Ruthless Kings of Obsession (Leighton Royals University #3)

1. Fight For Breath

Fight For Breath

~ Z ANDER~

My cunning Sweet Hummingbird…

I knew how devious our Ruthless Queen could be, but this?

This masterpiece in this flawless execution is something no one saw coming.

Not even the bully who’s not become the victim.

I’d laugh if I weren’t chasing after the woman who’s probably thinking multiple things.

Worry…fear…and hopefully pride.

I’m more than just proud of this act of vengeance that probably isn’t the peak of her brutal retaliation

I’m fucking inspired by it.

My brain’s gears are moving with anticipation, trying to figure out how things can get better after this grand humiliation that will ruin so much for Domino. There are very few instances where he’ll be able to recover from this, and if he does, it’ll always leave a scar.

One he deserves to wear while his empire falls to fucking pieces.

The moment Matteo says her name, every instinct in my body ignites with urgency. The way her eyes had glimmered with that hint of victory - it was beautiful yet terrifying. Tracking her down is easy when everyone around us is still processing what just happened, but I need to reach her.

To confirm the real from the lie. The deception from the honest truth.

To determine who am I madly in love with.

Deep down, I know the true answer to all of this.

My Sweet Dynamite has evolved into something far more lethal than any of us anticipated.

Two sides of one coin…

And now she's in danger.

Because no one gets out of Leighton’s grasp without brutal consequences…

"Eva!" I call out, shoving through the crowd of panicked spectators. They’re beginning to bicker. The whispers grew louder. The urgency within the atmosphere spiked in heightened intensity, making the herd yearn for escape and rebellion after witnessing something so sickening.

The emergency lights cast eerie shadows across frightened faces, but I catch a glimpse of silver hair disappearing around a corner.

"Fuck."

My hockey gear weighs me down, but adrenaline propels me forward. The sound of my skate guards hitting concrete echoes through the corridor as I sprint after her, stripping one piece of heavy equipment after another, making things easier with each racing step forward.

"Sweet Dynamite!" I try again, watching her slip through a side exit. "Stop, Eva!"

She’s running away.

The mere idea of her escaping my grasp sends a shrill of panic I haven’t experienced in a long time. This desperate need to never lose her.

Even death can’t have her…

No one can.

She’s mine.

Our Ruthless Queen…

I can’t let her get away when we’ve made it this far.

The cold night air hits me like a punch to the gut as I burst through the door into a dimly lit alleyway, the sound of my skate guards ricocheting off stone walls like a warning shot. Rain begins to fall, creating a fine mist that makes the concrete glisten beneath the street lamps.

I don’t realize how breathless I am until the very sound of my heavy pants echoes around the cement walls of the alleyway. It takes me a moment to squint my eyes and adjust to the lowly lit space before I find my prey.

My Sweet Dynamite is close.

Eva stands halfway down the alley, her customized jersey glowing under the amber light. She looked like she could split apart right there. Like the weight of what she’d done might crack her wide open.

Eva…

Gemini…

My Sweet Dynamite…

Our Ruthless Queen.

She turns slowly, those haunting blue eyes meeting mine with a mixture of determination and.. .I dare to acknowledge her fear. For a moment, the corridor felt too small, her panic pulsing in the air like it had a heartbeat of its own.

The look we share holds so much emotion, it makes me still in my own meddling puddle of fear. That haunting uncertainty. Yet, I watch the way those alluring blue eyes begin to grow glossy. How they pool with tears and those lines of fear only grow with every second I allow pass with me standing here like a fucking fool.

“Dammit,” I huff and I’m before her so fast, even she doesn’t register it until I’m towering over her with determined eyes. Her eyes widen to take me in, wondering if this is some sort of dream, but I’m already moving to claim what’s always been mine.

My hands press against her soft flush cheeks, just as those first set of tears make their descent.

“I didn’t—” she starts, but I don’t let her finish.

I can’t let her think this is wrong because it’s not.

She’s in the right to be obsessed with obtaining her vengeance.

