Throne of Vengeance (Throne Duet #2) by Rina Kent

“Amy…ye’re not allowed to leave.”

“I-if ye ever loved me, t-take care of Kyle…please…”

“Mammy…” I place my small hand on her mouth, wiping away the blood. “Are ye hurt?”

“I-I think so, sweetheart.”

“I’m gonna remove the blood so ye’re not.” I wipe at it with the sleeve of my coat, but it keeps coming out over and over again, streaming down her chin.

“Th-that’s my good boy.” She smiles a little. “Ye were born for great things, sweetheart. Make Mammy proud, okay?”

Daddy’s lips thin. “Stop talking like that, Amy.”

“Will ye take care of him, Niall?”

“Ye’ll wake up and do it yourself.”

“Promise ye’ll raise him properly. P-promise.”

“I will.”

Her lips remain frozen in a smile as a tear slides down her cheek. “Thank ye…”

She blinks once, then stops altogether, her eyes open wide but not looking at me.

“Mammy!” I scream. “Mammy!”

“Fuck,” Daddy murmurs under his breath, still grabbing her by the chest. “Fucking fuck!”

“Why isn’t Mammy moving?” I shriek. “Help her! She’s hurt.”

He squeezes my shoulder, and it’s like he’s about to crush my bones. “I’m sorry, lad. So sorry.”

“I don’t want ye sorry. I want Mammy to move.”

“Take him to his room, Luke.”

“Not so fast.” The familiar voice comes from behind us.

Daddy turns around, but it’s already too late. A pop echoes in the air and a patch of red explodes on Daddy’s white shirt. His hand falls from my shoulder as he staggers and his face hits the grass.

“D-Daddy…?”

I stare at how he’s sprawled on top of Mammy, but they’re not moving. It’s like they’re asleep, but they shouldn’t be asleep with their eyes open and blood all over them, right?

The blood has to be gone.

All of it.

I turn around to tell Luke to help them, but someone hits me across the face. My body swings back and I fall on the ground with a thud.

My vision moves between my parents, unable to take my eyes off them. If I sleep, they’ll be there in the morning, right?

“What should we do with the lad, boss? Kill him?” one of the men in black asks.

“Aye, of course. He’s a liability that we need to take care of,” another replies.

“No.” The one who shot Daddy interrupts them, his eyes glinting in the dark night. “I have better plans for him.”





Kyle





Present





I close my eyes for the briefest of seconds to chase away the assault of memories.

That night, my fate was decided.

I wasn’t only deprived of my parents, I also lost the only two people who protected me from the world. The disaster was brutal and happened without a warning.

But that was the mere beginning of my life, the starting point of how I turned into this shadow.

It’s not the end.

Life might be a bitch, but I didn’t just die. I was given a second chance in the form of becoming a shadow, a chance to cut their throats one by each one.

I’m close.

After nearly thirty years, I’m so fucking close to making my mother proud. I’ve become worse than an ogre. I’m a monster with nothing to lose, and those who were behind her death will pay in the same blood that left her body and Dad’s.

It’s not only my own, the Irish, but it’s also the Russians. The one Mum trusted and gave information in exchange for getting us out—he betrayed her and was one of the main reasons behind her death.

It’s as unforgivable as the Irish fucker who killed my father in cold blood and seized his power. He tossed me aside as if I were an insect so I didn’t get in the way of his grand plans.

He’s now anxious about what will happen to him, but that’s only the beginning of it.

The Irish and the Russians will clash and eventually destroy one another. I’ll stand there and watch every second of it.

So yes, it was never about the power, the brotherhood, or whoever gets to reign. I don’t give two fucks about that or what everyone keeps plotting behind everyone else’s back.

This is about vengeance. Justice.

Life for life and blood for blood is the only philosophy I believe in. I might have stayed alive, but a huge part of me was shot dead with my parents that night, my childhood and my whole fucking life.

After I finish my call with Flame, I put on my jacket and stand in front of the mirror. Usually, Rai would slip in front of me and fix my jacket or the collar of my shirt, because nothing is perfect enough for her.

Despite the composed image she shows the world, Rai is meticulous and doesn’t like to be caught off guard.

She’ll probably fight me tooth and nail once everything comes to light, but I’m ready for that. I’ve been ready since the beginning.

I take extra care to make myself presentable because today will be one of the last meetings I’ll have with the Russians before I leave them.

But I won’t leave her. My wife.

It doesn’t matter that this marriage started in the most unconventional way possible. It’s still true and she agreed to it, sealing it with her ‘I do.’ Those words mean a lot more than she’ll ever know.