Chapter 1
Kai
They say blood is thicker than water, but they never mention how easily it spills.
Haven once asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up.
Firefighter, I told her. Maybe an astronaut. The regular shit kids say. I never told her the truth. That I wanted to be the guy doing the hitting instead of taking it.
I’ve been Ezra’s punching bag for years.
Maybe it was watching Haven get hurt because of me. Or maybe I just finally ran out of room to store the rage I’ve been swallowing my entire life.
But tonight, something clicked. Watching him drag Haven on stage and humiliate her like that in front of everyone was the spark that ignited the tanker of kerosene hidden inside me.
I almost beat my brother to death with my bare hands.
Felt his nose crack like a wishbone, his blood spray against my cheek. Watched his eyes roll back and his lips as they split under my knuckles.
I didn’t stop, even when he started laughing.
Even when he began to beg.
And the whole fucking time, all I could think was,finally. Finally, it’s my fucking turn to throw the first punch.
Honestly, the scary part isn’t that I snapped.
The scary part is how long I’ve been planning to.
What happened tonight wasn’t about defending Haven’s honor, or some romantic bullshit. It was about reclaiming my fucking manhood. And yeah, marking my territory, too.
Ezra touched what’s mine.
I reminded him why that’s a bad fucking idea.
Haven belongs to me now, and I protect what’s mine.
She’s gonna love me for what I am.
A monster who chose her.
Or maybe she’ll hate me for it.
Either’s fine by me.
Chapter 2
Bastian
Thank fuck I waited to get to the Rain Dance before snorting a line of coke. This is a delicate situation, and being high right now would have left me at a serious disadvantage.
Haven Lee feels too heavy in my arms as I rush back toward the lights beckoning from the nearby country club. As if, the moment her tremors let up, I’ll be carrying a dead body.
I know exactly how many buttons to push before someone self-destructs, and I take a sick pleasure in pressing each and every one of them.
It’s not normal.
It’s not sane.