"You cunning mastermind,” I say with utmost praise in a low commanding voice as I fight for breath. I back her against the wall before either of us can grasp it, making it certain there’s nowhere for her to run or hide. “I fucking love you.”

She can’t speak because I’m smothering her with a captivating kiss — the two of us lost in a moment of lust as our tongues intertwine. My groan of relief to touch her echoes against the insides of her mouth before I deepen the kiss, her body melting against mine, despite all that built-up tension and energy that’s making her tremble uncontrollably.

My hands slip from her cheeks so I can wrap my arms around her before further pressing her against the wall — pinning her with my body while I take full control of this heated kiss.

Her moans are so soft as if she’s lost any intention of fighting against me. It only encourages her to move her arms around my neck, pulling me even closer, as if she isn’t straddling me with her body.

We kiss long and hard, despite how breathless we both are.

It’s as though this is our last chance to feel each other’s warmth — each other touch — before all hell goes loose and we’re projected into the uncertain reality of our sinister world.

One I’ll follow her down, even if it leads us to death.

That’s why I couldn’t let her slip away.

Not now…not ever.

“Z-Zander,” she gasps when I give her the chance to break the kiss, only to gasp with how I have my hands griping her ass, probing her up further. Her legs wrap around my waist on instinct, leaving me to further press her against the wall. I wish I’d stripped away my groin guard, but it doesn’t stop how hard I am — how tight it is with my cock pressed against the limited space.

I grind into her while we’re kissing once more, and I can’t even comprehend how wet she probably is. After all that adrenaline, here we are, kissing senselessly while wishing we were naked and fucking passionately.

“You think you can push me away, huh?” I pant between kisses as I keep grinding into her, enjoying the sound of her moans and heavy breaths. “You’re delusional. No crazy. Fucking crazy,” I huff and smother whatever she’s going to say in response with my lips.

I won’t dare allow her out of my grasp now. Not when I’ve gotten to witness a glimpse of her mastermind. No other Maiden can compare. No one can get close to how smart she is.

No one could dare love me the way she does.

“B-But,” she pants and dares bite the bottom of my lip, forcing me to flinch as I feel the taste of my own blood.

It makes me smile further as I bore into her widened eyes.

“I’m fucked up, Zander,” she quietly whispers like some sort of revelation. “Fucked. Up. Crazy. You’re not going to accept me. No one is. Not Matteo…not Ares. Heck…Marcus…did…I think?” She doesn’t even sound sure, and I can see the glimpse of confusion beginning to surface in the depths of her pupils.

She’s dancing between personalities.

Just like me.

She gets it.

Gets me.

That’s why we’re the two final pieces of the puzzle.

“I love fucked up,” I whisper boldly as I stare right into her eyes. I need to cut through to her. Cut through the doubt…the voices…the uncertainty. “I’m fucked up. You're fucked up. We’re fucked up together.”

My lips seal hers, as if this is a new vow between us, making me realize how far we’ve gone for one another. How many promises we’ve made and yearn to fulfill? To find someone who’s my match is something I’ve dreamed of and never thought could manifest.

As though I was worthy of manifesting such a blessing.

“You’ll discard me,” she whispers when I break the kiss.

I kiss her.

"You’ll let him destroy me.”

I kiss her again.

“Never,” I groan into her mouth.

“You’ll lose interest in me.”

Another kiss.

“You’re a disease I never want to heal from.”

“That’s not even romantic,” she chokes on tears as I kiss her long and hard.

“Yet it gave you butterflies while you’re wet as fuck,” I groan against her lips. “Now stop thinking you’re not mine because you are.”

She gasps when I grind into her over and over again, feeling the need to let out a rut of release with how hard my cock is. She moans and seems to ride my rhythm, the two of us panting and moaning — chasing our own orgasmic reach.

“You’re mine. Mine, mine, mine!” I hiss, fighting against the edge of my climax that’s at my finger’s reach. “I want all your cum pooling in those panties of yours. They’re going to be my souvenir that I’ll keep forever.”

“You’re…are…insane,” she gasps and moans loudly. “Fuck! More. A bit more,” she pleads, which only makes me smile deviously knowing how close she is to edge as I am.

