Page 58 of Ruthless Kings of Obsession

Marcus groans, momentarily loosening his grip on Ares who seems too shocked to keep fighting. "Did you somehow miss the part where she literally announced they're step-siblings to the entire society?"

"Oh no, I remembered," Ren's signature smirk returns, though it doesn't quite reach his eyes. "But sometimes you need to point out the obvious to break tension. Speaking of which—" He gestures to where he's still restraining Domino, who looks about ready to collapse. "Little help here? Our newest King isn't looking so royal at the moment."

"Zander..." I try again, tears blurring my vision as hope battles with crushing fear. "He's really...?"

The question trails off as my knees buckle, the last of Hannah's medicine deserting my system completely. The world tilts dangerously, but Ares moves faster than thought, catching me before I can hit the floor. His arms wrap around me securely, earlier rage forgotten in favor of instinctive protection.

"Yes, Sweet Canary," Ares whispers against my hair, all traces of earlier violence gone from his voice. "He's alive and recovering. Still in critical condition and it'll take time, but he's breathing." His arms tighten around me as a sob tears from my throat. "The hospital has him stabilized. He's not going anywhere – not this time."

The dam breaks. Every emotion I've been holding back – the grief, the rage, the bone-crushing despair – comes crashing through at once. I collapse against Ares's chest, my entire body shaking with the force of my sobs. The voices in my head join the chorus, a cacophony of relief and vengeance and desperate joy.

He's alive. He's alive. He's alive.

Behind us, Domino makes a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob, sliding down the wall to sit heavily on the floor. His clothes leave wet trails against the expensive wallpaper, blood from his split lip mixing with rainwater to create pale pink patterns on his shirt.

"Why do you look relieved?" Ren asks, genuine curiosity coloring his tone as he studies Domino's reaction. "You're the one who tried to kill him."

Domino's laugh holds no humor – just raw, broken emotion that makes something in my chest ache despite everything. "I didn't want to," he admits, voice barely above a whisper. His hands shake as he runs them through his wet hair. "Well, part of me did. In that moment, I had to. It was like... like something else took control. Something darker. More primal."

He looks up, meeting my tear-filled eyes with an expression of such genuine torment it takes my breath away. "The me nowdidn't want to kill him. Zander's always had my back, even when I didn't deserve it. Even when it made no sense." His voice cracks. "But I couldn't stop myself. It was like watching someone else use my hands, my gun. Like being trapped behind glass while another version of me pulled the trigger."

The admission hits too close to home. How many times have I felt that same disconnect? That sensation of being a passenger in my own body while something else – someone else – takes the wheel?

"I've regretted it every second since," Domino continues, seemingly unable to stop now that the words have started flowing. "But how the fuck do you explain that? 'Sorry I shot you, some other version of me did it'? Who would believe that kind of insanity?"

Ares and Marcus exchange a loaded look over my head. "You both have it," Marcus mutters, something like understanding dawning in his expression. "All this time, and I never made the connection."

"Have what?" Domino and I ask simultaneously, making Ren snort.

"Okay, that twin speak thing is getting seriously unsettling now."

"I'll explain everything at the recovery center," Marcus says, his tone carrying that clinical precision that means he's already forming theories and treatment plans. "You both need immediate medical attention, and this isn't the place for that particular conversation."

The pounding in my head becomes unbearable, the voices growing louder with each passing second. ***"He lives! Our King survives! Make them suffer for hiding this truth!"*** They scream and whisper and laugh all at once, the sound threatening to tear my skull apart from the inside.

"We need to move," Ares says sharply, obviously noticing my deteriorating condition. Without hesitation, he scoops me into his arms like I weigh nothing, cradling me against his chest. The steady thrum of his heartbeat helps ground me as reality starts to blur around the edges. "Let's get to the truck before any other complications arise. We survived this trial, but?—"

"It's only the beginning," I finish weakly, fighting to keep my eyes open. The world starts to fade in and out, like a radio losing signal.

Through increasingly unfocused vision, I watch Ren help Domino to his feet. My stepbrother sways dangerously, exhaustion written in every line of his body. "Can you walk?" Ren asks, concern barely hidden beneath his casual tone.

"Do I have a choice?" Domino manages a ghost of his usual smirk.

"Not really. But I'll help if you promise not to shoot anyone else."

Their voices grow distant as consciousness starts to slip away. The last thing I register is Ares's heartbeat against my cheek, strong and steady like a drum calling me home. Hannah's quiet footsteps follow us, her presence a silent guarantee of our safe passage.

We survived, I think as darkness creeps in from the edges.We all survived.

But as I drift toward unconsciousness, one thought remains crystal clear through the chaos in my mind: this is just the opening move in a much bigger game. One whose rules we're only beginning to understand.

The question of what we've gotten ourselves into follows me into dreams filled with masked figures and bleeding Kings, where every shadow holds secrets and even victory tastes like ash. But this time, when I wake up, I won't be alone.

My Kings – all six of them, including the one I thought I'd lost forever – will be there to help piece together whatever broken parts of us still need fixing.

After all, the thought drifts through my fading consciousness,isn't that what real obsession is? Finding the ones whose broken pieces fit perfectly with yours?

The darkness claims me completely then, but for once, I'm not afraid of what waits on the other side.

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