Page 76 of Queen of Madness

All I see is white.

All I feel is pain.

Am I about to die? More than likely. But it’s not as if I planned to live and see this through to the end anyway.

Two hours ago, I made a deal with Sam. It’s a sleight of hand, and if done right, no one ends up dead but me. Three months ago, I would have welcomed death with open arms—ready to pay that damn debt I owe the universe. But now... well, now I have Onyx.

Had.

I hope she’s the one who pulls the trigger. It’s only fair. I betrayed her no matter what the reason or how it started. In retrospect, maybe I could have explained it to Maddy at the bar. Told her I could feed the Murphys false info until we found a way to get my sister.

Or maybe I could have told Onyx. We had more than a few moments when I could have tried. But the chance of her killing me and leaving my sister to a worse fate was too much of a risk.

My heart was in the right place. But things changed. I... like Onyx. I like her a hell of a lot more than I want to admit, and it made me give the Murphys the bare minimum.

Does it make me a shitty brother? Fuck yes.

But also, there was something from the moment I stepped into this house, I knew I couldn’t send these people to their deaths. The entire estate felt likehome.

I’m going to miss it. The banter with Russ and Cat in the morning. The guards trying to teach me how they bet on horses. Maddy’s impossible riddles and Shi’s random life lessons.

...Everything Onyx.

I’m going to miss them.

Miss her.

I pull my hoodie over my head, tossing the letter I wrote on the bed before exiting my room. Even if she kills me before I get the chance to fully explain, I hope she takes the time to read it. I need her to know the truth. To understand I was between a rock and a hard place and I tried like hell to figure it out.

Doing my best not to dwell, I round the hall but stop at the top of the stairs. Onyx and Kilo are in the foyer.

He’s trying to explain something but can’t quite get the words out. Onyx sees me in her periphery and glances up, a soft smirk curling her lips. Even if it’s out of line and completely fucked up, I need to kiss her one last time.

I make it two steps.

Two.

Then everything happens at once.

The stairs shake under my feet, the inward explosion of the heavy double doors splitting and hitting the banister. Onyx, Kilo, and the doorman fly backward, blood and debris spraying out like confetti.

My back hits the wall, my head bouncing from the hard surface and sprinkling my vision with white spots. Searing pain ricochets through every limb, but somehow, I find my voice.

“ONYX!” It sounds more like a guttural roar than a real word. But I try again, scrambling to my feet.

“ONYX, ANSWER ME!”

Again, no answer.

Panic takes over, flushing all the pain away as I grab on to the banister, steadying myself as I stumble down the stairs.

Rushing over the glass and splintered wood, I find Onyx, and my heart fucking stops. The air evaporates from my lungs as I crouch down, gently cradling her while my eyes rake over any injuries. Nothing appears to be bleeding too badly, but there’s no telling what was jostled on the inside.

What the fuck just happened?

Her eyes are closed, but the soft stirring of her head moving brings the air back into my body. I stroke her hair, doing my best to keep my voice calm. “Shh. I got you. I’m here.”

“Where’s Kilo?” I have to strain to hear her, but after a quick scan, I see all I need, and it’s not good.

---