Page 46 of These Shattered Memories

T he shot ripples through the air, so loud it makes my ears hurt. For a second, the room stands still, everyone looking on with shock as my father’s bullet races toward me.

Time moves slowly. It’s true what they say: when you look death in the face, your life flashes before you.

I see it all, I see my mother. I see Hayden, Xander and I, little boys huddled in a corner, holding each other tightly, fighting off our tears. And finally, I see Alex, sitting at the bar in Summit—the most beautiful person I’d ever laid my eyes on.

If I die now, I think I don’t think my deepest regret would be not realising who my father was sooner. My deepest regret would be not getting enough time with my brothers, with Alex.

It’s just not enough time.

***

The shot rips through the air, too slow to be real, but the sharp sting on pain doesn’t come. It hits the granite wall behind me instead, flaring as it lands on the stone.

There is a blur of movement as Xander lunges for my father, knocking the gun to the floor before he can release another shot. He strikes him in the back of his head and his body slumps with a loud thud, barely missing the corner of the stone and splitting his skull in two.

“ Oh my God, ” someone exclaims.

“Somebody get some help in here!”

It’s unadulterated chaos in here, guards spilling in, shouts ringing out but I’m not paying attention. Jonathan could be dead for all I care.

I can only focus on one thing.

Alex .

I feel him pull me in, holding me so tightly I almost forget to breathe. He shivers against me, his hands clutching at my back as though he’s afraid I’ll slip right through his fingers.

“Are you okay?” He pulls away just enough to look at me, eyes wild, dancing with tears as his hands continue to search for any injuries.

It feels like a rock is lodged in my throat. My ears are ringing, the sound of Alex too far away.

“Rowan?”

My eyes search the room, landing on my father who is lying on the floor, Xander and a few guards looming over him. I can’t tell if he’s alive.

Cool hands cup my cheeks, and my head is turned to Alex once again. He looks terrified.

I should probably say something.

“I’m fine,” I say finally, my voice a little too calm for the moment. “It’s okay. I’m not hurt.”

But he doesn’t listen. His hands move desperately over me, feeling for wounds, his breath shallow, his eyes frantic with panic. I reach for his wrists, catching them in my hands, holding him still. His gaze locks onto mine, lips parted.

“Lexie, I’m fine,” I repeat, my voice firmer this time. “I promise.”

He hesitates, just for a second, before the tension in his face begins to melt.

“He almost killed you,” he whispers, the words coming out haltingly. “I thought—” His voice falters, and he swallows hard. “Rowan, I don’t think I can ever live without you again. Not after this.”

The confession hits me like a punch to the gut, and I have to blink hard to keep my tears from falling because I feel the same.

I can’t live without him either.

“I know,” I whisper back, my voice soft but steady. “I know. I’m not going anywhere.”

He opens his mouth but Cordelia’s voice slices through the room.

“There is not much of a point in voting.”

All eyes turn to her, the guards, the Keepers, maybe even my father.

“I believe it’s unanimous,” she continues.

Alex pulls away from me, and I look at the raging flame on the dais again. My father is still slumped on the floor, but everyone else is looking at me now.

“Rowan Vasilyev, I believe you are the new Head of The Snake.”

There is a breathless silence for a second where everyone looks like they are not sure what to do next until Hayden starts clapping. The rest of the sanctum follows, muted and staggered applause sounding around me.

No sense of pride swells through me. My father lies on the floor and The Keepers look more confused than happy.

I may have gotten the title, but I know what comes next, and it’s nothing good.

I glance at Alex, who gives me a small, proud smile. I clutch his hand, squeezing tightly. He squeezes back.

And for now, that has to be enough.

My father is carried away to get medical attention for his fall. He’s groggy and confused, blood gushing out of his wound at alarming pace. I would have preferred him to be carried out of here in a body bag, but we’ll need to question him, see just how far the rot goes.

“That was both dramatic and anticlimactic at the same,” Hayden says, coming up to me and clapping my on the shoulder. “Congratulations, Rowan.”

He looks like he’s aged ten years. We probably all do.

“I’m more concerned about Dad,” I say. “He wasn’t working alone. We need to know who else is in on this.”

“Leave it to me,” Xander says. “I’ll root every single one of them out.”

“Xan—”

Before Hayden can continue, Kingston White appears in front of me, a bright smile on his face.

“Congratulations, Rowan. I know you’ll make an excellent Head.” He looks at the floor where some of my father’s blood still sits in droplets. “A shame about your father, though.”

He doesn’t mean it, but I match his smile anyway and continue smiling when more Keepers come over to congratulate me.

Many tell me how happy they are it’s me. Some offer their condolences and ask about my father. But most are determined to gain favour, get an early foot in with the new Head. I smile through it all, revelling in it.

In a few days, I will be given the second tattoo on my back during The Ritual and officially crowned Head of The Snake.

I turn to Alex as the room empties. Through the commotion, he disappeared to stand in the back, but now he steps forward to meet me, his eyes searching mine.

He has made me realise a power inside myself that I didn’t know I had. He has given me the most important thing—someone to lose.

He glances past me, then focuses back on my eyes. “Can we get out of here?” he asks. “I want to go home.”

I nod, revelling in the idea of home.

I hold out my hand for him and he takes it. One day I’ll marry him and then I’ll have everything I’ve ever wanted.