Page 59 of Volatile King (The Kings of Wayward Academy #6)

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Myles, Theo, and Blake stood like sentinels blocking the only way out.

They even locked the door just in case. Nash hadn’t sat down since we came in here.

He paced in a giant circle, his long strides eating up the space.

He switched from angry, to shocked, to emotional wrecked, and back again.

I’d never seen him like this, and I really didn’t know what to do.

I felt the shock and pain along with him when he said her name.

Here I was, the new woman, while the love of his life—who’d been pregnant with their child—was on the other side of the door.

There was no way to express the level of awkward in this situation.

Life needed a manual because no one could plan for something like this.

Feeling out of control was a huge red flag for me, and the last year… had been anything but in control.

“You all saw her, right? I’m not having some fucked up hallucination,” Nash asked.

“We saw her,” Theo answered, and Nash nodded.

“Good…okay.” He ran his hand through his hair, while his mind raced so fast you could almost see the wheels spinning and smoke coming out of his ears.

Perched on the end of his bed, not moving, not saying anything, and totally at a loss, I watched Nash try to come to terms with the present.

Then he started pacing again, mumbling to himself how this was impossible, and that was it for me.

Someone needed to stop him before he careened right off the tracks.

I stood up and stepped in front of him. He stopped and blinked as if realizing for the first time that I was in the room.

With a deep breath, I reached out and took his hands in mine.

It was then that I realized he was shaking.

I massaged his palms, threaded our fingers, and offered what little comfort I could to him.

Out of nowhere, his hand clamped around the back of my neck.

A startled squeak slipped out of my mouth just before his lips crushed against mine.

The kiss was fierce, hungry, and almost savage.

It felt like I was his only lifeline in a storm he’d been drowning in for years.

And God help me, part of me was terrified I would drown right along with him.

Nash’s other arm locked around my waist, dragging me flush against the solid flex of muscle beneath my palms. His body was searing hot, like coiled fire lived under his skin. I’d felt the intensity in him before, but now it was like Nash was fighting to hold himself together.

When we finally broke for air, his hold didn’t loosen. His forehead rested against mine, his breath against my cheek.

Nash whispered, voice low. “Whatever’s going on…Mya is my past. You are my future.”

The words sliced through me, sharp enough to make my heart ache and quicken.

This had Lawrence written all over it…his brand of cruelty.

There was no way, after everything Nash had told me, that Mya’s sudden appearance was anything but another one of his father’s sick games.

I wasn’t even shocked. Monsters like Lawrence and Owen came from the same abyss, forged in a place darker than hell.

And the truth? No matter what Nash wanted or swore, there was no telling what was about to unfold. Lawrence hadn’t just set a trap…he’d sent a powder keg and lit the fuse.

“You love…her still,” I asked, my voice breaking as I forced the words out. I had to hear the answer. I needed to know.

His eyes flickered with shadows laced with pain.

“There’s a part of me that always will,” he admitted, the words coming out raw. “Maybe your first love always brands you like that. Or maybe it’s because of the way she was taken. Whatever the reason, the memories don’t fade and the emotions linger.”

My gaze dropped, but his grip on my neck tightened just enough to make me look up again. The muscles in his chest bunched under my fingers as he held me, eyes locking with mine.

“Let me finish,” he murmured, voice trembling. “That kind of love…it’s like an old photograph. You don’t throw it away…you just stop living in it. That chapter of my life is over.”

Nash’s lips brushed my cheek as he whispered against my ear, making my pulse roar in my veins.

“I’m not in love with the ghost of my past, Princess. I’m in love with you.”

His words wrapped around me like a vise, squeezing my chest and setting fire to every wall I’d built between us. I’d come here ready to fight, ready to tell Nash to shove our so-called marriage contract straight up his arrogant ass.

But after one conversation, and the reappearance of Mya, I felt something sharp coil inside me. I slid my hands up his chest, wrapping them around his neck and feeling the taut strength. His heart thudded hard against mine, and I let my nails graze his bare skin.

I wasn’t backing down. I wasn’t stepping aside. I wasn’t letting Nash go without a fight.

“No matter what…ghosts come for us…you are…mine,” I said, my voice steady and dangerous in a way that was new to me. Nash stilled, staring at me like he hadn’t heard me right. “Whatever storm comes…it goes through us.”

I stepped back, but not out of reach, and signed so the guys could see as well.

I swear to God, I will destroy this whole fucking planet before I let anyone take any of you from me.

Myles smiled, confident in our love. Nash’s eyes widened, and his hand flexed at my neck, then his thumb brushed my jaw like he couldn’t believe what I’d just said.

“Does this mean you’re accepting my ring?”

No. You don’t get off that easy. Our deal remains in place for you to convince me that we should remain married. But no matter what…you’re still mine.

“You are mine,” I growled, perfectly.

Nash smirked, but my words hung heavy between us, thick as smoke and just as dangerous. His chest rose against mine in a deep, shaking inhale, and I saw something resolute flash in his eyes.

“Say it again,” Nash said, his lips teasing mine.

“I hate you,” I said instead, making Nash laugh.

“I hate you too, Princess.” Smirking, he pulled back, and the pent-up tension inside of him had been reduced to a simmer instead of boiling over.

All I knew was that I wasn’t letting him slip through my fingers. I glanced at Myles, Theo, and Blake at the door. No one was coming between me and my guys. Not now. Not ever.

Nash was a fucking mess, but he was my fucking mess.

I fisted his hoodie and wished I understood why everything was always so hard. For once…just once…I wanted to go a month without any insanity.

There was a hard knock at the door.

“It’s me…just me,” Liam said.

