Where the Devil Says Goodnight (Folk Lore #1) - K.A. Merikan Page 0,120
out of his pocket and presented it to Emil.
The red painted eyes of the devil figurine mocked him.
“Because I did,” Emil said with a frown, only now realizing he was still holding the dagger. “Look what I found in the rubble.”
Adam’s features became tense, his skin paling as if it might tear from the strain. His nostrils flared when he let out a choked noise. “What the fuck? Why are you doing this?”
Emil swallowed and took a step back. “Doing what?”
Adam’s eyes were wild, as if he was desperate to look in every single direction at once. They shone even more brightly when his chest rose and fell in a rapid rhythm. “Do you think I’m an idiot? Be honest for once! You’re gaslighting me even now. The weird noises I heard since I came here, the possession, the fact that you brought me to the Devil’s Rock in the first place—were as fucking accidental as me jogging past your house!”
“W-what are you trying to say?” Emil dropped the dagger. He tried to touch Adam’s shoulder. He flinched away, making dread settle in Emil’s stomach.
Adam took another step back and tossed the figurine into the muddy ashes at Emil’s feet.
“I trusted you. And you… you just chewed through me. And for what? Was it only for the sex? Why would you do this to me? Were there no other men to pick?” Adam asked in a broken voice before grabbing the lower half of his face with one hand and massaging it, as if the tension in his jaw muscles caused an ache he couldn’t deal with otherwise.
Emil didn’t understand what he was dealing with here, but he needed to put a stop to it before it was too late. “I didn’t. I love you. We’ve been over this. The figurine wasn’t mine. And this one isn’t either.”
“They have a weird habit appearing in places you have easy access to, don’t you think?” Adam asked in a tight voice.
This couldn’t be happening. Was Emil to have a lick of what happiness meant, only to have it torn from him? That would have been the story of his life. Yet Adam’s mistrust hurt more than the sight of his home in ruins ever could.
“Just last night, you sleepwalked to the Devil’s Rock. Should I interpret that as you summoning the devil? No. Because I trust you.”
Adam shook his head, and his next words bordered on a sob. “Stop lying! Koterski told me everything!”
Emil gritted his teeth. That bastard, always meddling, always sticking his fingers where they didn’t belong. Selfish asshole. “What did he tell you?” Emil asked with the last shreds of patience.
Adam swallowed, shifting his weight, as if he were still thinking through what he was about to say. “He told me you put a spell on him. That he couldn’t stop himself. And that’s… that’s exactly how I felt.”
Emil’s blood went cold and he looked straight into Adam’s eyes. “Mother. Fucker. Adam, I don’t know what this is about or what game he’s playing, but you got it wrong. I didn’t force anyone to do anyth—”
“I don’t know that!” Adam snapped, stabbing Emil with his icy gaze. “Why would he lie? He has no reason to confess sins he didn’t commit. Both he and I were possessed and led to you. How could this be a coincidence? You tell me!”
Emil spread his arms with growing frustration. “Nothing like that happened! Filip Koterski had been more than happy to hook up even when he was already engaged, and I’m the evil one here?”
Adam laughed and rubbed his forehead. “Then you’re no better than him. Did you two have quickies when I was performing mass? When was it?”
The cogs in Emil’s mind moved with a rusty squeak, but eventually Emil scowled at Adam as understanding sank in. “I dumped his ass when I found out he was getting married. I never cheated on you. What the fuck? Maybe he saw us somewhere and got jealous!” He had to take a deep breath and count to ten to not punch something. “But that’s not the point, is it? You want to believe him. You want to believe I’m a cheater, a Satanist, and fuck knows what else. Maybe the devil himself! My fucking house burned down, you finally saw what a burden I’ll be, and you realized your charity case boyfriend might cause real problems in the peaceful fucking life that’s waiting for you in Warsaw. I’m inconvenient.”