Ruthless Kings of Obsession (Leighton Royals University #3)

42. Queen Of Vengeance

Queen Of Vengeance

~ GEMINI~

The cold night air bites at my exposed skin as I pace the backyard, trying to burn off nervous energy that threatens to consume me. My shortened hair catches the wind, silver strands dancing in my peripheral vision like ghostly reminders of everything that's changed.

Inside, I can see Hannah through the massive windows, surrounded by tablets and laptops as she works to connect seemingly random pieces of a puzzle that grows more complicated by the hour. Her usual perfect efficiency seems touched by real urgency now - probably because one of our Kings is currently fighting for his life on an operating table.

Domino.

The name echoes in my mind like a twisted prayer. He's still in surgery, hours after his heart inexplicably stopped in that locker room. Matteo, Zander, and Ren are maintaining vigil at the hospital, while Ares is heading here because none of them trust me alone right now.

Not that I can blame them , I think, blowing out a frustrated breath that mists in the cold air. I can barely trust myself.

Because how do you process caring about someone you're supposed to hate? How do you handle the panic of possibly losing your tormentor before you're ready to let them go?

Movement in the tree line catches my attention, making me pause mid-step. The forest behind our property stretches dark and deep, full of shadows that could hide any number of threats. But something about this particular motion seems... deliberate.

A sigh escapes me as I check the familiar weight of Knifey strapped against my thigh. The comfort of cold steel grounds me slightly as I move toward the back porch where I left my pink gun - a gift from Zander that's proven surprisingly useful.

Just a quick check , I tell myself, retrieving the weapon with practiced ease. Something to focus on besides waiting for news about Domino.

The rational part of my brain suggests calling Hannah, letting her know where I'm going. But the rest of me needs this - needs to chase something tangible instead of wrestling with emotions I don't want to examine too closely.

My boots move silently across frost-covered grass as I follow whatever caught my attention. At first, I assume it's a deer - we get them occasionally, wandering down from the mountains to explore our carefully maintained grounds.

But as I get closer to the tree line, something about the movement seems wrong for a deer. Too purposeful. Too aware.

Person? My grip tightens on the gun as I pick up speed, muscle memory making me move in the precise patterns Zander drilled into me during countless training sessions.

The chase leads deeper into the woods, moonlight filtering through bare branches to cast strange shadows across my path. Whatever I'm following stays just ahead - visible enough to track but always managing to maintain distance.

Finally, I have a clear shot. My finger tightens on the trigger just as moonlight illuminates my target fully.

Not human.

I adjust my aim at the last second, bullet embedding harmlessly in a tree as what appears to be a large dog or wolf whimpers and stumbles slightly.

"Shit!" The curse escapes before I can stop it as I race forward, terrified I might have hurt it despite my adjusted shot. "Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."

The animal backs away slightly as I approach, but something in its posture suggests more uncertainty than fear. As I get closer, I realize it's definitely a dog - some kind of wolf-mix maybe, with thick fur and intelligent eyes that watch me carefully.

"Hey there," I say softly, crouching down to appear less threatening. "Where did you come from? Where are your owners?"

The dog's tail wags slightly at my gentle tone, though it maintains careful distance for several moments. I stay perfectly still, letting it decide whether to trust me.

Finally, curiosity seems to win out over caution. It approaches slowly, nose twitching as it scents the air around me. When I remain motionless, it grows bolder - moving close enough that I can feel the heat radiating from its massive frame.

"That's it," I encourage quietly, letting it investigate me at its own pace. "I'm not going to hurt you. Just trying to figure out where you came from."

The dog's whole demeanor changes once it decides I'm safe. Its tail wags with more enthusiasm as it pushes its head against my hand, clearly seeking attention. A laugh escapes me as it starts licking my face, all previous hesitation forgotten.

"Okay, okay!" I can't help smiling as I scratch behind its ears, earning more enthusiastic affection. "You're just a big sweetheart aren't you? How did you end up out here all alone?"

The vibration of my phone makes us both jump slightly. The dog backs up a step, head tilted curiously as I pull out the device.

Zander's name flashes across the screen, making my heart skip slightly. Because any call from the hospital right now could mean news about Domino...

"Hello?" I answer immediately, still petting the dog with my free hand.

"Why aren't you at the house?" Zander's voice carries that dangerous edge that always means he's worried but trying not to show it.

"I'm just in the backyard," I start, but he cuts me off.

"No, you're not. Hannah's looking at security feeds right now - you wandered into the forest chasing something about ten minutes ago." The concern in his tone becomes more evident. "What the hell were you thinking? With everything that's happening..."