"That’s it, my Sweet Dynamite,” I encourage. “Go off. Let’s ride this wave together.”

I hitch into her enough to set us both off — the two of us outcrying in ecstasy as bliss takes over.

No one could tell me she wasn’t destined for me.

No one is as fucked up as us.

To be fucking like some sort of celebration after we witnessed the downfall of someone who thought would be one of us.

And we’d do it again.

“You’re our Ruthless Queen,” I whisper into her neck and lightly nip at her flesh. “Do I need to get that tattooed on my cock, too?”

She snickers at that, as she tightens her hold of me around my neck.

“Maybe.”

“You know I would do it.”

“God, I know,” she mutters. “The others…”

“Are going to be just fine with what you did,” I assure her.

My brain has already been thinking about the various scenarios, but truthfully, I’m not worried.

Matteo won’t give a fuck. In fact, he’s probably proud as fuck like me.

Ares, I’m not sure, but he’s too far into our Sweet Dynamite to give a fuck. Every interaction we deal with seems to taint him more and more.

As for Marcus, I wonder where he stands.

Not even a Ruthless King and yet he’s vitally important in maintaining our reign.

If Domino is trying to get rid of him somehow, it means he’s important.

How important though? What’s his past with our Gemini? With our Eva.

Pigtails.

That’s what he calls her.

“Zander.” I hear the hitch of concern in Eva’s voice, but it’s not out of fear.

It’s a warning.

We’re no longer alone.

“You armed, Sweet Dynamite?” I whisper.

“Knifey.”

I give her a look and she dares to smile as I allow her legs to untangle from me, lowering her back to the ground.

“You have to get that blade a new name.”

“You sound like Ares,” she whispers, but her eyes are dancing around behind me, analyzing the shadows and mist that hide whoever is hiding in hopes of an ambush. “Deep down you love it.”

It won’t be that easy.

“Sadly,” I confess and for a second, I allow myself to stare solely into her eyes. “I love you, Evangeline.”

When her eyes lock with mine, I see how they widen and how much affection pools in them. I feel like this won’t be our last time together, and yet a part of me fears it could be.

That we’ll be pulled apart to two different spectrums…

Lost…to never be found again…

I’ve only sensed this feeling once before.

The night my family was murdered…

I ignore the lump forming in my throat, and I lean in until my forehead presses against hers.

“Zan…”

“You tell me when we meet again, hmm?” I urge her with all my heart. “When we’re out of this chaos.”

I hear the first step before I sense Eva’s body go rigid.

Show time.

I spin just as the first attacker lunges, my body feeling rejuvenated despite exerting so much during the hockey game. My elbow connects with their jaw, sending them stumbling back with a grunt. Five more emerge from the shadows — all in black tactical gear with face masks, hiding their obvious identity.

They were waiting.

It only makes me smile, but it also makes me realize we’re seriously outnumbered. My girl may be an assassin, but these fuckers are all triple her size. She could take out at least three, but not without consequences.

I look over my shoulder and immediately hear the footsteps of two other individuals.

Seven.

Too many.

"Run!" I shout to Eva, noticing the immediate defiance that shows in her expression. I know she wants to stay behind, but whatever expression I give in return pushes her to obey my command.

She attempts to sprint forward, but more figures appear at the other end of the alley, blocking her escape — leaving her no choice but to still and begin to back up just like I do.

Our backs press together, my eyes on one end and her eyes on another. My heart hammers against my ribs, my blood pumping so fast, my ears are ringing loudly.

We're surrounded…

But we’re not going out without a fight.

The first man comes at me again, and I’m ready to go into full-on fight mode.

Even with what’s left of my bulky gear, I manage to duck his swing and drive my knee into his stomach. Years of street fighting and endless murders combined with hockey reflexes make me deadly in close combat, which is why he goes down with ease, followed by three other douches who are down before I can even spin around.

I hear Eva’s gasp followed by a grunt, prompting me to sprint forward as I watch her taking down a big 6’4” fucker. She’s literally on his shoulders, slitting his throat which leaves him in a gurgling mess of blood. He drops with her, the two falling to the ground — encouraging the other two watching the chaos attempt to rush at her.

