Page 19

Chapter Eighteen

Tokyo

M y feet have almost crossed the threshold when I’m yanked backward into solid muscle, the familiar scent of weed and car oil wrapping around me like a protective shield.

“Kai.”

“Shh, Trouble." Kai whispers as he pulls me into a hug, his arms tight and grounding. His hand brushes my arm—sticky, warm. Blood. I don’t dare look. I can’t. “La—“ I try to speak, but the words catch in my throat. Kai doesn’t let me finish, steering me out of the maze with deliberate urgency.

Unlike the twisting horror of the maze, the rave outside the maze looks deceptively normal. But it isn’t. The dome pulses with an eerie red glow, casting the crowd in a wash of gore-soaked light. Streams of crimson drip from overhead, clinging to skin and clothes, pooling at their feet. The music pounds relentlessly, the bass line syncing with the frantic beat of my heart.

“What the fuck?” I mutter, stumbling out of Kai’s arms. My head spins, the acrid, metallic scent of blood cutting through the haze in my mind. Am I tripping? My trembling hands rise to my face, smearing streaks of red across my cheeks as I bump into a group of party goers. Their laughter grates against my ears, too loud, too carefree, too... wrong.

Kai’s gaze burns into me, sharp and questioning, as if he’s trying to make sense of the same nightmare.

“Tokyo, loca, where you been?” Miko’s voice cuts through the chaos, familiar yet somehow wrong in this moment. Slowly, I turn, meeting his gaze as he saunters toward me. A smug grin spreads across his face, and a woman clings to his arm. She’s dressed in a white bra and booty shorts, angel wings perched on her back. Both of them are drenched in red, their movements too casual, too at ease amidst the chaos.

I don’t answer. My bloodstained hands tremble as I bring them closer to my face. The sharp, metallic tang hits me again, and I know—it’s real. This isn’t paint. It’s blood.

My eyes lift to the dome. Galaxies of shooting hearts spiral overhead, their neon trails casting faint shadows over the carnage below. At the center, the Cupid belly dances, her naked body curling and twisting like a snake, her movements unnervingly fluid. Her porcelain mask glints under the red light, and for a moment, it feels like her eyes are fixed on me.

“Fuck this,” I mutter under my breath, stepping back from Miko’s touch.

“Tokyo, you cool?” His voice is closer now, his hands gripping my arms. His fingers are so cold, they send a shiver through me.

I flinch, yanking myself free, and shove past him. My feet drag toward a cloaked figure standing at the edge of the crowd. The porcelain mask covering his face is cracked along one side, exposing a fragment of blue eye. My heart clenches, and my stomach twists. I know that eye. I know him.

My thoughts scream at me to stop, to turn back, but my body moves on instinct. I shove through the crowd, each step pulling me closer to him.

“TOKYO!” Kai’s voice rings out, sharp and desperate, cutting through the music like a blade. I hesitate, my heart hammering, but I don’t look back. My focus locks on the cloaked figure, on Alec.

Just as I cross the threshold into the heart chamber, a gloved hand clamps over my mouth, pulling me back into the shadows. The force is strong enough to make my knees buckle.

“Be a good girl,” Alec murmurs against my ear, his voice smooth, almost mocking. The warmth of his breath sends a shiver racing down my spine. “And you and your big brother walk out of here alive.”

My heart pounds violently against my ribs as I nod, the pressure of his hand suffocating. Slowly, he releases me, stepping back just enough to meet my gaze. His blue eye glints through the cracked mask, cold and calculated, a predator assessing his prey.

“I need you to do something for me,” he says, his tone almost casual, as if we were discussing the weather. But the weight of his words presses down on me like a vice. “A little trip.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” I manage to whisper, though my voice wavers.

“Cedarvale,” he replies, tilting his head slightly as if daring me to argue.

I shake my head, confusion twisting my thoughts. “Your hometown? Why?”

His smile turns sharper, more menacing. “I need you to keep an eye on someone,” he says, his tone darkening. “But if you don’t agree, I’ll end him.” He gestures vaguely behind him, toward where Kai’s voice had come from moments ago. “Right here and right now.”

My stomach drops. His words are ice in my veins.

Alec steps closer, his gloved hand gripping my chin with bruising force. “Say you’ll do it.”

I wrench my face away,“Fuck you.”

His lips curl into a chilling smile. “As you wish.”

He steps back, and smoke begins to fill the chamber, curling up from the floor and obscuring everything in a thick, cloying haze. The giant artery suspended above us begins to throb, its beat syncing with the music, louder and louder, until it feels like the whole chamber is alive.

“TOKYO!” Kai’s voice cuts through the chaos, sharp and urgent. I stumble toward the sound, my heart pounding in my chest. Through the smoke, I see his figure moving into the left chamber. Without thinking, I push past the swirling haze and wrap my arms around his waist from behind, clinging to him like an anchor.

He stiffens for a moment before his body relaxes, recognizing my touch. His hand moves instinctively to cover mine, his grip firm and grounding. But the brief moment of calm shatters as a scream rips through the air, sharper and more chilling than the others.

A girl falls from above, her body hitting the ground with a sickening thud. Even over the relentless music, I hear the crunch of bone, the dull sound of her collapse reverberating through the chamber. She lies sprawled in the center of the heart, a glowing pink arrow lodged in her chest. Blood pools around her, dark and glistening, spilling from her mouth and staining her blonde hair a deep crimson.

Kai pulls me closer, his voice trembling with urgency. “We have to get out of here, Tokyo.”

He turns, bending slightly as he grabs my hand, his eyes darting around the chamber. “Do you know where Lalo is?”

I bite back the sob rising in my throat, the words like shards of glass cutting their way out. Slowly, I pull my hand from his and cup his face, forcing him to look at me. My voice cracks. “He’s gone. An arrow.”

Kai’s eyes widen, disbelief and pain flashing across his face. He shakes his head as if refusing to let the truth settle. “No. When?”

“At the maze,” I whisper, my voice breaking as I press my forehead against his.

Another scream pierces the air, echoing from above, but I block it out. Despite the chaos, the carnage, I tilt my head up and press my lips to Kai’s. “I love you,” I say softly, the words trembling as they leave my mouth. Just in case this is it. Just in case this is the last chance I have to tell him.

Kai freezes for a heartbeat before his hand cups the back of my head, pulling me closer. His lips press against mine, not with hesitation but with the kind of urgency that holds desperation, love, and fear all at once. His tongue sweeps over my lip, seeking entrance, and I let him in, pouring every ounce of feeling I have into the kiss. His other hand moves to my neck, his grip firm but gentle, holding me as if I might disappear if he lets go. A single tear slips down my cheek, blending with the blood on my face.

Then, the sound of slow, deliberate clapping slices through the air behind us.

“Wouldn’t have thought you were fucking your sister,” a high-pitched, mocking voice drawls. “I guess he was right?”

The kiss breaks abruptly. We both turn at the same time, the weight of her words crashing down on us. Stacy stands there, a twisted smile curling her lips, her golden bow raised and an arrow already nocked. The light catches her porcelain skin, now splattered with red streaks. Her blonde hair clings to her sweat-dampened face, and the fury in her eyes burns hotter than the glow of her weapon.

Kai steps in front of me without hesitation, his broad shoulders blocking her aim as if shielding me is the only thing that matters. His arm stretches back, guiding me further behind him, his stance protective and unyielding.

Stacy’s smile widens, her knuckles tightening around the bowstring. “Keeping her safe, huh? The big brother that fucks and protects.”