I use the gun to articulate every point. It doesn’t go unnoticed, if Kai’s slowly widening eyes is anything to go by.
There’s movement in my periphery. Bastian coming closer, arms loose at his side, a faint smile on his lips.
“Seems he’s been getting away with far too much for far too long,” Bastian says as he stops less than a foot from me, something sinister gleaming in his dark eyes. “You should balance the scales.”
“I fucking should,” I mutter, glaring at Kai as I tighten my hand on the gun, hoping that will help with the shaking.
Kai’s gaze flickers from me to Bastian, then he takes a quick step back.
And another.
Then he’s fumbling for the door handle.
“Whatever, man. I’m outta here.” He tries to open the door, but it’s locked. And when he looks away to figure out how to open it, Bastian lunges at me.
He can be glad I saw him coming. Glad that I could control my trigger finger and not put a bullet in Kai.
Or him.
Bastian rears back as I sidestep him and swing the gun away from Kai, pointing straight at Bastian’s chest.
“What the hell?” I yell. “Do youwantme to shoot you?”
Bastian licks the cut on his bottom lip, looking amused as he slowly raises his hands. “Trying to prevent anyone getting shot, actually.”
“And you thought sudden moves were a good idea?” I swipe my free hand over my face, dragging my hair out of my eyes.
My collar’s chain rattles.
I toss it over my shoulder so it’s out of my way, trying to ignore the way my heart’s racing.
I’ve held a gun before, but this doesn’t feel the same. Guess it’s because I’m in a totally different frame of mind—angry, not scared out of my mind.
“I should just shoot you both.”
Kai has the fuckingaudacityto scoff at me. “Fine by me, as long as you start with him.”
I blink. Tilt my head to the side.
I am so sick of this. I’m holding a fucking gun, and they’restilltrying to control me.
Men are such fucking assholes. Maybe Bastian’s right. It’s time I balanced the scales. Not just between me and Kai, but betweenallof us.
They’re about to learn what it feels like to be the one without power.
Run my tongue along my teeth without opening my mouth as I slowly train the gun back on him.
“Know what, guys? I just had the best idea.” My eyes flicker to the bedroom, then back to them. “How about we play a little game?”
Chapter 23
Kai
Who the fuck is this woman? The Haven I knew would never have done this. She was always the one being hurt, not the one doing the hurting. But the woman holding that gun isn’t the same girl anymore.
She’s darker. Fiercer.
Someone I—we—created with our cruelty.