"You're not fucking touching her," I snarl, grabbing another attacker's arm and using his momentum to slam him into the wall. The crack of his skull against the brick is sickeningly satisfying, just like the round kick I give the other bastard to his chin — making him fall back flat on the ground.

Eva screams, and I whip around to see two more men trying to grab her. She's not going down without a fight — her assassin skills showing as she drives her elbow into one's throat and stamps her heel into the other's instep.

That's my girl.

Pride surges through me even as I grapple with another assailant. I’m coming to realize these aren't some random thugs — their movements are too coordinated, too precise . This is a professional extraction team, meaning someone paid some big benjamins to get this shit organized so swiftly.

Who could be helping Domino? Unless this is a new assailant who wants our girl?

"Z-Zander!" Eva's voice carries panic now.

I manage to throw off my current opponent just in time to see one of them pressing something against her neck — a syringe. My eyes widen as it feels as though I’m the one about to take the plunge of that lengthy needle, flashbacks of the various shit I’ve dealt with in the past springing up on me.

"NO!" I snarl, desperate to get to her.

Raw fury explodes through me as I charge forward, taking down two more men with brutal efficiency. Blood sprays from a broken nose and bones crack under my fists.

I watch as she struggled with the restraint of two more men who move swiftly to grab her arms and keep her still, despite her kicking efforts. There’s no chance of her getting out of their hold, which only proves I need to get to her.

Nothing matters except getting to her.

Protecting her.

Saving her…

Then I feel it — a sharp prick in my shoulder that sends tendrils of fear through me as I recognize the chill flow of foreign liquid rushing into my pumping bloodstream. The world tilts slightly, the effects of this toxin already starting their onslaught, but I spin to face my attacker regardless — my movements are already becoming sluggish.

Paralytic.

Fuck.

"You... bastards," I grunt, forcing my legs to keep moving even as numbness spreads through my limbs. I’m moving purely on instinct, taking down as many as I can despite how fast this shit is working on me.

I’d take an army down if I had to, fighting against the ticking clock that’s moving against me. I see despite being injected, my Sweet Dynamite isn’t going down without a fight. She’s already taken out one of the fuckers with an elbow to the nose, leaving her to manage back-kicking the guy on her left in the balls, making him curse in dismay.

She finishes him off with a quick spin and another high kick before she has her knife out and jams it into the man on her right who’s trying to capture her before she can step away.

His outcry is loud, distracting the remaining two in front of me, making it perfect for me to punch them both. The attack knocks one down instantly, while the other is cursing under his breath, struggling to not go down like his comrade.

Executing another punch in his gut finally sends him down, leading to another man fighting to take me out but he goes down under my increasingly uncoordinated assault. I’m doing my best to take down as many as possible, but there seem to be too many.

Neverending.

Eva is still fighting, though her movements are growing weaker. She’s slashing, kicking, plunging Knifey into an artery and eyeballs. Screams and grunts echo around us as bodies further pile at our feet, but we’re both running out of energy as the drug in our veins begins to take its toll.

Our eyes meet across the alley, and the fear I see her tears begin to pool in her eyes. It’s not out of defeat. More so frustration, as she struggles against the power of this concoction that’s forcing us to meet our own demise. It hits me harder than I’d ever expected — piercing me through my soul.

"Sweet... Dynamite," I try to call out, but my tongue feels heavy, just like the rest of my body. I’m realizing whatever is in my body is far different than what I’ve experienced. It makes my body grow intensely hot, while the world is tilting it feels like I’m spinning on a merry-go-round. My knees buckle before I can stop them, sending me crashing to the wet concrete. I can hear how I’m struggling for breath after working myself so hard, but I can’t pull my eyes away from my Queen who’s wavering as she tries to stay upright.

"Run..." I hear the way I beg for her to leave me behind, but there’s that resilience that proves if I’m going down here and now, she’s coming with me.

My stubborn Sweet Hummingbird…

Our Ruthless Queen who won’t dare abandon us even at the peak of turmoil.

