Z A Y N
Blood. It was everywhere, staining the walls, soaking into the carpets, and pooling around lifeless bodies. The metallic scent clung to the air, invading my senses with every breath. My stomach churned, bile rising up my throat, but I swallowed it down, forcing myself to remain steady. I needed to stay focused. Stay fucking focused.
Nyx.
Levi.
Andrew.
Fuck.
I should have seen it coming. I should have anticipated this. But I didn’t. I put a hand to my chest, feeling the hammering of my heart, each beat a reminder of my failure. My breath hitched, the world closing in, suffocating me with the weight of my own mistakes.
"ZAYN!" Ace’s voice cut through the haze, sharp and urgent. "Brother! Stay focused! This isn't the time to have a heart attack or any other shit!" He grabbed me by the collar, yanking me to my feet.
But my breath… it was erratic, shallow, like I was drowning. Fuck.
Without warning, Ace’s fist collided with my face. Pain exploded across my cheek, sharp and grounding, pulling me back from the brink. I blinked, the fog clearing just enough to see his face. He was sweating, his chest heaving with the same fear and rage that burned inside me. "I’m gonna give that fucker the worst life ever. He’s gonna regret taking birth," he snarled, his voice laced with venom.
Us.
We moved forward, stepping deeper into the carnage. The world around us was drenched in red, a macabre painting of death and destruction. Blood slicked the floor, bodies lay scattered like broken dolls, their eyes wide open in shock. Octavio knelt in the middle of it all, his face pale, holding Levi and Andrew close, as if trying to shield them from the horrors that had unfolded. Hunter was on the phone, his voice frantic, pacing as he tried to hold it together.
Ace rushed to his son, who, by some miracle, was still asleep amidst the chaos. But she wasn’t there. Nyx. My heart pounded harder, the rhythm of it echoing in my ears, each beat screaming her name.
"Where the fuck is Nyx?" My voice was hoarse, barely more than a whisper, but the desperation in it was unmistakable.
Hunter looked at me, his face stricken, but he couldn’t speak. His silence was deafening, and it tore at me, threatening to rip me apart. "Fucking speak! Where is she?"
"He took her," Hunter finally managed, his words cutting through me like a blade. They were the confirmation of my worst fear.
"Come again?" My mind refused to accept it. This couldn’t be happening. Not Nyx. Not her.
"She made a bargain," Levi said, his voice trembling, tears streaking down his face. "To save us. He wanted to take Nyx, but we refused. Then he and his men… they started killing everyone. They were going for Andrew, and that’s when she… she…"
He couldn’t finish. The words choked him, the weight of what had happened too much to bear. I dropped to my knees, the ground slipping out from under me. The world seemed to freeze, every sound, every movement slowing to a crawl. My worst nightmare had come to life.
Adrian. He was going to pay for this. He was going to pay with his life. The reaper inside me stirred, fed by the rage, the anguish, the desperation. I would make him suffer. I would make him beg for death long before I gave it to him.
Ace knelt beside me, his hand firm on my shoulder. "Zayn, listen to me," he said, his voice low, commanding. "You can’t lose it now. We need you. Nyx needs you. You’re the only one who can end this. You hear me? You’re the reaper, and it’s time to show Adrian exactly what that means."
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BLOOD AND HEART
Mystery / Thriller"He had many people's blood on his hands and one woman in his heart." She woke up with a pounding headache, a strange tattoo, and memories of her family being brutally attacked. All because of the documents she stole. Now, protected by one of the wo...
