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

My lips part and I type furiously, “Don’t tell me all this time you thought I was befriending you to get close to Landon?”

“Weren’t you?”

“Of course not. I liked you and hated the asshole from the beginning.”

He grabs the back of his neck, a shy smile appearing on his lips. “Thanks. You’re the first girl who’s actually liked me and didn’t fake interest in me just to get close to Landon.”

“They do that?”

“Yeah. Apparently, I’m the boring twin and he’s the hot one.”

“I’m going to need names so I can teach the blind bitches a fucking lesson.” I punch the air, then kick it.

Bran throws his head back and laughs. I laugh, too, even though no feelings of joy penetrate my heavy chest.

After Bran and I part ways, I drive to the Heathens’ mansion. My screen pings with a text from Landon and I hit the brakes, coming to a sudden halt.

The ache in my heart spreads and causes my throat to restrict as I tap the screen.

He attached a half-naked mirror selfie, showcasing the dark purple bruises on his chest and his bloodied lips.

Devil Lord: Your brother did this. Come kiss it better?

While I saw glimpses of his manipulation tactics before, I had a veil over my eyes. But now, I can distinguish it loud and clear. Landon has the fascinating ability to use his own pain as a weapon to make his will a reality.

Just like when Bran said he was smiling while being stabbed.

Still, I can’t control the pulsing pain in my chest as I type.

Mia: I’m bored. We’re done.

Then I block his number and his IG.

Best way to get rid of a rotten limb? Amputate it. Even if it hurts like crazy.

I don’t know if it’s because I’ve lost the safety illusion, but as I drive past the gate, I sense the monster’s eyes following me and his breath trickling down my neck.





24





MIA





A finger snaps in my face and I startle as I meet my identical eyes. Only, the ones in front of me are framed with glittery eyeshadow and have two neon hearts on the corners.

Maya gesticulates in my direction while holding a massive coffee cup. “How dare you ignore my very important ramblings about our birthday preparations!”

“Sorry,” I sign, then take a long slurp from my Frappuccino as I stare out the cute coffee shop’s tall glass windows.

“You don’t even mean that.” She nudges me under the table with her pointy toe.

“Here. Let me take your picture. It’s good lighting.”

“Yes!” She passes me her phone and then quickly retracts it. “You’re not changing the subject or bribing me, Mia.”

Epic failure.

I wince and play with the blue straw of my reusable cup. In a further attempt to disperse Maya’s hawklike attention, I take pictures of her using my phone.

She poses for a few, but then she snatches my phone and glares at me. “What’s the reason behind the sudden reappearance of the emo?”

“I’m not going into an emo phase.”

“Bitch, please. You’ve been eating ice cream à la cheesy chick flicks, and lately, you wear so few ribbons, it’s a bit disturbing. Also, you haven’t been nagging me about all the sneaking around I’ve been doing lately.”

“Wait. You weren’t with your fashion club?”

“There!” She slams her cup on the table. “The old Mia would’ve made sure I was with the fashion club, not just take my word for it.”

I groan into my hands and busy myself with slurping intensively.

“Don’t ignore me,” Maya warns. “Unless you tell me what’s going on, I won’t know how to help you.”

I inhale a deep breath. It’s been three days since I blocked Landon out of my life.

Three days of restless sleep.

Faceless monster nightmares.

And excruciating emptiness.

The type that lurks in the background, no matter how much I keep myself occupied.

It doesn’t help that the marks Landon left on my body are taking their sweet time in fading away. Almost as if they got past the barrier of my flesh and are lingering in my soul.

To make things worse, he didn’t just take the hint and leave me alone. Of course not. In true Landon fashion, he texted me from a different number the same day I blocked him.

Whatever got your knickers in a twist better untwist sooner rather than later. I hate to break it to your pretty little head, but we’re not, in fact, done.

I blocked him again.

Then I spent the past two days ignoring my phone and pretending I’m at full capacity, when, in reality, I’m barely surviving.

It took some time to realize that I was so deep into Landon’s world that I needed the distance to see things clearly. My eyes were covered by a mist of lust and chaotic emotions and now I have the chance to see the world without it.

A world in which Landon is the definition of every decadent emotion and the hallmark of unapologetic psychos.

“It’s just a down phase,” I sign to Maya and mean it.

I really believe that I’m an addict and rehabilitation takes some time. First comes the excruciating withdrawals and then I’ll be immune.

Maya abandons her seat and crowds my bench to envelop me in a clingy hug. “I was thinking your nightmares had gradually disappeared, but the past few days, you’ve been having screaming nightmares.”