The Queen Who Fights Back (by Lily Hastings) novel Chapter 10

Chapter 10

“Sh-she’s really not afraid of blood, huh?” Julian stammered, still dazed as he rubbed the throbbing bruise forming on his head. The shock hadn’t quite worn off yet. “Max, your sister is something else. Seriously…”

“Watch this,” Maxwell said calmly. Julian barely had time to react before one of the thugs seized the moment and swung a bottle straight at his head.

But Maxwell moved faster than lightning. With a sudden burst of speed, he charged forward and delivered a powerful front kick that sent the attacker hurtling across the room.

Maxwell glanced thoughtfully at Nova before turning to Julian and clapping him firmly on the shoulder. “Don’t space out. Take care of the rest of them first.”

Maxwell was the real deal—tall, strong, and undeniably handsome, but what set him apart was the calm, commanding presence he carried. When he spoke, everyone listened without question.

If it weren’t for the unbreakable bond of blood tying Nova to Maxwell, she would have already tried to recruit him into her crew. She imagined dragging him to the front lines, letting him toughen up over a few years, just to see how he’d hold up. By the time he was done, there was no doubt he’d be working for her.

The thought made Nova lick her lips, still tasting the sharp tang of lemon lingering there.

As expected, the fight unfolded exactly as she had predicted. No matter how hard those thugs tried to act tough, with Maxwell leading the charge, they dominated. One by one, every single thug was left sprawled out on the floor, defeated.

“Go back and tell that guy—he’d better stay the hell away from Hannah,” one of Maxwell’s crew warned coldly, his icy stare cutting through the room as he singled out each thug.

And “that guy”? The cowardly runner-up from the tournament had vanished, too scared to even show his face.

After the dust settled, Maxwell, Hannah, and Julian all let out a collective sigh of relief.

At the end of the day, they were just college kids. The only difference was that they’d grown up privileged and had been training in self-defense since they could walk. None of them ever imagined they’d find themselves brawling with actual street punks tonight.

Some of those thugs had been maniacs—reckless and unafraid of death as long as they got their fight. They had been lucky not to cross paths with any truly deranged individuals tonight; otherwise, things could have spiraled wildly out of control.

“Julian, you and Hannah take our crew to the hospital and get patched up. I’ll take Nova home first,” Maxwell instructed, his voice steady.

“Got it,” Julian replied, nodding firmly.

Just as they finalized their plan, another voice broke the tense silence. “Shit, we’re missing one! There were nine punks when they barged in, but now there are only eight. One slipped away.”

Before anyone could react, a sudden shout pierced the air. “Run? I’ve never run from a fight. You clueless idiots know who I am? You little bastards are dead meat. Don’t fucking move. Anybody moves, and I’ll shoot her dead right here.”

It was the gang leader—the same high-energy thug who had marched his crew into the bar earlier.

Now, he brandished a gleaming black gun, catching the dim light and drawing every eye in the room. He aimed the weapon at the back of Nova’s head, letting out a wild, cocky laugh.

This was Maddox Blaze. The moment he realized Nova was Maxwell’s sister, he slipped away from the chaos and headed straight to the bar, intending to use her as leverage against Maxwell.

In Maddox’s mind, despite all the shocking things Nova had said, she was just mouthing off. After all, she’d been sitting quietly at the bar, not involved in the fight. To him, she looked like nothing more than a loudmouth with no real bite—completely helpless.

Using a useless girl like her to threaten Maxwell and his crew? Maddox thought he couldn’t have asked for a better hostage.

As expected, the expressions on Maxwell’s crew shifted instantly—tense and alarmed.

Everyone on Maxwell’s side froze, their faces draining of color.

“H-he’s actually packing a gun,” Hannah whispered, always the tough one, her eyes wide with shock.

In Zoria, guns were strictly forbidden for ordinary citizens. Only the worst criminals on the black market dared to get their hands on one.

Even Maxwell and Hannah had barely ever touched a gun, and that was only because someone pulled a few strings for them.

For college kids like them, guns were something straight out of a movie—completely out of reach.

The bar’s atmosphere, which had been relatively calm moments before, shattered instantly. As soon as Maddox’s gun came into view, people began screaming and scrambling for the exits.

The once-packed bar emptied in seconds, leaving behind a heavy, suffocating silence.

The move was so unexpected that he nearly dropped the gun.

Nova stared him down, expression unreadable, emotionless. But a faint, chilling smile barely curled at her lips, sending a shiver down Maddox’s spine.

“Damn it, I’m the one holding the gun here. Her life and death are in my hands. Why does it feel like I’m the one being threatened?” Maddox’s thoughts spun wildly.

As those thoughts raced through his mind, Nova acted as if his words didn’t matter at all.

Instead, she stepped forward, closing the gap until the gun was pressed right against her forehead—making sure that if he pulled the trigger, he wouldn’t miss.

“Is this chick for real? Who the hell just walks up and dares you to blow their brains out?” Maddox’s mind reeled, completely blindsided.

He stood there, stunned, unable to process what was happening.

Then Nova’s voice erupted, sharp and commanding. “Do it. Shoot me now.”

The gun never fired, but Nova’s bold challenge rattled Maddox enough that his trembling hand finally gave out. The gun slipped from his grasp.

Without missing a beat, Nova reached out and snatched the weapon from midair with swift precision.

“So you don’t have the guts to shoot, huh?” she said flatly, disdain dripping from her tone. “I already gave you your chance. Since you wouldn’t pull the trigger, it’s my turn now.”

Without hesitation, Nova raised the gun and leveled it at Maddox’s forehead.

Right there, in front of everyone, she squeezed the trigger, her face unreadable—as though shooting someone was just another ordinary moment for her.

A loud bang echoed through the room.