Page 124 of Ruthless Kings of Havoc

No. It didn’t tame whatever beast was brewing there.

I could be overanalyzing all of this, but my gut says otherwise.I never ignore my gut.Not when following it has saved me time and time again.

Matteo may be older, wiser, and not like Domino in so many instances, but there are still similarities.

They both have anger issues. The only difference I’m coming to notice is unlike Domino, who lashes out for everyone to get a taste, Matteo bottles it up inside. It’s only a matter of time before it explodes.

Entering the pillared pathway toward the school makes me notice how quiet this section is.

Quiet as in, we’re the only ones walking into this part of Leighton’s royal corridors.

“You’re not one to be tardy, Matteo.”

I look further down to see the tall man with vibrant red hair. His eyes are vivid blue, even from this distance, and his uniform is dark red and accentuated with shades of black and dark blue. It’s very obvious from the stained interior shirt of white that’s spotting plentiful splashes of dark red that this man didn’t get here without incident.

There’s a quiet girl next to him. I can’t tell what culture she’s from, but her skin is just slightly tanned. It would be an insult to simply assume she’s Indian because of the various jewels on her arms, but the unique design on her arms reminds me of henna. Her hair is black and extra-long, and her uniform matches the man next to her, yet it’s absent of any stains.

She looks very reserved, but there’s a bit of rebellion that flickers in her eyes upon our approach. It reminds me of one who’s trying to figure out a way out but realizing they may not be in a dire situation as they may have thought.

With what just happened, she could have overheard the gunshots and assumed it had to come from our group.

“Didn’t expect to be murdering this fine morning,” Matteo dryly states as we’re steps away. “Long time, Kier. Though, I’m confident you’re still not the type to don dirty attire.”

It’s as though they’re biting into their own pet peeves. You can feel it from how the tension spikes as they face each other.

Noticing I’m the only one at Matteo’s side makes me realize Zander, Ares, and Aries are no longer with us. It’s just me and Matteo with this Keir man and I guess this woman, who has to be their Maiden.

“Who’s the Maiden?” Matteo inquires. “Pretty confident she’s new. I didn’t see her at the Gala.”

“You were too busy enjoying the glorifying praise of everyone far and wide to notice shit,” Keir dryly huffs as he works on removing his blazer. He offers it to the woman next to him. She flinches at first but quickly takes the jacket in her grasp so he can proceed to unbutton the blood-stained shirt.

It’s a lot of blood.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed praise that’s not making my ears ring,” Matteo mutters. “The audience of sophisticated suck-ups is far different from manic drunks with plenty of money to waste to see people perish in the midst of the ring.”

Listening to his commentary makes my heart sink at such a deep revelation. He says it like it’s something to easily brush off, but it’s not.

Nothing of the sort.

“You miss Russia, don’t you?” Keir offers. “I sure do. You’d think I’d have to lift a fist in that country? I would snap my fingers and let my man beat the fucker to a pulp for trying to put his greedy hand up my woman’s skirt.”

He unbuttoned the last button of his stained shirt, removing it to reveal his tanned skin. I can tell Keir is Russian because he holds a pinch of an accent. It doesn’t come out all the time, but it’s very present. However, he has to be mixed because he turns to the woman and speaks to her in a language that I’m guessing is Hindu.

I’m not sure at all.

He could be of mixed race or learned the language for his own reasons, but the woman swiftly nods her head before she looks at the two of us and bows her head just slightly.

“Ishya Amiya Bhardwaj,” she introduces herself. “Deviant Maiden of the Deviant Lords. A pleasure to meet you both.”

“Hmph. Bhardwaj,” Matteo notes the surname. “Powerful Empire in India. Your parents are still overseas?” he ponders.

She wants to answer but looks at Keir, who slowly nods and adds, “He’s safe. He’s an ally in our cruel world. He’ll never aim to hurt any of us, but don’t mistake him with his younger brother.”

“Y-Younger brother?” she questions and looks at Matteo for a few added seconds. “The angry one who punched Theo.”

Theo?

“Yes. That one.” Keir is all smiles which makes Matteo further frown.

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