Pustaka
Cari
Beranda / MM Romance / Sheltered and Ruined in His Darkness / CHAPTER 10: The Invisible Leash

Share

CHAPTER 10: The Invisible Leash

Penulis: NONSO PEN
last update Tanggal publikasi: 2025-11-29 00:23:51

You’re mine to protect.

The words played over and over in Kai’s mind. Every time he closed his eyes, he heard Mr. Ashford’s voice. He felt the grip on his wrist.

He should be angry. Or terrified.

Instead, a strange warmth spread through his chest.

Someone cared if he lived or died.

Kai tossed and turned. He stared at the ceiling. Sleep wouldn’t come.

By 4 a.m., he gave up. He got dressed and went to school early.

Maybe he could avoid the whispers.

The moment he walked into the classroom, he fel
Lanjutkan membaca buku ini secara gratis
Pindai kode untuk mengunduh Aplikasi
Bab sebelumnya Bab selanjutnya
Bab Terkunci

Bab terbaru

  • Sheltered and Ruined in His Darkness   CHAPTER 31: Flight

    "You can't kidnap me to another country—""Watch me." Damon dragged Kai through the private terminal, grip like steel.Everything blurred: rushed packing, fake IDs, the frantic drive. Now a sleek jet waited on the tarmac at a quiet airstrip—no lines, no scans."Where'd you get this?" Kai asked, pulling back."Don't ask." Damon shoved him up the steps. "Board or rot in prison. Pick."Kai glanced behind. Margaret stood by the car, waving weakly. A sad goodbye."She's staying?" Kai's voice cracked."To cover tracks. Shield others from him." Damon's tone softened once. "Your uncle's relocated. Friends too. No traces left."They settled into leather seats. Engines roared. The jet lifted off, city shrinking to a glowing smear below.Kai pressed his face to the window. Home—gone forever. "Where to?""Somewhere he can't reach." Damon stared ahead, jaw tight."Tell me straight. No more secrets."Silence stretched. Then Damon spoke, voice flat. "He killed four last night. After I hit his apartm

  • Sheltered and Ruined in His Darkness   CHAPTER 30: The Abandoned

    "Where is he?" Kai demanded.Margaret avoided his eyes. "He needs space.""Eight hours, Margaret. Tell me.""I can't. He made me promise."Kai paced their apartment, walls closing in like a cage without Damon. He dialed again. Voicemail. "Damon, just say you're okay. Call back." Nothing.She watched from the couch, concern etched deep. "He'll return. He always protects what's his."Kai doubted it. That lifeless stare as Damon sped off—it screamed a man with nothing left to lose.Hours dragged. Kai lay awake, ceiling mocking him. At 2 AM, the door clicked open.He raced out. Damon filled the doorway, drenched in blood. Not his—his stance was steady, no limp."Damon—"Damon brushed past, silent, heading for the bathroom. Kai trailed, pulse racing. "Whose blood?"Damon stripped, shirt slapping wet onto tile. Bruises bloomed across his ribs, knuckles raw, but the blood was someone else's."I tracked his hideout," Damon said, voice echoing flat. "Apartment across town. Cash rental, fake na

  • Sheltered and Ruined in His Darkness    CHAPTER 29: Ashes and Accusations

    Rain soaked Kai's coat as he stood by the warehouse ruins. "Damon, we should go."Damon stared at the charred walls, yellow police tape flapping in the wind. Three days since the blast, and silence hung heavy. No body—just ash from the fire that swallowed everything.Damon didn't move. Kai touched his shoulder. Damon jerked away, grabbing Kai's wrist hard enough to bruise. "Don't. I don't deserve comfort.""You didn't kill him. He set the bomb.""I chose you over him." Damon's eyes were dead inside. "That makes me a murderer.""It makes us survivors."A black sedan pulled up. Margaret stepped out, face grim under the downpour. "Sir, we have a problem."Damon released Kai and turned. "What now?""Forensics from Victoria's apartment. DNA matches your brother." She held up a tablet with the report.Kai's stomach dropped. "Impossible. He was in the blast.""Not just there." Margaret swiped to more screens. "Three other unsolved murders. Last two years. All linked to him."Damon snatched t

