He's Mine - How to 'illegally' tell people HE's MINE in 99 ways

Chapter 8

"Happy? Oh! to see them fail, I'm ecstatic."

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Happiness never lingered with me for more than a fleeting moment. If I liked a toy, it would break within a week, thanks to the chaos in our home. If I liked a boy, I couldn't keep him—how could I, when he could never understand my family? And if I made friends, they'd constantly question why I was canceling plans.

So, when Raze caught my eye, I became his shadow. A shadow he never knew existed. I followed him—day and night. His smile was enough to remind me what happiness looks like. But nothing was ever truly mine, not because I couldn't have it, but because of the unpredictable nature of my life. It's always been about my team and my family. They are my everything, but I've never had more than that.

But now, Raze knows me. I'm no longer hiding in the dark. And right now, he's staring at me, waiting for an answer that will break him.

"Maia, I asked you something," he repeats, reminding me he's still right here.

"Yeah, I heard you," I reply softly. "You're covered in dust and blood, and I hope it's not yours. I heard crashes, and I had a gun in my hand because I was instructed to protect. Now I see two masked women calling you 'boss.' What's going on?" He's babbling, freaking out. Any normal person would. I probably should too—I just killed five people without remorse.

I look at him and sigh. I have to tell him something.

"Those people were here to kidnap me, according to what this asshat told me." I gesture towards the bloodstained cashmere shrug. His eyes widen in shock.

"You... yo-you chopped a person's head off?" he stutters, fear creeping into his voice.

I nod slowly and take a step back, leaning against my car. "I told you, Raze. I'm not the innocent, nerdy girl who roams around college with a single goal of being successful. I'm a lot of things, but not that. I won't apologize or lie to you, because for me, this is how life has always been, and always will be." I close my eyes and face the sky.

"Why did they want to kill you?" he asks, stepping closer to inspect the wound on my right arm.

"That's what my team is working on," I say, leaning my head on his shoulder, just like he did last night at his house.

Raze's breath hitches as I rest my head on his shoulder. I can feel the tension in his muscles, the way his body is processing what he's just learned. This is the moment where everything changes, where the distance between us either closes or expands into an unbridgeable chasm.

"Maia," he says, his voice trembling slightly, "I don't understand any of this. One minute, you're this brilliant, driven woman, and the next... you're..."

"A killer?" I finish for him, lifting my head to meet his gaze. "I'm both, Raze. I've always been both. The life I lead, the choices I've made—they've shaped me into someone who can't afford to be just one thing. You knew that the day you entered my home with your father."

He runs a hand through his hair, clearly struggling to make sense of it all. "I know but I thought you weren't involved in something so big. I mean I thought it was all controlled by your father. I knew you were dangerous because of your family. I never thought...I...why didn't you tell me?"

I smile faintly, a sad smile that doesn't reach my eyes. "Because this isn't something you should know, Raze. I know how much you stay away from your father's lifestyle and how much you'd do to protect your mom. But this a part of me, woven into every fiber of who I am. You wanted to see the real me? Well, here I am, blood and all."