Page 102 of Captured Fantasy

“I had her first, I fucked her first,” he spat.

“Maybe if you’d made her come I wouldn’t have had to fuck her second.”

Federico took a sudden step toward me, but Lucien’s arm shot out, slamming into his chest. He stumbled back and I reminded myself to never get into a physical altercation with Lucien again if I lived through today. I’d heard taking a punch from him was like getting kicked by a mule. I dragged my mind back, trying to keep my spiraling thoughts straight. I needed my wits, I needed to hold myself together.

“They’re loaded,” said Ahmed, turning to face us. “Do not open the cylinder or otherwise tamper with them. We want this fair and I ensured there’s only one bullet per gun.”

I accepted my pistol from him. “Is it the bullet I brought?”

Ahmed nodded. “Good luck both of you.”

Federico took a step back to look at his pistol and turned, squaring his shoulders. Lucien and Ahmed backed up, both crossing their arms and narrowing their eyes.

“Cosimo, square up to him,” Lucien ordered.

I took another step until I was a little more than an arm’s length away. Federico was bathed in sweat, his hair soaked and falling over his forehead. I could practically smell his fear and it made my stomach curl. If I made it through this, I would remember the feeling of standing chest to chest with another man, moments before I put a gun to his head. It would always taste like blood, like insanity. Like the primal part of me I struggled to control, that I kept on a leash and only let out when Lucien needed an executioner.

Ahmed flipped a coin.

Federico won.

His mouth parted and my body screamed at me to run. My eyes locked on the barrel of his gun as it lifted and then it was before my eyes. So close I wondered what it tasted like, if this would be any less terrifying if he shoved it between my teeth. Federico’s eyes flickered. Lucien counted three. My heart pulsated like a wound in my chest.

His finger moved. Or perhaps the whole world shifted on its axis. My eyes closed and I heard the click of the empty chamber.

“Jesus…fuck,” Ahmed breathed.

“Do you want to continue?” Lucien’s eyes swung to me.

I could barely see him through the sweat on my lashes, but I nodded. Into my mind burst Enza’s face and the way she’d looked up at me with rage in her eyes. I lifted the gun and Federico flinched, turning his face down so he didn’t have to look into the barrel. He was weakening.

My hand shook once, but I steadied it. I’d killed before and I could do it again. I took a breath, inhaling cool air and exhaling warm breath like a cloud of cigarette smoke. The world was quiet around me, the sun just kissing the frosted grass. I felt it touch my back with warm fingers.

I pulled the trigger and it clicked.

Empty.

Federico flinched violently, his fist balling. Lucien swore under his breath as Federico raised the gun. I could tell he’d never expected it to go this far and I half hoped he would put a halt to it. But no, there was no going back from this moment.

We had to see it through to the bitter, bloody end.

Federico didn’t hesitate this time. I caught a flash of his eyes, like ink swelling and staining my vision. His finger squeezed and the click cut through me like a knife. I released my breath and he looked at me, his lashes wet and blinking as sweat poured into his eyes. His mouth parted and there was blood at the corner of it. He’d bitten himself at some point and the blood stained his lips.

Perhaps I had done the same. My tongue tasted of metal and wool.

“Go on, Cosimo,” Lucien said softly.

I lifted my pistol. As Federico’s gaze fixed on the gun, something broke and the fire died.

“Christ,” Federico whispered. “You can have her.”

He spun on his heel, threw down the gun, and began walking toward the bridge. It took me a long moment for my brain to acknowledge his words before a wave of such intense relief flooded my body I sank to my knees. The world spun, my body was made of ice and fire, but my mind was quiet.

She was mine.

I ran a hand over my face, sweat still pouring down into my eyes. My lashes were wet and I wasn’t sure if it was tears or not. In the distance, Federico’s dark figure disappeared over the bridge. Ahmed said something quietly in Arabic, shaking his head, and began walking after him. I raised my eyes to Lucien’s and released a shaky breath.

“Jesus,” Lucien said, his lids flickering. “I think I made a good choice with you, Barone. You’re fucking insane.”

---