Through blurring vision, I see a familiar figure step out of the shadows from behind her: the red hockey jersey is like a splash of blood in the dim light.

Domino.

Eva’s eyes are struggling now. I can see her trying to see me, panic and uncertainty dancing in the pits of her wild widened eyes. She’s struggling to stay on her feet, wavering before fighting to correct herself. She tries to speak but the words are slurred, and I can see how her eyes begin to droop.

When her eyes finally roll back, I expect her knees to buckle seconds after, but she falls backward.

Right into the arms of her perpetrator.

No.

No fucking way.

He can’t have her.

SHE’S OURS!

"Always trying to be the hero, aren't you Benedict?" Domino declares, his voice drips with contempt as now holds Eva’s body light she’s not deadweight.

"Don't...fucking...touch her," I manage to growl, but it seems rather counterproductive when he already has her in his grasp. My body won't respond to my urge to get up and rip my Queen from his dirty clutches.

All I can do is watch as he pulls out another syringe.

"You should have stayed away from what's mine," Domino says tauntingly. “I claimed her first when you think about it. You fuckers don’t need to keep acting as if she’s your winning prize.” He presses the needle into Eva's neck, making her whimper in dismay. I know she can’t fight it, nor can she move any of her limbs. She just has to take every bit of injected liquid, until she’s completely slumped.

"Eva..." My vision is tunneling, darkness creeping in at the edges, but what makes my heart begin to hammer is to see what Domino pulls out from his pocket.

A gun…

He wouldn’t.

If my body had the ability to do so, I’d be completely rigid. Frozen in absolutely shock that it’s gotten to this point. The mere idea of him shooting her after all her fight makes me wish to trade places, but I can’t move.

I can barely breathe.

“Don’t,” I dare plead, even as the darkness is creeping into the corner of my eyesight. I suddenly realize that it’s raining, the droplets hitting against my burning flesh, making me realize how hot I am compared to the cold atmosphere around me.

“You actually fell for her…” he says as confirmation, while he looks at me with a pinch of pity. It’s as if he doesn’t know what move to make next. As though dares question his true motive as he slowly clicks the safety off. “None of you deserve her. She was always meant to be mine.”

None of this makes sense to me because, after all the shit that just happened, he still wants her.

As if she’s a toy that only he can enjoy.

No one else.

“D-Dom…” I choke out part of his name, only to be silenced by a gunshot, followed by another.

Confusion rushes through me because the gun isn’t aimed at my Sweet Dynamite.

It’s aimed at me…

Seconds pass as I try to acknowledge what just happened, but it’s not processing through my sluggish mind.

He shot me….

Domino Leighton…shot me?

I dare try to comprehend it all, remembering all the shit I did for him.

All the favors. All the financial aid I delivered because he was my brother…

And now look what that has led me down.

A road of no return, where I’ve been shot by someone who was once my fellow Ruthless King.

I realize then that maybe he never accepted me.

Never wished to acknowledge my insanity as an asset and my personality as something he could be proud of. He didn’t care about me in the slightest.

For Gemini has always been his end game.

All I was in his life was an asset to use and abuse when he needed to rise up.

Rise until the golden opportunity came when his Iva returned to his life.

We were the tools to get her where she needed to be.

To determine if she’d moved forward or if she was obsessed with him as he is with her…

I see it as clearly as ever now.

Yet…

It doesn’t steal away how much I love Evangeline.

How much I desire to save her.

To protect and accept her, crazed and obsessed with her fucked up stepbrother who wants her to suffer just like she wants his own demise.

If that means killing anyone who interferes in this toxic dynamic.

So be it.

The rain falls harder now, at least, it’s what I feel as the numbness starts to embed itself into my body. I can’t even feel the pain that surely plaguing my body, but I do feel my temperature beginning to drop.

I further sag on my knees, while I’m forced to watch the multiple expressions that form on Domino’s face.

At first, there’s pride. A sheer glee of happiness for fulfilling what he yearned to set out, but as he watches the blood leave my body or how it must soak the remaining clothes that dawn my chest, I see the threads of guilt.

