Page 98 of Claimed By the Ruthless King

Gunshots fire around me, my heartbeat drumming as time slows right down. I can still hear the young girl screaming, the past returning as I visualize David in the alleyway dripping innocent blood onto the floor. Nothing is too outrageous. If there is a line, David will find a way to cross it.

I shove the bastard to the ground, pushing away the guilt, focusing on the task at hand.

But every gunshot rattles me, sending me back to that place. The dark times never truly went away, not until Ophelia walked into my life, like the sun breaking through gray clouds.

I grip David’s shoulder, pinning him to the ground. A body thumps beside me, the crow tattoo gushing blood from a wound.

I zero in on the wound, on the boy who just wanted to survive.

David catches me off guard, the most gut-wrenching smile crawling onto his face.

“You murder your own kind.”

I curl my hand into a fist, punching him in the face.

But I’m dragged away before I can keep going with the damage.

Climbing to my feet, I turn around and see three Crow boys looking at me hungrily, ready to feast.

“Killing me won’t cure the hunger,” I tell them.

“You kill David, we kill her,” says one of them, gesturing to Ophelia.

My heart wrenches when I glance over at her. Two new boys have assumed their position, taking over after the others. They kick their fallen aside, blood smearing across the ground as they push their deceased friends away like they mean nothing.

Some seem to handle death better than others. The boy closest to me looks like he wants to go home, but he’s never been there. The closest he gets to that place is in his dreams, if he is lucky enough to close his eyes at night and have pleasant ones.

“Listen to what I said. You will never survive this. Your friend shot himself in the head the other day. This man sees you as a weapon, not a human being.”

“I would rather be seen as a weapon.”

“Being human is a fucking death sentence,” says another, glancing over at Ophelia.

“And you think working for a conman will give you everything you desire?” I rip off my shirt, ruining a thousand-dollar garment to make a point. After screwing up the shirt, throwing it away, I gesture to my chest. “The past fades, but it never goes away.”

“Full of inspirational quotes, this one,” chides one of the other boys, raising a gun to my head.

Ophelia’s screams fill my room, drowning me in sorrow.

“Please,” she sobs, knowing I won’t retaliate or defend myself when it comes to these boys. “Stop.”

I stare right down the barrel of the gun, waiting for the boy to shoot.

“Kill your arch nemesis. Pass your final test, seek your revenge, and wake up tomorrow full of confidence, ready to take on whatever life throws at you next. You can do anything, kill enemies, defend yourself. But try looking at yourself in the mirror.” I stare deep into the boy’s eyes, holding his soul accountable. “See who you will become in decades to come.”

The boy averts his eyes, finger trembling over the trigger.

“Look!” I command. “Look into my eyes and see yourself. See your worst enemy. Your arch nemesis.”

Fear flashes across the boy’s face. He gulps, lowering the gun, flashing his two friends a nervous look.

I sigh, relief swimming through me. Am I finally starting to get through to these kids?

I turn to Ophelia, seeing her relax a little. The Crows are no longer holding her at gunpoint.

I look around the room, surprised to find other Crows lowering their weapons. Realization settles on their face.

Fuck, how many of them were listening in?