Playing cautious is key…and my Ruthless Kings grasp that.
"Keep telling yourself that," Theo responds dismissively. "Meanwhile, maybe prepare yourselves for the possibility she wakes up thinking she's still Domino's favorite punching bag, with no idea why a bunch of men are hovering over her bed claiming to be her Kings."
"That won't happen," Warren says with unexpected certainty. "The core of who she is remains intact. Memory loss doesn't change essential nature, and I doubt she’ll forget that bastard, even if she wanted to."
"And you'd know this how?" Theo challenges.
The monitors register my accelerating heart rate again, prompting someone to move closer to the bed.
"Her pulse is increasing," Marcus notes. "She might be regaining consciousness. Or responding to the tension in the room. Either way, keep it civil."
"Civil," Theo repeats with a snort. "Sure. Let's all pretend everything's fine while waiting to see if your Queen remembers any of you."
"She's not property," Ares says suddenly, the unexpected force behind his words. "Stop talking about her like she's some prize to be claimed or lost."
"Isn't she though?" Theo counters. "The ultimate prize in your little competition? The Ruthless Queen all of you are fighting to possess?"
"You don't understand anything," Zander's voice cuts through the tension, quiet but deadly. "Our relationship with her isn't about possession. At least…not anymore. Things have changed."
"No?" Theo challenges. "Then why the parade of jealousy whenever one of you gets more attention than the others? Why the constant need to mark territory? You're all so caught up in your roles as 'Ruthless Kings' that you've forgotten she's a person first, not just your crowning achievement, or am I reading the outside looking in on things?"
It’s becoming obvious that he’s gaslighting them.
On purpose…
Why?
Is he trying for us to break apart so he keeps Aries’ interest back on him?
The silence that follows feels weighted with uncomfortable truth.
"I think," Ren says carefully, breaking the tense silence, "what matters now is supporting her recovery, regardless of what she remembers."
"Agreed," Marcus adds. "The priority is her health." Anything else is secondary and can wait.”
"And if she wakes up and doesn't remember any of you?" Theo presses, relentless in his provocation. "What then?"
If I don’t remember them?
But I do!
Zander, Ares, Warren, Marcus…Ren…
"Then we start over," Zander answers without hesitation. "We earn her trust again. As odd and fucked up it was, we’ll do it. We prove ourselves worthy of her attention and mercy once more. Yearn her affection, her partnership – whatever form that takes.”
He pauses as if he’s peering at those that matter in the room.
“Either way, it’s not like it’s any of your business. Last time I checked, Sweet Dynamite is a Ruthless Queen. Not a Savage Heir in the making.”
Setting his boundaries.
I’d smile if I could, feeling a sense of pride. His certainty washes over me like warm water, soothing anxieties I didn't realize had formed in my semi-conscious state.
The others murmur in agreement, even Warren, whose conflict over his place in our dynamic has been evident from the beginning.
"How touchingly romantic," Theo drawls, though something in his tone suggests he's not entirely unmoved. "And completely unrealistic. People don't just slot back into relationships they don't remember forming."
"You don't know her like we do," Zander says. "Memory or not, that’s the hill she’ll be ready to climb and we’re going to follow suit."
