Chapter 4 Fight for him or watch him die

February 14, 2021

(Maine, Caspira)

KEIRA

A pang went through my chest, hearing Aiden say my name. For a beat, I got completely lost in those ocean blues as he stared at my sister, thinking she was me.

The yearning etched onto his face wreaked havoc with my broken heart.

There were other things to see though. Other things to hear.

Like how he'd just been kissing another woman. Telling her that he wanted her.

I was glad for the dim lighting and the lack of mirrors. I didn't want to see how their little love scene had hurt me.

I was the one who walked away. I left him.

So what if his hands on her made me want to rip her throat out?

Elena wasn't why I was here. Kate was. Kate in Maine, three feet from him, with a gun aimed at his head.

My hands weren't quite steady. I flexed my fingers around the gun until they were.

Focus, Keira.

Do the job.

Keep him safe.

Nothing else matters, remember?

"Try again, Romeo," I said, stepping out of the shadows and coming up behind Kate, a gun aimed at her head. "Put the gun down, Katie," I said, forcing my gaze to stay glued to her head.

"Right. Evil twin sister. Got it," Aiden said, disgruntled, his previous elation going up in smoke.

Had even a sliver of the joy making his eyes sparkle moments prior been for me? Or was I just imagining things?

"Guilty," said Kate, brazenly raising a hand in the air to claim the title like a badge of honor. She returned her hand to the gun swiftly, took in the dinner for two and grimaced. "I guess he really isn't yours anymore, Queen of Assassins. She's definitely still yours though, sweet prince."

Aiden put an arm out in front of Elena. Protective. Instinctive. Like he'd done it a hundred times.

He used to do that for me. He surrounded me protectively, even though he knew I didn't need him to.

Not the time, Keira. A grieving Kate was a blood bath waiting to happen. Rein it in or he dies tonight.

Elena brought his arm right back down and came to stand next to him, her eyes darting between my sister and me like she couldn't decide which of us to be more offended by.

"Still?" Elena asked, her voice dangerously low. "You and her?" she shrieked, jabbing her finger first at Aiden and then at me.

"I know, right? Hard not to be a peeping tom with these two. The whole she almost killed his brother thing made the sex so much hotter to watch," said Kate, with a wolf whistle.

My finger tightened on the trigger. I let out a low growl.

Don't fuck with my head, Kate.

Why are you here? Why now?

"I have no delusions about you being celibate during the six months you were away from Caspira, but her? Forget John, she almost killed you too. She's a bloody assassin, Aiden," Elena raged, flustered and furious in equal measure.

"Let's talk about this when there aren't two assassins facing off in your dining room, El," Aiden said, his gaze returning to me. "This is your idea of disappearing from my life?"

His voice was steady. His hand wasn't. It had curled into a fist at his side, and he kept looking at me, then at Elena, then at the floor, like a man fighting an internal war. Desperately trying to pick a side.

Six months of separation from him closed in on me. Things I knew I could never say to him choked the life out of me.

Sure, kiss her then. Feed the envy. The resentment. I need it, Denny.

Just don't look so fucking tortured. Don't make me hope.

"Sorry to crash your little dinner date. I thought I'd give myself a pass to save your bloody life," I hissed, trying desperately to keep my eyes on Kate.

It was a losing battle I was fighting. My gaze wouldn't stop drifting to him.

I caught a flicker of remorse in those ocean blues. Then I watched it turn to anger.

"My life wouldn't need saving if I wasn't stupid enough to give you a place in it," Aiden snapped.

Slight trembling of my hands. Weak in the knees.

Getting sucked in. Like I fled his bed only yesterday. Could undo it somehow.

Give me a fighting chance at walking away again, Denny.

I love the way you hate me, baby.

How will I let Elena have you if you keep glaring at me like that?

"Okay, okay, enough already," Kate interrupted, rolling her eyes. "This show just got boring again. My two cents, and maybe it's just twin bias, but you and Keira are much hotter together. I mean look at her. She lights up like a Christmas tree around you, Your Highness."

"We're leaving, Katie. By order of, well, me. I'm taking you in," I said, clinging to my restraint for dear life.

"You knew it wouldn't be easy, Keira. You're not cut out for this shit," Kate taunted, shifting her gun from Aiden to me. "Madz died six months ago and you still don't know whodunnit."

"And you do?" I inquired, doing my best to work her instead of letting her work me.

Gun on me. Attention on me. Better than on him.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. Let's see if you can hold on to me long enough to find out," said a smug Kate.

Her gun swung back toward Aiden.

"You have no business attacking a prince," I said through my teeth, my heart leaping into my throat. "House rules, remember? We don't kill royals. This reckless shit is exactly why I'm in charge and not you," I snarled.

"Better a reckless slut than a lovesick fool who can't focus," Kate shot back, jamming the muzzle of the gun into Aiden's cheek.

"Don't. Kill him and—" I tried, but my voice was wavering.

Elena crying out, "Aiden!" was background noise as Kate swung her arm around his neck.

"You love him so much? Then fight for him, like you should have fought for Madz, or watch him die, Killshot," she said, her finger curling around the trigger, face clouding over, like she was death incarnate. "Your call."

"You don't know what you're talking about. She never loved me. I was just her fuck buddy for a little while. Nothing else. Fuck off, Kate," Aiden spat out, glaring at me like he meant for the words to burn me.

Like the gun that could blast his teeth into his brain didn't even matter.