The guys moved away, and Liam walked in. Theo immediately relocked the door. Nash gripped my hand so tight I thought he might break it.

“Well? Don’t just fucking stand there, tell me…is it really her,” Nash asked.

Liam shrugged. “Seems to be. Unless your dad pulled a Face/Off and coached a look-alike in what to say, but my gut says it’s her. With that said…I don’t trust her.” He pointed to the bed. “Sit down.”

“I don’t want to sit down,” Nash said, but I dragged him over anyway. He grumbled and dropped down beside me.

The guys seemed to relax and came closer as Liam grabbed the desk chair. He sat on it backward with his arms resting on the top.

“She said that your father staged the shooting, and you only had blanks in the gun. It was a test of loyalty. Shooting the girl probably saved your life. Anyway, she claims that he’s been keeping her locked up in a house as his side piece ever since.”

Nash closed his eyes. I couldn’t imagine what he was feeling. The level of depravity you needed to not only think something like this up…but then act on it…the Devil really knew no bounds.

“Fucking asshole,” Nash growled. He burst up, letting go of my hand, but Liam grabbed his arm.

“Sit the fuck down,” Liam snarled.

I’d never seen Liam talk to Nash the way he had tonight, but I could see why he was his number two.

When shit went sideways, Liam was in charge.

They glared at each other, but Nash slowly sat back down.

All the calm he’d managed was gone. I felt the rage rolling off of him.

It was like he was trying to contain a tidal wave.

He was going to crash into the rocks, I could see it.

“Why is she here,” Theo asked, breaking the building tension.

Liam glanced at Theo and took a deep breath.

“I’m going to preface this information with I don’t trust her.

She’s holding something back. Do I think she was taken?

Yes. Do I think she is telling the truth about everything?

No. She says Lawrence just let her go on Halloween.

No reason, just walked in and cut her loose. ”

Nash crossed his arms. “He’d only do that if he had something to gain. Otherwise, she is a loose end and a liability. He would’ve just killed her.”

“Exactly. Lawrence doesn’t do shit unless it benefits him,” Liam said.

We were quiet for a minute, letting the weight of his words sink in.

“The most obvious answer is that Lawrence wants to derail Nash and the progress we’ve made.

First, Nash started refusing to do certain things.

Then he moved out, started his own business, and gained loyalty from council members.

Just look at Liam’s initiation…you said that no one had ever questioned Lawrence’s plans, but Emmett did.

He feels the walls closing in,” Blake said.

“I agree with you, but he specifically cut her loose on Halloween,” Liam said, and Myles swore.

“He fuckin’ knew that Owen was going to try and kill Ren, didn’t he,” Myles asked.

Liam shrugged.

“I don’t know, but if he had any inkling that Nash was getting close to cutting the head off the snake…

then it’s possible he wanted to make sure that Nash stayed off kilter.

Even if he had no idea about Mr. Genovese’s involvement, he knew Nash was getting the extra cash from somewhere.

My guess…he thought that Nash had circumvented him and made a deal with Dimitri. ”

We all nodded. “That does make the most logical sense. Lawrence would’ve known that Nathaniel was in town and never met with him. There are a few people still loyal to him,” Theo offered.

“Whatever the reason, Mya really was at the hospital. I questioned her as to why she ran instead of talking to you. She said she kept losing her nerve. I don’t believe that.

I think she’s been purposely fucking with you,” Liam said, running his thumb over his bottom lip.

“In fact, I think she’s been following you and feeding information to Lawrance. ”

“If that’s the case, we can’t believe a word she’s sayin’,” Myles chimed in.

“Also correct. Three years is a long time to be held under Lawrence’s spell,” Liam said.

“You think she’s what? In love with him…has Stockholm syndrome, or something else,” Blake asked.

“What I know is that every sentence was a half-truth. Was Mya scared in the beginning…yes, but was she always scared? I don’t know. I feel like that’s a no.”

“That’s scary all on its own,” Myles grumbled, crossing his arms. “Anyone not terrified of Lawrence is fucked up.”

“She did say something that we need to look into, even if every word out of her mouth is bullshit,” Liam said, and we all waited on bated breath.

“Fuck, you like a dramatic build-up,” Nash growled.

“Just making sure you’re paying attention.” Liam chuckled but then sobered. “Look, here’s the thing, Nash. She gave birth to your son, and he’s alive. That’s why she’s here, she wants your help to find him.”

And just like that, the powder keg exploded. Everything we’d built was systematically destroyed as Nash burst from his seat, hands fisted, and a snarl curling his lip.

Mya hadn’t just come to interfere…she’d come to destroy, and she said the one thing that would set Nash off and pull him back. Like a spider spinning her web and setting the trap. I could feel it.

“I’m going to fucking kill my father. Next time I see him, there will be no hesitation. If he’s hidden my son from me…I will rip his beating heart from his chest, so he knows exactly what I’ve felt for three fucking years.” Nash looked at Liam. “I want to talk to her…now.”

“Nash—” Liam started, but Nash cut him off.

“I hear you, but I need to know what happened. This is my son we’re talking about. What would you do if it was your kid?”

Liam glanced at me, and his whiskey eyes were worried. He had foreseen this outcome.

Shit was about to get ugly, and Nash would need me. The problem was Mya. She had already positioned herself as the perfect wedge. She was the mother of his child, and they were aligned in finding him, and I…I didn’t know where that left me.

I hated Lawrence before, but now…I had no words to describe the loathing that flowed through my veins. For what he’d done to everyone in this room and the countless nameless faces he’d hurt along the way. Most of all, I hated how he was still turning Nash inside out.

He had to be stopped before he found a way to burn down everything I loved.