King of Spades |Book 1|

Chapter 25 • I Needed To Change

•Rayan's POV•

Everyone is dead silent. Then, Dante laughs.

"I always knew Elyse was in there somewhere," he says. We all look at him likes he's crazy, which he probably is.

"Rayan, don't be ridiculous," Dane says to me, a scolding look on his face. My expression turns hard as I look at them all.

"People die because of the choices you make. People I love died because you were all too selfish to sit back and look at the bigger picture. Don't you see how this is slowly destroying you all?" I turn to Talus and Simone. "You two were in love, a bond that isn't easily broken. Then, this came between you."

They look at each other for a moment, then they look away with hurt expression on their faces.

"Petra, you lost your own brother because of this dumb rivalry. Dante, you lost someone because of all these choices. Jett died because he was trying to make the right choice," I shoot a quick look at all of them, my eyes stopping on my brothers. "Our family died because of selfish choices. Why do you insist on still making a selfish choice? Anyone of us could be hurt at any moment, instead of being against each other, why can't we have each other's back?"

From the look on all of their faces I can tell my words his hard. It even surprised me that I could say something like that. They all look amongst each other, Olympia being the one to speak first.

"She's right. Griff, Lane, and Kai may not be much but behind them they have a lot of force. Force that could kill any of us if we don't be carful. As real and dramatic as this sounds, one minute we could be breathing, the next we're not."

I give her a grateful look, then turn to Salem and Dane.

"Shake hands, you two go first."

They just stare at me. All of them swivel their heads to look at me likes I'm the crazy one.

Well, now my stubborn side has to come out. I walk over to the door an open it.

"I'll be out here, tell me when your bullshitting is over."

"Wait!"

I stop in my tracks an turn around, raising an eyebrow at him.

"She's right, we need to do this," Sawyer groans out, hanging his head low. He's the first to step up, standing in front of Clayton and Elijah.

"Are we good?" He holds out both his hands for them to shake. For a second they refuse, but then they see my warning eyes. They both shake a hand, then step back. Everyone gapes at them, except me.

Sawyer proceeds to go down the line, shaking all the girls an guys hands. The only ones to refuse are Hale and Salem, whom are give death stares to Luca and Dane. I had a feeling they would be the difficult ones.

A bright smile forms on my face when Navy steps up too, repeating what Sawyer just did. Sasha stands there with an impassive face, arms folded across his chest.

He usually does that to intimidate, but right now I'm not in the mood for him to act this way.
"Sasha, go," I say in a low voice. Slowly he turns his eyes towards me, nothing but coldness an anger in them which makes me take a step back.

"Don't you get it? Elyse was like a sister to me, now I'm standing in front of a person who witnessed it? Not to mention the offspring of who killed her. Then you want me to bow down an get all buddy-buddy with his lap dogs? I'm sorry, Rayan, but there are thing not even you can push me to do."

Betrayal, hurt, anger, and sadness hit me like a truck. I take a few more steps away from him, looking at him as if he's a stranger. My Sasha is forgiving, caring, nice, this is not my Sasha. In front of me is someone I don't recognize. I can see the guilt on his face from his words, but I can also see that he stands his ground.