Page 45 of Madness & Mayhem

Posie scoffs. “You really think Vienna is going to come here whenheis here?” Her gaze cuts sideways to Reign, and I squeeze my hands into fists at my sides so I don’t scream.

“Shut up,” Kyler says, waving his hands about. “Yeah, we saw the video, and from the sounds of it, she’s going to try and dig up everything.”

“It’s already dead news.” Reign spins on his feet, walking toward the kitchen without another word. “Plus, don’t worry about her. We’ve got it handled.”

Silence.

“We?” Archer says quietly.

Reign’s eyes turn to mine, and he’s giving me the warning, or the option to speak up if I want to.

It’s my choice. I can tell them, or I can keep my mouth shut.

Fall with me.

I turn toward my friends.

“We’ve got it handled,” I say simply.

Archer watches me silently, and I can see the way his eyes turn and calculate, contemplating what it is I just said. His pupils widen and darken as he comes to the realization of what I’m about to do.

For some reason, him realizing how dark I am is a fire in my gut, as I realize how far across the line I’ve really wandered.

My hand goes to the side of my head, and it’s like the truth smacks me in the face, and I can’t stop it.

I’m dark.

I’m just as dark as Reign is. Possibly even more so, honestly. There’s always been a darkness inside of me, and it’s something I’ve tried to keep locked down, hidden from the world, while only allowing glimpses to shine through when the cracks grow wide enough.

And then I cover, repair, and wait for the next time my life comes crashing down around me.

Though now, as Reign has shown me his own compass in the dark, I realize it’s always been a façade, trying to be someone I’m not. I’m not the pretty princess. I’m not the queen between my best friends.

I’m not just a governor’s daughter.

I’m Lakyn Ashford, and I’m just as dark as the guy who owns my heart. Whatever path he decides to head down, I want to be there beside him. I want to hold his hand in the dark and find our path.

I’m not a normal girl. I never have been and I never will be, and I think I’m okay with that.

I was honest when I said I wanted to kill that girl from the lighthouse. A need, a desire, a fucking desperation that roared through me at that moment, barreling against my weakened heart.

The feel of the girl who I destroyed, the way her skin shred against my knuckles, the feel of her thick, warm blood as it coated my palms and dripped from my fingers. It was a high, a hit that I didn’t realize I was craving.

And now, all I want is more.

More, more, more.

I’m a fiend for the high. I don’t want to tear apart people who don’t deserve it.

But I do want to tear apart this girl who wants to ruin my life. I want to give her exactly what it is she deserves.

Death.

Posie’s jaw clenches as she stares at me. “You’re going to go after her, aren’t you?”

Kyler starts laughing, turning so his back is to us. All I can do is watch the fabric of his shirt vibrate against his trembling back.

“What’s so funny?” I ask, my face twisting.