Free Ruin, The Turning by Lucian Bane

could help him with boundaries. She was a man. A dude. A guy. Ruin had no idea exactly how devoted she was to that identity. He’d see that they could share a link and not tarnish that sacred memory of his wife. Not in a million years would she dare touch that. As far as she was concerned, the memory needed to be kept very alive. She’d show him how to do that. He’d not forget Isadore because she wouldn’t let him.
    “And where are my feelings?” Ruin asked, his tone sounding tired. “Where is my grief, my regret? Do I not get to have that part of my humanity either?”
    “Whatever emotions that originate with Isadore will fade as the new link forms.”
    Shiiiiiit, Sam thought, sucking hard on her cigarette. “I think we can preserve that.”
    “Preserve what!” Ruin barked, making Sam jump inside.
    “Y-your feelings for your wife, that’s what. I can teach you how to do that. I can help you remember her…memory.”
    “I don’t want her memory, I want her!” he roared.
    Sam nodded, her chest constricting with his fury. “Fair enough,” Sam said.
    “No, not fair!” Ruin gasped. “How dare you say fair!”
    “Okay, okay, sorry, fair was a bad word.”
    “Mr. Ruin?” the boy whispered.
    “What!” he snapped.
    “Your wife was really happy when she left.” Silence filled the car briefly. “She wasn’t happy when she first got there,” the boy clarified. “There was a lotta darkness in her eyes, I saw it. Then the darkness left and there was a pretty light.”
    “Stop talking to me,” Ruin said.
    ****
    Ruin needed to be away from Sam more than ever. It wasn’t Isadore he was feeling so there was especially no reason to stay, there was especially a reason to leave, in fact. Fury roared through him at the idea that he’d dare have similar feelings with another person. What a cruel trick. He surely wasn’t short of hate, thank the twisted powers that be, he had plenty of that right with all the other useless cruel emotions of this new link. He would not link with this person, that was for damn certain. He’d sabotage this stupid little trait he’d been given, just like they sabotaged his life, that’s what he’d do, that’s exactly what he’d do.
    A sudden calm hummed through him at that idea and he latched on to the feeling. He’d show them who he was, who they’d made him by murdering his wife. He’d play along enough just to perfectly ruin every loathsome righteous plan they had for him.
    He stared at the back of Sam’s head, building his negative feelings toward her. She smoked. How disgusting. Weak. Stupid. Self-destructing. And look at her. A man of all ridiculous things. Ruin turned his gaze to Scriber next. You’d think the inky bastard could have helped him in this, prevented him from linking to this…ridiculous human. If she had not pretended to be a man he’d never have linked to her, it was her lies that caused this, as well as Isadore’s God who commanded him to kill his wife, requiring him to take a deal with the devil which inconveniently removed his ability to defend against her said lies.
    Once they got to the safe house, Ruin decided he’d prefer to sleep in the car. “I’ll be in later,” he said when Sam would clearly require an answer of him before leaving him alone.
    Soon he was sitting in silence. Only it wasn’t silent at all, it was screaming with memories of Isadore. He didn’t know how long he was encased in his private memory lane hell when a knock startled him awake. He blinked at the small person with the cropped blonde hair and furrowed brows next to the window. It was that bitch.
    “What,” he barked.”
    “I need to talk to you,” she said gruffly.
    He didn’t like the concerned set of the dark eyes shining at him but he especially didn’t like the white muscle shirt she wore. He clenched his eyes shut and turned away, not trusting his body. It was set to betray him now. Preserve Isadore’s memory? Sure that’s what she wanted. That’s