Page 155 of Toxic Kiss

Good.

I grin as I taste the blood.

“I’m going to fucking kill you,” I growl, fisting his suit, tossing him to the ground, and landing another blow to his perfect jawline.

“Fuck you. You’re nothing but an asshole and an addict, who will burn down your life and end up in an early grave. I won’t let you drag Haven down with you,” he spews and blocks my punch.

“Like you’re any better with your dick in every woman that comes along.”

“I made a mistake. You are a mistake,” Charles says.

We go at each other, fists landing, bodies colliding, no rhythm, no rules. Charles is fast, I’ll give him that, but he’s not built for this. Not like I am. I’m forged by anger, molded from pain, and fueled by a dark love. He’s lucky I don’t have a gun. I’d put it to his forehead and pull the trigger. No guilt.

Charles fights as if he has something to prove. I fight as if I’ve already seen how it ends…with him lying dead at my feet.

My knuckles crack against his cheek, and there is a sharp stabbing sensation. It feels like all the bones have broken in two. My hand looks normal, so I do what I do best…ignore it.

His breath leaves him in a grunt when I drive my fist into his ribs. He grabs at me, trying to throw me off balance.

Doesn’t work. I run him back and slam into the bus this time. Bang. It shakes from the impact.

“Cyrus, this is going too far,” Eren tries to get through to me.

“Cy man, stop,” Vex orders and grabs my arm, but I yank it away.

“Fuck dude, don’t kill him,” Ledger says.

“You never should have come here. I warned you. I fucking warned you,” I growl, grabbing his collar and dragging Charles forward just to hit him again. His head lolls from the impact.

“You don’t own her,” he pants, and then spits blood on the ground.

I lean in, close to his ear, and snarl.

“Wrong. I own all the important parts of Haven,” I say quietly. “And deep down, you’ve always known her heart belongs to someone else. That person is me.”

I see it, then. The doubt.

So I hit him again before letting go. He slumps to the ground, coughing. Bracing against the bus, I prepare to kick Charles’s head in until he stops moving altogether.

“Cyrus!”

Haven’s voice cuts through the noise sharp enough to register, and I pause before my boot can land.

“Stop!”

Hands grab and pull me back. It takes multiple people pulling, and Haven pushing me from the front, but I slowly move away from Charles. My eyes remain locked on him.

“You don’t get to touch her again!” I point at him. “You fucking hear me. Don’t you fucking touch her.”

“Cyrus, stop,” she orders, cupping my face and forcing me to look at her. “Stop. I mean it.” I focus on her wide green eyes and terrified expression.

“You can’t go back to him. I’ll kill him.”

She doesn’t hesitate, which is the only thing that saves Charles’s life.

“I’m not. Not ever.”

I relax and stop fighting to get to him.