  • Sheltered and Ruined in His Darkness   CHAPTER 28: After the Ashes

    Kai's hands shook as he slumped in the clinic waiting area. The blast flashed in his mind again: fire exploding outward, bricks crashing down. Damon's back had a light burn, but the paramedics insisted on checking it. A nurse appeared at the door. "Mr. Chen? Mr. Ashford wants you." Kai followed her down the hall, legs unsteady. Damon sat on the exam bed, shirtless, chest wrapped tight in white bandages. His eyes looked empty, hollowed out. The nurse left them alone. "How bad?" Kai whispered. "Second-degree burns. They'll heal." Damon's voice came flat, like a machine. Kai sat beside him. "Talk to me. What are you feeling?" Damon let out a bitter laugh. "I don't even know." "Yes, you do." Silence stretched, thick and heavy. Then Damon broke it. "I killed my brother." "He killed himself. He hit the button." "Because I pushed him there." Damon's fists clenched. "I failed him twice—once when they took him, again when I saved you instead." "That's not—" "It's true." Damon's ga

  • Sheltered and Ruined in His Darkness    CHAPTER 27: The Ghost Returns

    “You’re his brother.”The words came out in a whisper. Shock first. Then fear.The man smiled. “Was his brother. Past tense.”He moved closer. Kai pressed himself deeper into the corner.“Damon said you were dead. That someone took you—”“Someone did.” The man’s eyes were cold. Empty. “But I came back. Changed.”Margaret moaned on the floor. She tried to get up. Her movements were weak.The man glanced at her. He made a small gesture.She slumped. Unconscious.“What did you do to her?” Kai’s voice shook.“She’s fine. Just sleeping.” He turned back to Kai. “We don’t have much time. Damon will figure out where we are soon.”“I’m not going anywhere with you.”“Yes, you are.” The man moved forward. He grabbed Kai’s arm.Kai pulled back—the grip was like steel.“Let go—”“Stop fighting. I’m not going to hurt you.”“Then what do you want?”The man’s face changed. For a moment, he looked almost human.“To show you the truth. About what my brother really is.”He pulled Kai toward the door.Ka

  • Sheltered and Ruined in His Darkness   CHAPTER 26: The Shadow That Remains

    He failed. I won’t.The words glowed on Damon’s phone screen.Kai stared at them. His hands wouldn’t stop shaking.“Who sent that?” he whispered.“I don’t know.” Damon’s voice was tight. “But we’re going to find out.”He sent the message to security and began typing commands.Kai sank onto the couch—his legs weak, his chest heavy.Aiden was in police custody. It should be over. He should be safe.But there was someone else. Still out there. Watching.“How many people want to hurt me?” The question came out broken.Damon stopped typing. He looked at him.“Not you. Me.” He sat beside Kai. “You’re a target because of me. Because I brought you into my life.”“So this is your fault?”“Yes.”The truth hurt more than any lie.“Then let me go,” Kai said. “If being with you makes me a target, I’ll leave. Find somewhere safe—”“No.” Damon’s hand closed around his wrist. “That won’t help. They know about you now. Leaving me won’t make you less of a target. It’ll just make you unprotected.”“So I

  • Sheltered and Ruined in His Darkness    CHAPTER 25: The Warehouse

    The old warehouse district was abandoned.Empty buildings. Broken windows. Streets so dark the lights had given up long ago.Damon’s car slowed to a stop. The engine died. Silence.“Last chance to stay in the car,” Damon said.Kai looked at him. “No.”“Kai—”“We do this together.” Kai’s voice was f

  • Sheltered and Ruined in His Darkness    CHAPTER 24: The Truth Between Them

    Kai didn’t sleep.He sat on the bedroom floor. His back against the wall. His knees pulled up to his chest.His phone was beside him. Silent. No messages from Damon.Morning light filtered through the window. Pale. Cold. Quiet.The apartment was too quiet.Footsteps finally—soft. Uncertain.A gentl

  • Sheltered and Ruined in His Darkness    CHAPTER 23: Inside the Walls

    I’m already inside.The words sat on Kai’s phone, staring back at him.His hands shook so badly he almost dropped it.He stepped back from the window, looking at every dark corner, every shadow in the room.Someone was inside. Not just the building—Damon’s apartment. Could be right there. Right now

  • Sheltered and Ruined in His Darkness    CHAPTER 22: The Enemy’s Invitation

    Glass crunched under Kai’s shoes.The apartment was chaos—cops everywhere. Margaret shouting into her phone. Police taping off the broken window. People rushing in and out.But Damon didn’t move. He was still holding Kai’s wrist. Too tight.“Damon,” Kai said quietly. “You’re hurting me.”Damon look

Bab Lainnya

Anda juga akan menyukai

Jelajahi dan baca novel bagus secara gratis
Akses gratis ke berbagai novel bagus di aplikasi GoodNovel. Unduh buku yang kamu suka dan baca di mana saja & kapan saja.
Baca buku gratis di Aplikasi
Pindai kode untuk membaca di Aplikasi
DMCA.com Protection Status