All Chapters of The Devil Who Claimed Me (M x M): Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

JULIAN Theo suddenly looks up. And then, he smiles. It’s sharp and calculating. The kind of smile that means he’s just come up with something. I groan internally. This isn’t going to end well. I already know it. “If you think about it,” he starts, “he didn’t actually dump you.” I sigh. I don’t know if he’s in denial or what. “Yes, he did. Look, Theo—” “He asked for a break, he didn’t dump you,” he continues. “Trust me there’s a huge difference.” I stare at him silently as I wait for where his crazy theory is heading to. “Nikolai doesn’t ‘take a break’ from people. He dumps them,” he says, leaning forward slightly, his eyes gleaming. “He didn’t say it was the end, he just asked for a break. Which means he’s not done with you.” I frown. It’s even crazier than I thought. “Or it means he got bored and moved on but he’s too much of a coward to say it to my face.” Theo shakes his head immediately. “That doesn't sound like Nikolai. He’s very blunt. He doesn’t do ‘a few days break’

NIKOLAIHe opens his mouth, probably to utter another lie, but closes it when he notices my hard expression.He sighs. “Jeez. You should work for the FBI or something. I can’t get anything past you. Jesus.”“So?” I press. “Why have you been following me?”He hesitates. It’s brief, but I catch it.Then his expression shifts, something more serious settling in.“It’s because I’m worried,” he says finally.My brows pull together. Since when did Caleb ever worry? Especially about me.“Why?”He hesitates again, shifting on his feet slightly.“Spit it out,” I snap.“I’m worried you’re gonna do something,” he says carefully. “I’m worried there’s going to be a repeat of last time. That time you lost it.”I tense at the reminder. A muscle ticks near my eye. “I’m not a fucking child. You don’t need to babysit me,” I say coldly.Caleb rushes to speak, “Of course, I know that. It’s just… you’ve been on edge lately. This past week, you’ve been… out of it. You think I didn’t notice all the cleanin

NIKOLAI I look at the guy on the ground, bloodied and groaning in pain. I look around the room. People are staring. Whispering. Watching me like I’m… a monster. My chest tightens. I turn my head slowly. And then I see him. Julian. He’s standing a few feet away. He’s frozen, his eyes wide. He looks horrified. Like he doesn’t recognize me. Something cracks inside me. Freak. I can hear his voice, loud and insistent. I can hear the cruel laughter behind it. You’re abnormal. A freak. I take a step back. Then another. I can’t stay here. Not with all these people staring at me like I’m… I can’t do this. I turn and walk— no, I run. As fast as my shaky legs can get me out of there. I hear Caleb’s voice behind me, distant. “Don’t. Let him go. You’ll only make it worse.” I push through the crowd, out the door, into the cold night air. My lungs burn. My hands shake. But I keep running. I don’t stop until I reach the next street where my car is parked. I drop down beside

JULIANMy hands are trembling. My heart pounds hard like it’s about to jump out of my chest. My breathing is a little too fast.Even now, two hours after it happened, even as I’m already back home, I still can’t believe that it really happened.That Nikolai almost essentially beat someone to death.For a moment, I couldn’t even tell what was happening. My mind went blank, like it was struggling to comprehend. One moment, I’d been dancing with David or whatever his name was, trying to make Nikolai jealous like Theo suggested, and then the next, he was kissing me. It was unexpected of course, and not part of the plan. That was the point where everything went wrong.I tried to push him away but before I knew it, he was ripped away from me.After that, it all became a blur.It was like I was frozen, unable to do anything. All I could do was watch as Nikolai pummeled David. Distantly, I think I heard myself screaming for him to stop but I’m not sure.It was all so fast.“Shit, that was hu

JULIANEvery word that comes out of his mouth is like a stab to my heart.My heart aches. For some reason, I feel a sense of loss.I feel like I’ve lost him. That I can never get him back again.As much as I blame him for tonight, this is also my fault. For indulging him. For even entertaining this crazy plan at all.Which is why this needs to end.I need to do what needs to be done.Even if it means doing the opposite of what he wants.“It’s over, Theo,” I say tiredly, exhaustion filling me suddenly. “I’m done.”Theo’s expression freezes. “What?”“I said I don’t want to do this anymore,” I repeat, more firmly this time. “This plan… whatever this is… it’s gone too far. We need to stop.”.“No… You c-can’t do this.” His voice comes out uneven, breaking in places. His hands clench and unclench at his sides like he doesn’t know what to do with them.He stays in place for a second, as if rooted in disbelief.Then, he walks toward me in fast strides, grabbing my hand when he gets close. I t