Page 20 of Ruthless Kings of Havoc

“You think you’re imperfect now because you survived a battle that wasn’t meant for you to win?” When I say it like that with a saddened voice, I see how my words cut through the haze of deception happening within her mind.

I get it.

Get her.

Because I’ve been there in her very predicament.

Ruined. Battered. Left to decay in misery.

How the little voices enjoy reminding you of all the flaws and imperfections you’ve gained from the chaos endured, thanks to others’ enjoyment. This is the internal battle she’s forced to confront here and now, knowing that when we leave this hidden oasis, she’ll no longer have the opportunity to do so.

We won’t have time to be vulnerable when blood needs to be shed.

“If only you could see how beautiful you are in my eyes, Sweet Dynamite.” The words come out before I can comprehend them, and it shocks the both of us as we’re frozen in hollow silence. She knows it’s real now. Acknowledging my stilled silence as a slip-up.

“Zayn?” Hearing my true name hesitantly leave those delicate lips of hers has me wondering if this will be where she cuts things off. If we’ve come too far and too fast for both our mental states, it’s finally time to ignite the breaks to this bullet train.

I wouldn’t blame her by any means, not after what she’s experienced by us.

What her Ruthless Kings allowed to transpire until it was too much to tame.

“D-Do…”

Do you love me?

I know it’s the question she seeks from her eyes alone. They’re seeking the truth in mine as we share a look that spikes the tension between us even further. There’s no point in hiding it anymore, in fighting the inevitable, but I’d be lying if I didn’t allow myself to accept the nagging truth.

I’m frightened to lose my Sweet Dynamite in the crossfire.

“Yes.”

My fear has to be silenced by my internal conviction. The thought process in my mind won’t let anything overpower this crazed sense of instability. This delulu imagination tells me that I can have anything I desire because once I’ve claimed it, no one else can have it.

When something or someone is mine, no one can take it away.

That’s my motto, I remind myself every day, and today, as I beacon upon this radiant, beautiful naked woman beneath me, trembling in lust and fear, I affirm those valuable words of power.

I’ll destroy anyone who hurts what’s marked as mine.

“Y-Yes?” Her wide eyes really remind me of a deer in headlights, but I stick to the point at hand.

“Do I love you,” he offers and continues. “Yes. I love you, Dolcezza.”

I see how her eyes widen as wide as they can go while the realization already begins to settle in.

I brace for the big fat rejection I’d expect from her because Sweet Dynamite is feisty like that, but she’s overcome with emotion while she slowly admires me from head to toe.

This is my time to step back and give the reins to her. To allow her this brute opportunity to gain power over her circumstances and lead her life with her own decisions in the realms of romance and relationships.

This could be a commitment that leads to the altar if I’m not careful.

“No matter if this path… we have to take… will change… us?”

She gets it.

She understands everything is changing, and neither of us can stop or control the demise of our old selves.

“Change is inevitable, Sweet Dynamite,” I remind her with words I’ve engrained into my mind for plenty of years. All those adults mocked and repeated them out of pity. Remind the innocent heir that change is coming. “But what a grand scheme it will be walking down that path with you at my side.”

---