My Muse || READER X RAY || The Promised Neverland

⭐ My Muse || Chapter 104

We arrived home the next day, exhausted and confused by the things we saw. "What'd you guys find?" Nigel shrugged, shaking his head. "I wish we knew." I threw my sneakers underneath my bed, yawning. I've had enough for today. Let's just go to bed. The others seemed to agree, flopping onto their own mattresses. "Norman's doing a great job, isn't he? Leading this place, I mean." Emma's voice was muffled in her pillow. The others mumbled something like a 'yes'. "y/n, that look on your face when you read Minerva's will... You've already put yourself through so much for us... You can ignore it if you want. Your health and goals are more important to us than a stupid piece of paper." 

If I inherited the will earlier... If I had known a day before the attack... Could we have all gone here together? Would Ray still be by my side? I don't know what to do. We're at a dead end. And Norman is coming home tomorrow. We can't explore the temple anymore. But we can still snoop around. 

"Guys, there's one last thing I want to show you." Emma and I unlocked the armory, sorting through the countless amounts of weapons, looking for our friend's belongings. "The syringe..." Gilda muttered, picking up a small tube of chloroform. "Did- Did Norman do this..?" I nodded my head. "He's... He's not okay... I don't know what's wrong with him..." Don dropped a rifle, the metal pistol clacking loudly. Nigel and Gillian jumped, covering their mouths so they wouldn't scream. 

A deep voice called from the top of the staircase. "I should've known you weren't one to sit still, y/n." I whipped around, eyes wide with fear. My heart started to race as a tall white haired boy descended into the room. "Emma," He nodded at the girl, grinning. "Don, Gilda, Nigel, and Gillian." Norman stepped in front of me, his chest brushing against mine. "You know I'm doing this for you, right? My sweet y/n." My hands were trembling as he pulled them into his own. He kissed my palm, gaze falling onto me. "We can do this, together. We can save this world. I've only come this far because of you." "Be- Because of me? Norman, I never asked for this!" He frowned, eyebrows furrowing in anger. "You told me to live, y/n. You were the one who tried to stop me that night. You're the only reason I didn't kill myself in that Lambda cage. A- Are you telling me you d- don't want me?" He was sick. Norman was sick. I didn't realize the toll Lambda had on him. "W- What did they do to you?" Gilda trembled, backing into Don's arms. He put on a brave face, holding her tightly. Norman grinned dementedly. "Torture. Physical and mental torture. They cut into my body, they injected me with serums, they drilled holes into my head and I could do nothing about it. Nothing physically, at least. I could still think about y/n. I could still remember her smile, her laugh, her fun and stubborn attitude. I remembered the look on her face whenever Ray hurt her. I remember how much it hurt me letting them be together. So I decided that one day, I would escape and rescue you, y/n." He cupped my cheek, gazing at me desperately. "You're everything to me. We were always together. Always. You made my heart skip a beat, every time you touched me. And I know I did the same to you, so why do you love him?" I pushed his hand away, glaring at him. "Where's Ray, Norman?" His ocean blue eyes turned into an icy glare. "You know I'd never hurt him, y/n. He was still my friend and I intend on taking him out of Neverland as well." "So where is he?" "I can't tell you." "Norman, I'd hate you forever if you didn't." "Are you saying you'd love me if I did? If I told you where he was?" 

Ray, you know I love you. 

You've sacrificed yourself for me countless times. 

So let me do the same, okay? Please, just don't hate me too much. 

"Yeah. I would, Norman. I'd love you forever if you let him go." His cold scowl turned into a warm smile in the blink of an eye. "Then, I can mark you, right? Because you're mine?" I gulped nervously, lifting my head. "Go ahead." He pushed me against the wall, pressing his lips against my neck. My eyes started to water up, his bites painful and rough. When he was done, he ran his tongue down the large mark, kissing my collarbone. "I love you, y/n." He whispered softly. Emma and the others watched on in horror, as Norman stepped to the farthest wall in the room. He pressed one of the stone bricks, the wall rumbling open. Vincent did say this doubled as a prison. I covered the right side of my neck with a hand, stumbling into the room. The left side was empty. I panickily turned to my right, tears falling down my cheeks. Six sleepy boys were snoring softly, piled onto each other. Norman pulled that golden key from his pocket, turning the lock on the cell. He swung the door open, allowing the rest of us inside. 

Was this... Was this real..? I touched Ray's warm cheeks, gently shaking him awake. He yawned, rubbing his eyes sleepily. His expression quickly morphed into one of confusion. "y- y/n? y/n?" He squished my cheeks, touching the left side of my face. "You're... You're real..?" I nodded, my whole body quivering. He pulled my face in closer, some grabbing the back of my shirt. "He's free, y/n. Now let's go." Norman dragged me away, Ray still groggy and confused. "Let me go!" I hissed, sprawled across the couch in his office. He locked the door, throwing his jacket onto his desk. "We made a deal, y/n. Your love for his freedom." He folded his hands on top of each other, smirking. "You're mine now."