The dog nudges my hand, clearly unhappy that I've stopped petting it. I resume scratching its ears as I try to formulate a response that won't make Zander more worried.

"I saw movement in the trees," I explain, watching how the dog's eyes close in contentment under my touch. "Thought it might be someone sneaking around, but it turned out to be-"

A deep growl from the dog cuts through the night air, followed by aggressive barking that makes me spin around instinctively. My gun is already raised as I turn, muscle memory taking over before conscious thought.

The gunshot cracks like thunder through the trees.

For a moment, everything freezes - the dog's barking, my breath, even my heart seems to pause. Then burning pain explodes through my left side, the sensation so intense it takes several seconds to process what's happened.

My free hand moves to the wound almost in slow motion. When I look down, dark wetness is already spreading across my shirt, warm and sticky against trembling fingers.

Shot. I've been shot.

The realization feels distant somehow, like it's happening to someone else. I lift my gaze to find my attacker - a figure in black tactical gear with what appears to be some kind of screen embedded in their chest. Through the haze of shock and growing pain, I manage to curve my lips into a smirk.

Zander's voice carries faintly from my dropped phone: "EVA! Answer me! What was that sound? EVA!"

My finger squeezes the trigger three times in rapid succession - just like Zander taught me. The bullets find their mark with devastating precision, sending my attacker crumpling to the frozen ground.

"Fuck," I gasp as my legs give out, knees hitting dirt hard enough to jar another wave of pain through my body. My hand presses harder against the wound, but blood continues seeping between my fingers with terrifying speed.

The dog whimpers, alternating between barking and howling as it paces anxiously around me. The sound seems to echo strangely in my ears as I struggle to draw proper breath through waves of burning agony.

That's when I hear it - mocking laughter carrying through the night air with unnatural clarity. My eyes find the source: the screen on my fallen attacker's chest, now displaying a face I've only heard described in whispered warnings.

The Blind One.

"Really?" I manage through gritted teeth, trying to sound casual despite how the edges of my vision are already starting to blur. "I thought we'd be on good terms."

His answering smile carries no warmth. "Oh, we were," he agrees smoothly. "But seeing as Leighton failed to follow certain rules, well... consequences must be enforced."

A laugh bubbles up despite the pain radiating through my body. "Sorry, my dear Ruthless King had to get sick because of whatever the fuck you're pulling after ascension." The words come out breathier than intended as I fight to stay conscious.

"Had to collect what was owed," he says simply, his sightless eyes somehow seeming to find mine with unnerving precision. "But now that you're going to die out here, I suppose I'll have to collect something else instead."

A mocking laugh tears from my throat despite the growing pain. Blood seeps between my fingers as I try to maintain pressure on the wound, but my strength is already beginning to fade. "And what exactly will you collect," I gasp, fighting to maintain focus through the darkening edges of my vision, "if I'm doomed to die here and Domino dies on that operating table?"

His smile grows wider, more predatory - a serpent watching its prey struggle in the final moments before striking. "Oh, I'm sure I'll think of something. Perhaps a certain experiment in my possession that would be fascinating to place in a pit with other lucid test subjects. See who survives the longest. Who breaks first when faced with their own carefully engineered demons."

Confusion fights through the haze of blood loss as I try to process his words. The dog continues its anxious pacing around me, whimpers mixing with frantic barking as if it understands the gravity of what's unfolding. Test subjects... pit... survival...

Then understanding hits like another bullet, making my already struggling heart stutter.

"Matteo," I whisper, horror flooding through me as his laughter confirms my worst fears. The sound echoes through the trees like a twisted prayer, like everything I've been fighting so desperately to prevent.

"Very good," he praises, blind eyes somehow finding mine with terrifying precision. Each word drips with calculated cruelty as he continues: "So cunningly smart for your age. Such a brilliant mind. It's almost a shame I have to go against Mr. Leighton's original orders about you being off limits."

"What?" The word emerges slurred as my thoughts grow more sluggish. Black spots dance at the edges of my vision while crimson continues spreading across frost-covered ground beneath me. Everything feels distant yet hyperreal simultaneously - the bitter cold air, the dog's desperate howling, the growing certainty that I'm watching my own carefully planned future slip away with each labored breath.

"The scorpion venom should be taking effect now," he observes with clinical detachment, like a scientist noting the progress of a particularly fascinating experiment. "Your heart will stop soon enough. Such an elegant solution, don't you think? The poison delivered via bullet, spreading through your system with every desperate beat of your heart..."

