“Fuck you,” he says before disappearing.
I grab Ellison and pull him toward me. “You need to stop yelling at him.”
Ellison gives me a betrayed look. “Are you kidding me? You think this is okay?”
“Of course it’s not okay, but I don’t think he’s the monster you’ve made him out to be. Wasn’t he the one who?—”
I jerk back, narrowly avoiding El when he tries to shove me down the stairs with Brandon.
“Go away!” Ellison yells as his illusions rush out toward El. He disappears before they can touch him.
“Brandon, help your brother. We have this,” I say.
I grab Ellison’s hand and pull him after me, thankful when we reach the fourteenth floor. But before I go through the door, I draw him closer. “Ellison, he protected you.”
“This is not protecting me!”
“Who held you those nights you were scared and alone? Who took the brunt of your father’s abuse? Who shielded you from him? Why do you inflict so much hatred on yourself? Why do you blame yourself?”
“I’m not… it’s him!” Ellison snaps as he yanks his hand from me. “He killed Otto. He’s trying to kill you. He’s trying to destroy everything!”
“What if he’s still trying to protect you?” I ask.
“From what? From you? What the fuck are you going to do to me?”
“Everyone in your life has hurt you, Ellison… why would he think that I would never hurt you?”
“Stop talking, Asmodeus!” Ellison shouts before he pushes past me and looks around the deserted office. There’s a room at the end of it that he hurries toward, but when he reaches the door, he can’t open it no matter how hard he shoves against it. It seems like there’s something blocking it.
“Ellison, stop,” I beg.
“Get back! I have to deal with this myself,” Ellison calls while his illusions shove me back. I don’t know whether he’s told them to or his emotions are pushing them. They are beating against the door, trying to break through it as I look over and see El standing there watching him.
Ellison doesn’t even notice. He’s too fixated on reaching the office his father is presumably inside of.
“It’s not your fault,” I say as I start toward El.
He turns his cold green eyes onto me and gives me a cruel smile before disappearing.
I hear his father scream, so I push past the illusions to reach the door. “Ellison, stop, have Aspen go into the room and move whatever’s blocking the door. You’re not thinking straight.”
“Fuck,” Ellison says. The door flings open as his illusions move it from the inside and Ellison abruptly halts.
His father, Calvin, stands there with El holding a knife against his throat.
“You weren’t happy enough ruining my life, were you? You just couldn’t stop,” Calvin snarls. “My biggest regret in life was you.”
I grab Ellison. “Forgive him,” I beg.
“I don’t want his forgiveness,” Calvin snaps.
“Not you. I don’t give a fuck if you die. I will gladly kill you myself,” I growl before turning my attention back to Ellison. “Forgive El.”
Ellison tries jerking away from me. “No! He killed my brother.”
El is shaking as his eyes fixate on Ellison. He shoves Calvin with a scream and charges Ellison. The illusions go wild, some of them pushing El back, but others turn on Ellison as well. The turmoil causes the illusions to fight against each other, and I know it’s Ellison fighting against himself because it doesn’t matter how much time passes; he still can’t forgive himself.
I grab Ellison and haul him back out of the room when one of the illusions slams into me. I shield Ellison as he tries to pull away.
