Page 33 of Toxic Kiss

a lullaby that screamed,

and I still crave the echo

of the sound we used to be.

I saunter across the stage as the music picks up once more for the chorus.

I’m a king,

I’m a sinner,

I’m a god,

I’m a ghost.

I’m everything and nothing—and she made me both.

My voice shreds the last line as I pour everything into it. It’s all the same. The fans scream my name like I’m the second coming of chaos, and yet somehow their savior. Maybe I am. All I know is that as much as I hate being on the road and the fakeness of it all, the stage feels like home.

The lights are blinding white and gold. The crowd is so loud that I can barely hear anything else.

Vex rips into his solo. Eren’s bass hums like thunder. Ash is the heartbeat on drums. Ledger’s synths are the echoes that linger after the storm.

We aren’t a band tonight. We’re an execution.

And then I feel her. Haven. She’s been standing just off stage left, out of view. She steps forward, and the lights cast her in a soft red glow. She’s half-shadow, half-temptation, arms crossed, eyes on me. A sniper waiting for a reason to pull the trigger.

I glance her way and bite my lip. The black shirt she’s wearing with the band logo spread across her chest punches the air right out of me. Jeans hug every perfect line of her body, and combat boots with a cute heel are planted like she’s ready for anything that comes. Fuck she’s beautiful.

For a split second, I forget the next lyric. My voice catches, just enough for the band to hear, but I push through, louder, harder, meaner to finish the ballad. If Haven thinks she can break me, she’s wrong. Not tonight.

Tonight, I use the knife she left in me as a mic and make it sing. Turning toward her, our gazes lock, and I pour everything I’ve got left into the last verse. Every regret, every sin, every scar she carved.

I let her have it.

You never said a word,

just watched the lights go out.

Now every time I breathe,

I taste the ashes of your mouth.

The crowd explodes as I sing the chorus one last time. The noise is a wave, and I let it drown me and cleanse me of all the pain for a few minutes. As Vex finishes the final chord, I grin and drop the mic like a gavel. I march off the stage like I just won something.

Haven’s still in the same spot when I pass. Still watching me, chin high, pretending she’s unaffected, but I see it. There is a slight tremor in her jaw, and a storm in her eyes as she watches me. Stopping, I lean close enough for her to feel the heat coming off me.

“Did you enjoy the show, Butterfly?”

She doesn’t answer.

With a smirk, I walk on and wrap my arm around Ash’s shoulders. We head straight to the VIP room, where we’ll spend the next hour. It’s complete mayhem, people screaming and girls fainting. The room is full of perfume, smoke, and laughter. A mess of long legs and red lips, influencers trying too hard, and models draped across leather couches like set decorations.

Usually, I don’t stay long. Just sign some swag, smile, take a few selfies, and then disappear. Not tonight.

Tonight, I let it consume me. Let the girls pull me in, their arms wrapping around me. Phone cameras flash. The laughter is too loud. Someone whispers in my ear, but I don’t hear the words.

And then I feel her. I don’t have to look to know Haven’s here. Her stare burns hotter than the lights, drawing my eyes immediately.