"You better pray it does," I snarl, though the words lack their usual bite as breathing becomes increasingly difficult. My fingers dig into frozen earth as I fight to stay upright, to maintain some semblance of control even as my body betrays me. "Because you don't want to deal with what happens if I survive. Don't want to see how manic I become getting what's mine back if you dare touch Matteo."

"Such spirit," he muses, genuine amusement coloring his tone. "Such delicious fury even in the face of inevitable defeat. But I'm afraid your husband is destined for widowhood. Though I must admit, I find it rather touching that he ordered that ring from Italy. Quite the romantic gesture." His smile turns sharp as a blade as he twists the knife deeper: "Shame you didn't check the mailbox before chasing random dogs into the woods. Could have died with at least that one final piece of happiness."

The news hits harder than any bullet, making my already struggling heart stutter painfully in my chest. A ring. Matteo ordered... wanted to...

But I can't complete the thought as everything starts spinning violently. The world tilts and shifts like a carnival ride gone wrong, trees blurring into meaningless shapes as my vision struggles to focus. I try to argue, to threaten, to promise the kind of vengeance that would make even The Blind One reconsider his choices - but my voice refuses to cooperate.

My body betrays me completely as I collapse sideways, managing to roll onto my back as I gasp for increasingly elusive breath. The night sky spins above me, stars blurring into streaks of light that mock my growing weakness.

"I do apologize that it has to end this way," The Blind One says, his voice growing distant like he's speaking from the bottom of a well. "Such wasted potential. But perhaps one of your surviving Kings will take up your vengeance once you're gone. Assuming any of them survive what comes next..."

His voice fades completely as darkness creeps in from the edges of my consciousness. Zander's voice still carries faintly from my fallen phone, growing more desperate with each unanswered call of my name. The sound breaks my heart even as my mind grows foggy - because I know exactly what this will do to him. To all of them.

The world blurs and shifts, time becoming meaningless as I drift between consciousness and oblivion. Blood continues spreading beneath me, staining frost-covered ground crimson while the dog's howls echo through the trees like a mourning song. At some point, Ren's face appears above me - his perfect features tight with panic as he shakes me, lips moving in words I can't quite grasp. Blue and red lights flash in the distance, casting strange shadows through bare branches that dance like demons come to claim what's theirs.

But none of that matters anymore. Nothing matters except the vow I make as consciousness finally slips away - a promise that burns hotter than any fever, stronger than any poison:

I will survive this.

The vow forms in blood and bone as darkness creeps closer, each heartbeat pushing poison deeper through my veins.

I will find them.

Every pulse carries my promise like a battle cry, turning scorpion venom into fuel for the inferno building in my chest.

I will make every person in this empire burn for daring to take what's mine.

Let them think their carefully engineered destruction has won. Let them believe their poisons and plots have claimed another victim. They don't understand what they've created - what happens when you push a Queen to the edge of oblivion.

For thinking they could separate me from my Kings.

The darkness grows heavier, but my fury burns brighter - an inferno consuming everything but the pure, crystalline certainty of coming vengeance. They wanted to break us. To shatter what we've built with diseases designed to destroy, with precisely targeted suffering.

They chose the wrong Queen to test.

My blood spreads across frozen ground like prophecy, each crimson drop a promise of retribution. The poison in my veins becomes weapon instead of weakness - teaching me exactly how to break them piece by carefully engineered piece.

They will all pay.

Ren's desperate voice fades in and out as consciousness slips away, but my resolve only grows stronger.

Let them think they've won.

Let them celebrate their victory while they can.

Because I'm not finished.

The darkness claims me completely, but my fury burns eternal — ready to consume everything in its path.

They wanted to create examples?

To show what happens when you step out of line?

I'll show them what real destruction looks like.

My heartbeat slows as the poison spreads, but each pulse carries my promise like holy war. They'll learn what happens when you dare touch what belongs to a Queen who's learned to turn venom into victory.

Not while there's still blood in my veins and fury in my heart.

Let the darkness take me for now.

Let them think their carefully planned destruction has succeeded.

They'll learn soon enough exactly what kind of monster they've created.

Not while my Kings need their Queen.

“They will all burn.”

“Every last one of them.”

“Until nothing remains but ash and retribution.”

Until they understand exactly what happens when you wake something darker than any poison they could engineer.

Victory written in blood and bone and bitter vengeance.

Let the real game beginning…starting with my Ruthless Queen’s survival…

TO BE CONTINUED…