Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 336

The corners of Sylas’s mouth were still lifted in a smile, but the light in his eyes had grown noticeably colder.

He’d been searching for Ruby for what felt like forever, yet he never imagined he’d find her here, at his uncle’s place all the way in Quinborough. What shocked him even more was seeing the very person he’d longed for so desperately, worn down and battered like this.

Sylas lowered his gaze.

A lonely, dim lamp hung overhead, throwing more shadows than light and hiding any emotion in his eyes.

He idly tapped his fingers against his glass, each touch sending a faint, brittle sound through the air.

The bar was bustling, but in Sylas’s chest, there was only silence and the loud, erratic beat of his own heart.

He kept glancing toward the staircase, waiting for that familiar figure to appear.

Now, his face had lost its usual easygoing charm. Instead, he was all icy composure—intense and unapproachable, a far cry from the playful young man of the past.

“Upstairs?”

A cool, impatient voice broke through the clamor.

Sylas’s eyes lit up, the coldness instantly melting away.

He fixed his gaze on the ghost-pale figure descending the stairs.

Ruby ended her call and came to a stop beside their table.

Cassian, suddenly snapped from his stupor, sat up straighter. His deep, unfocused eyes locked on Ruby.

“Ru…”

His voice came out rough and low, the syllable stretched out, thick with longing—whether from the alcohol or something deeper, it was hard to tell.

“You look fairly sober,” Ruby remarked, not even glancing at him. Her eyes went straight to Sylas.

Sylas broke into a grin, his cocky delight shining unmistakably in his eyes.

“No, I’m actually drunk,” he insisted, giving Ruby a playful wink, his amusement threatening to spill over.

Their easy, almost private exchange stung Cassian like a slap.

Fueled by a drunken, stubborn impulse, he lurched forward and reached for Ruby’s hand.

Sylas noticed and tried to intercept him, but Ruby was quicker—she sidestepped smoothly, leaving Cassian’s outstretched hand grasping at empty air, as if reaching for the echo of what he’d lost.

Cassian stared, dazed.

At last, Ruby looked at him, but her eyes were cold—colder than if she were looking at a stranger.

Cassian’s lips parted, but the words caught in his throat, too many and too heavy to say. He swallowed them back down.

Ruby turned away. “Since you’re awake, see yourself home.”

She shot a reproving look at Sylas, clearly sensing the strange tension between uncle and nephew.

Sylas shook his head, the picture of a puppy begging for attention. “I drove here. I can’t get home on my own.”

He gazed up at her, hopeful.

Sylas came over, laying a firm hand on Cassian’s. “Uncle, you’re drunk out of your mind.”

“Let her go.”

They stood side by side, both facing Cassian.

Cassian’s body trembled, barely able to stay upright, but pride and stubbornness kept him on his feet.

“Even if they arrive, I won’t sign. You’ll always be Mrs. Veyne. My wife.”

His eyes were dark, his voice thick with obsession—a note of menace threading through the words.

Ruby’s expression froze; Sylas’s easy charm vanished.

“Cassian, you cheated on me. You spread lies about your own wife, defended your lover while she hurt me and Mira—one thing after another. What gives you the right to demand I stay with you?”

Ruby’s laugh was icy, her gaze dagger-sharp. But when she looked at Cassian, she realized the hate was gone. Now, all she wanted was to be free of him.

“Cheated?”

Cassian swayed, shaking his head desperately, the fog in his eyes clearing a little. “No, Ruby, you’ve got it wrong.”

“Gennifer isn’t—she and I only work together.”

“I had Bennett look into it. It wasn’t her. I never protected her…”

He was truly drunk now. The next second, he reached for Ruby’s hand again, his eyes empty of reason.