Page 81 of The Beautiful Dead

“No,” I said. “This is just to remind you who you’re dealing with.”

His jaw clenched, his hands curling into fists. He wanted to fight, but he wouldn’t. Not now. Not when he had nothing left.

“Say the words,” I told him.

His lips pressed into a tight line.

“Say it, and this ends,” I said, my voice dropping lower. “Say it, and you walk away from this with something left.”

His shoulders rose and fell, his breaths coming fast. His gaze flicked past me—to Remi. And just like that, the truth came out.

“It was never about you,” Kyran said quietly.

I stilled.

Remi frowned, confusion flickering across his face. “What?”

Kyran tensed, his eyes locking onto Remi like he was something he wanted to sink his teeth into.

“You,” Kyran said. “It was always you.”

Remi’s face paled. He shook his head. “You’re lying.”

Kyran laughed—cold, bitter. “You think I’d go this far for revenge? For pride?” He scoffed. “No. I did it because I wantedyou. Because I should have had you.”

Remi took a step back, shaking his head. “You’re fucking insane.”

Kyran’s mouth twisted. “And yet, you were the one always playing games with me. Always looking for a reaction. Youwantedme to want you.”

Remi stiffened. “What the fuck?!” He choked. “I only ever tried to be your friend.”

Kyran scoffed, body vibrating with tension. “Y-you went out with me?—”

My patience snapped. In a blink, I had my hand around his throat, yanking him close until our noses nearly touched. His breath hitched, but he didn’t fight.

“You’re going to forget this ever happened,” I murmured, voice ice-cold. “You’re going to drop the charges. And then, you’re going to disappear. If I ever see your face again, there won’t be a building left to burn—you will be the ashes.”

Kyran swallowed hard, his pulse pounding beneath my grip.

“Say it,” I ordered, deadly quiet.

His eyes flickered toward Remi one last time, something desperate and raw in them. Then, he exhaled sharply.

“I’ll drop the charges,” he rasped. “I’ll disappear.”

I shoved him back. He stumbled into the wall, eyes blown wide.

“Good boy,” I sneered.

I turned, grabbing Remi’s hand, knowing he wouldn’t move until we were gone. But then Kyran proved me wrong and made the biggest mistake of his life.

Like a fool with nothing left to lose, he screamed a war cry and charged. “If I can’t have him?—”

His words cut off with a thick, wet gurgle—a blade buried deep in his throat. My switchblade. His legs crumpled beneath him, hands clutching the wound, blood bubbling through his fingers around the steel stuck in his neck.

I wrapped my fingers around the handle and stared into the dying eyes of a man who thought he could take what was mine.

“Remi is mine. He was mine the moment he stepped into Marlow Heights,” I spat, twisting the knife. “You will never know what it’s like to sink inside him.”

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