The immense regret.

I don’t know what expression I show in return. Am I sad? Happy? Regretful? Heck, am I angry? I can’t tell, but I watch as he has no choice but to lift Eva’s limp body, her silver hair trailing like moonlight through his fingers before he gives one last look my way over his shoulder.

“Hope the afterlife welcomes you like a King heading to sit on his throne,” Domino whispers.

He’s walking away now, taking my Ruthless Queen with him, leaving me alone at the end of this alleyway, surrounded by bodies of all the men we fought hard to obtain our escape.

I fall back before I know it, but I can’t feel anything now.

The numbness has settled in, while a blanket of chill hums through me. I wonder how much blood I’ve lost now? I’m not sure, but all I can do is stare above as rain continues to fall.

I can still hear through, despite the loud ringing of my heart fighting desperately to pump blood to my heart. It’s a hopeless mission when you think about it, for it’s only a matter of time before I’m emptied out.

Despite it all, I wonder where I’m going to go from here.

Will I go see my family again?

Odd to say I can’t remember their faces now. I can hear my mother’s singing though. Listening to her humming sound while I dare remember my Father’s deep laughter.

I hear my siblings bickering, and then flashbacks of my life seem to flicker before my eyes.

It’s happening so fast, and yet it gives me a sense of content.

I get a glimpse of Ares, the two of us sharing a drink on the field after a day of training.

Then there’s a moment where I’m listening to Matteo singing while he watches Eva as she recovers.

Then, all I can see is visions of Eva.

Our first encounter caught my thrown knife.

Our countless interactions, with her face up close, allowed me to admire how beautiful and serene she was.

Those lustful nights when I’d wake up and enjoy the sight of her sleeping figure and her tender breathing.

The sight of her at the brink of ecstasy as I made her cum while screaming my name.

It all comes down to the sight of her.

Standing before me with her stunningly long hair and those eyes that have always proven time and time again that she loves me.

And I wonder if she’ll regret loving me.

Despite the reality, that I’ve fallen madly in love with her.

That I dare die for her…

The best part of this sad serenade of approaching death is that I don’t regret a single thing.

Despite all those quiet moments when I wondered when my time would end in this world, I don’t carry a droplet of regret for fighting for her.

No regrets in fighting for her survival.

I feel nothing now.

Nothing but blackness.

I can hear my struggling breaths, and gurgles that echo from afar, but I can’t fight them. There’s no resolve to fight them.

I’m content.

Deep down, I’m confident that Matteo, Ares, and the others will reach Eva somehow.

My death won’t be in vain.

That makes me somewhat happy.

Satisfied.

I can die now. It’s okay if I return to wherever I belong next.

My heart struggles to beat, each pulse growing weaker as the paralytic takes its final effort to steal me away from this world. I wonder how the rain feels now. If it’s ice rain against my skin that’s surely paler than I’ve ever been. I wish I could feel what it was like to shiver one last time. To feel what it’s like to move and breathe again. To let out one last outcry…or one last manic laugh.

To feel Eva’s lips against mine one more time.

Guess I failed her…

The thought echoes through my fading consciousness, more painful than any physical wound. After everything we've been through, after finally finding someone worth living for, worth dying for...

I’ll never get to enjoy her warmth again.

Sweet Dynamite...

The darkness claims me completely, leaving only the sound of rain and distant thunder — nature's lament for my failure to protect the woman I love. I dare hear my last attempts at breathing, and it’s almost an out-of-body experience to listen to my final moments as death prepares to take me away.

I can’t fathom what is on the other side, but I’m not afraid.

Eva will meet me again one day…

When she’s lived a fulfilling life with the others.

I think about who will be the one to put a ring on her finger.

Who will she have her kids with?

How beautiful she’ll look when she’s old and wrinkly.

All the people she’ll touch and be around her deathbed.

At least she won’t die alone.

Not like me.

Alone without her.

God…I love her.

Protect her…

That’s the last prayer I can dare wish for as my consciousness finally begins to fade into a forever abyss of darkness.

Farewell…my love…