God of Ruin (Legacy of Gods #4) by Rina Kent

When that happens, I’ll be stuck in the middle and will be forced to break this new version of myself into irreparable pieces.

“Fuck that.” Nikolai kills his cigarette on one of the dirty gauzes. A black and orange hole forms in the middle before it’s smothered by the blood. “I’m going to kill that bastard. I don’t care how, but his life is mine.”

No, it’s mine.

I catch myself before I sign that. Thankfully, Nikolai goes up the stairs, not bothering to say good night.

He’s in a foul mood, worse than when he’s on one of his usual bursts of violence.

“You’re welcome,” Kill shouts at his back and gets a half-hearted wave from my brother.

“You need to keep him in check,” I sign to Jeremy. “No one knows what he’ll do when he’s in that state.”

“I’ll try, but I can’t promise anything.” He pauses as if trying to weigh his words. “How should I put it…? On the way back, he crashed his bike against a tree.”

My lips part.

Kill circles his index finger near his temple. “He’s going whacko.”

“And it’ll only get worse,” Jeremy supplies.

After years of constant observation, he, of all people, recognizes Niko’s off mode more than anyone else. Usually, he’s able to put the brakes on it or propel Niko into diluting his intense mania.

It helps to present him with fights and people to punch. However, not even Jeremy’s methods work when Niko slides down into the black hole of his brain.

I don’t like it when my brother loses grip on his mind and falls into the mindless, animal instinct side of himself.

“It’s all because of that waste of space Landon.” Killian clicks his tongue again. “If that asshole is out of the picture, I’m sure Niko will return to being himself.”

He’s right. It’s all because of Landon and his stupid provocations and tendencies to cause trouble with every breath he takes.

It’s also because I chose the normal option of having dinner with my family. If I hadn’t pushed him aside, he probably wouldn’t have challenged Niko and yanked out this side of my brother.

My phone vibrates and I flinch and then cautiously check it. If it’s Landon, I’ll kill him—

My murderous thoughts pause when I see the name on the screen.

Bran: Can I see you for a minute?

I reply in the affirmative and agree to meet him at the beach. Kill goes upstairs, but Jeremy stays behind.

“What?” I sign as I slide my phone back into my pocket.

“The mission about spying on Landon is terminated. Effective immediately.”

“But—”

“Not another word, Mia. If Niko finds out about this, I’ll lose him for good and that’s not a risk I’m willing to take.” He pats my shoulder. “Landon asshole King isn’t worth it.”

I nod, for once feeling his words instead of hearing them.

Jeremy’s right. Landon isn’t worth it.

His enigmatic presence and his intense touch and safe company are not worth jeopardizing my brother’s mental state.

Metaphorical darkness lurches in my chest during the whole drive to the beach. The decision I have to make is loud and clear, but my heart still resists, floundering and twisting in its binds and refusing to submit to its fate.

When I arrive, I find Bran leaning against the hood of his car, absentmindedly looking at his phone.

I park behind him and step out of my car. Goosebumps erupt on my skin at the night beach breeze, and I taste the salt on my lips.

The waves crash against the rocky shore, creating a wild, turbulent chaos similar to the clash between my heart and mind.

Bran is scrolling through a familiar IG, but before I can figure out whose, he notices me and makes his phone screen go black.

We briefly hug in greeting before we lean against the car’s hood so that we’re both staring at the angry sea. Under the headlights, he appears pale, unsettled, even.

It’s disturbing how much he looks like Lan but doesn’t share any of his characteristics or intensity. They’re the same on the outside but completely different on the inside.

“You wanted to see me?” I type on the phone.

“I want to tell you a story,” he says with his usual calm.

I nod, even though I’m not sure where he’s going with this. Especially since he’s been avoiding me lately.

His eyes appear as bottomless as the ocean when he speaks. “When I was in secondary school, high school for you Americans, I was targeted by a group of three excruciatingly rotten guys. They made it their mission to not only ridicule me, but to also spread nasty rumors about me, including, but not limited to, my mental state and sexual life. I ignored them because they’re not worth it, and usually, these types of rumors die out when they find a fresh target.

“Landon used to hang out in their circle and actively participate in the mayhem they brought to other people’s lives. In fact, he could’ve even been their leader and the instigator of the chaos they caused. However, after I became their newest toy for the week and he found out about it, the situation quickly escalated to absolute carnage. He beat them up and broke enough bones that they had to be admitted to the hospital. But do you think he stopped there? Not even close. As soon as they started recovering, he planted drugs in their lockers, spread rumors about their sexual inadequacies, and turned them into the joke of the school.