Ruthless Kings of Obsession (Leighton Royals University #3)

6. Confess Your Sins To Your Ruthless Queen

Confess Your Sins To Your Ruthless Queen

~ G EMINI~

"If I'm going to die," Domino spits blood onto the concrete, his chest heaving, "it'll be with my fists, not your toys and tricks."

A laugh bubbles up from my throat – high, unhinged, bordering on hysteria. The warehouse echoes with the sound, making it seem like multiple versions of me are laughing at once. Tears stream down my face, hot and uncontrollable, but I can't stop laughing.

"Toys?" I wheeze through my manic giggles. "That's rich coming from you, big brother. Remember when you turned fourteen? How excited you were to finally be 'old enough' to play with real weapons?"

He shifts his stance, fists raised. "That was different."

"Different?" Another peal of laughter escapes me as I circle him predatorily. "You burned me with cigarettes when you were fifteen. Told me I should be grateful that's all it was."

I launch forward, my fist connecting with his jaw before he can properly block. He stumbles back, barely maintaining his balance.

"You were out of control," he grunts, blocking my next punch but missing the kick that follows. "Someone had to teach you discipline."

The voices in my head scream for blood as I unleash a combination of strikes – each one finding its mark while he struggles to defend. My body moves on autopilot, trained muscles remembering every lesson, every spar, every moment Zander spent teaching me to fight.

*Zander.*

Fresh tears fall even as I laugh again, my heart splintering while my body dances this deadly waltz. "Discipline?" My elbow catches his ribs. "Like when you pushed me down those stairs?" A knee to his stomach. "When you paralyzed me?"

He tries to counter, but I'm too fast, too precise. All those months of training with my Kings have made me lethal, while he's relied too long on others to do his dirty work.

"You don't understand," he gasps, blood dripping from his split lip. "You were Father's perfect little princess. Everyone's favorite. Even when you fucked up, they forgave you!"

"So you decided to take away my ability to walk?" I snarl, landing another devastating combination. "Do you know what it's like, learning to walk again? Feeling your legs betray you with every step? Wondering if you'll ever be normal?"

His back hits a pillar, and I press my advantage. "The doctors said it was a miracle I recovered. But you knew that, didn't you? You were counting on permanent damage."

"I never meant?—"

"LIAR!" I scream, my fist cracking against his cheekbone. "You meant every second of it! Every 'accident', every 'unfortunate incident' – it was all calculated! You wanted to break me, to make me nothing but a pawn in your sick game!"

He tries to push off the pillar, to regain some control, but I'm beyond containment now. My body moves with fluid grace even as tears blur my vision, even as my heart bleeds for my fallen King.

"But guess what, brother dear?" I laugh through my tears. "I'm not your pawn anymore. I'm the fucking Queen on this chessboard, and without me, you're nothing!"

I see the punch coming before he throws it – sloppy, desperate. Using his momentum against him, I duck under his arm and leap, wrapping my legs around his neck in a move Zander taught me. We crash to the ground, the impact jarring but not enough to break my hold.

"Fuck!" he chokes out as we hit the concrete, his head bouncing against the hard surface.

I maintain the chokehold with my thighs, reaching for Knifey with practiced ease. The blade gleams in the dim light as I press it against his throat, drawing a thin line of blood.

He grunts, eyes widening at the familiar weapon. "Should've... left that... fucking blade behind..."

"Oh?" I giggle, pressing harder. "You mean Knifey? My constant companion?" The blade catches the light, and I swear I can see Zander's reflection in its surface. "Knifey and I always find our way back to each other. You really should have known better than to leave it where I could reach it."

His face is turning red as he struggles against my hold, fingers clawing uselessly at my legs. "Eva... please..."

"Admit it," I hiss, leaning closer. "Admit what you did to him."

"N-no..."

I tighten my thighs around his neck, watching his eyes bulge. "ADMIT IT! Admit you killed him! Admit you murdered the only man who ever truly loved me!"

"I... can't..."

"You can and you will!" Tears fall onto his face, mixing with his blood. "Be the coward you are and CONFESS!"

His movements are getting weaker, his struggles less coordinated. I can see consciousness starting to slip away from him, his eyes rolling back.

"Last chance," I whisper, my voice breaking. "Admit you killed my King. Admit you murdered Zander Benedict in cold blood."

He makes a choking sound, his lips turning blue. Just when I think he's going to pass out without confessing, he manages to gasp out two words:

"I'm... sorry..."

The admission hits me like a physical blow, making my grip on Knifey waver. Sorry? After everything he's done, after taking away the one person who saw me – really saw me – he thinks 'sorry' is enough?

***"Kill him! Make him suffer like Zander suffered!"***

The voices scream for vengeance, but something holds me back. Maybe it's the look in his eyes – genuine remorse mixed with the same brokenness I see in my own reflection. Or maybe it's because deep down, I know this isn't what Zander would want.

*My sweet, psychotic King would want him to suffer longer.*

"Sorry isn't good enough," I whisper, but I loosen my hold just enough to let him take a desperate breath. "Sorry doesn't bring him back."

Domino coughs violently, his whole body shaking. "Then... what does?" he wheezes.

I lean down until my lips are next to his ear, my voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "You're about to find out."

The warehouse doors burst open with a thunderous crash, and a familiar voice rings out through the darkness:

"HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!"

*Right on schedule.*