulled a small silver chain out from inside her black leather jacket and it dropped from the weight of what looked like a locket. It seemed...familiar somehow...

She clicked it open and I realised why it had rang a bell in my mind. It was the locket Rufus always had in his pocket. I saw him looking at it sometimes, a glint of sadness in his eyes. I wanted to ask him about it numerous times but something told me that I shouldn't, that it would make him feel upset, so I just left it.

On one side of the locket was a small picture of a middle aged couple, the man with green eyes and black hair almost the same as Rufus's but much shorter and neater. The woman had hazel eyes and an almost blonde shade of brown. Both were fairly good looking and the photo didn't seem that old.

I looked to the other side of the small oval locket which had a neat inscription in a fancy font, which read:

'For Rufus, in loving memory of Annabelle and William Kichiki.'

I lost in. I snapped and leapt for the locket, ignoring the many new questions which were swirling around the back of my mind, such as how the locket had read 'In loving memory of Annabelle and William Kichiki'. Rufus's parents couldn't be dead...could they?

"Why you...That belongs to Rufus! GIVE IT BACK!" I screamed at her.

She grabbed me by the throat, practically stopping me mid-air and holding me there above the ground, blocking my air passage. I kicked at her with my foot but she simply laughed at my worthless attempts and tightened her grip.

"This is getting tiresome." Eve sighed and took a step back, only to slip back in a puddle.

And she called Rufus stupid...

She loosened her grip on me and I took this chance while I had it. Lifting my legs up, I reached the wall with my hands and climbed up her body, getting my feet and hands to the wall, kicking off from the wall and after the locket which Eve had dropped into the fast flowing river.

Somehow I'd caused Eve to fall too, but I kept my sights on the locket before me until it hit the water.

But I was right behind it.

And Eve was right behind me.
Chapter 11

Eve grabbed my ankle and my fingertips hit the water. I kicked back at her with my other foot and it felt like I made impact with her nose. I may have broken it since I heard a crack and an angry cry of pain before she let go of me and my face hit the icy cold water.

It pushed against my face, bubbles flying all around me and not helping my vision one bit.

My cheeks went numb instantly after breaking the surface and I was already losing feeling in my fingers but I dove on, determined, the locket right in front of me.

My fingers felt dead but I was almost there, if the current and my legs would help me just that little bit more...

PLEASE...! I screamed in my mind.

But my reply was my hair being dragged back, yanking my head so far back it almost seperated from my neck.

The river wasn't on my side. Not today. Today it was with Eve.

I screamed, or at least tried to, only bubbles escaping my mouth and wasting precious oxygen. Water gushed into my mouth and down my throat, filling my lungs.

The sudden pull had filled my eyes with water too. My lungs felt like they were about to explode, aching and burning for much needed oxygen.

My throat felt like it was frozen over and I couldn't swallow.

I couldn't breathe.

I couldn't see.

I was scared.

And I was going to die.

I'm sorry Rufus. I'm so sorry. But I couldn't get it back to you.

A sudden impact against my face sent a painful shock through my body and left me falling into darkness.

Chapter 12

A hand reached desperately for Lexie, grabbing her wrist and pulling her up, another hand around her back supporting her as they broke the surface.

Rufus emerged with a large gasp and dragged himself and Lexie to the River bank.

Rufus awoke to a dull pain in his head and the rain beating down on him. It seemed to have died down just a bit since he was last conscious.

Neither Rufus nor Eve had spoken