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CHAPTER 21: The Rival’s First Move
publish date:
2025-12-10 04:33:46
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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 16: His Eyes on You
Kai woke up slowly.Sunlight filtered through unfamiliar curtains. The bed was too soft. The sheets were too warm.Not his bed. Damon’s.He looked to the side.Damon was sitting on the edge of the bed. Still fully dressed. His tie was loose. His clothes were wrinkled.His eyes were fixed on Kai.He
Sheltered and Ruined in His Darkness CHAPTER 15: The Voice Behind the Door
Kai stared at the ceiling.Sleep wouldn’t come. Every time he closed his eyes, he heard Damon’s words. Rough. Low. I’ve killed before. I’ll kill again. For you.The apartment was too quiet.Kai was used to hearing footsteps. Damon pacing the hall. Checking doors. Watching.Tonight—nothing.Just sil
Sheltered and Ruined in His Darkness CHAPTER 14: The Stranger in the Shadows
Kai barely slept.Every time he closed his eyes, he heard the words. Leave your door open.He sat and stared at the lock for hours. He reached for it a dozen times. He pulled his hand back each time.Finally, exhaustion won. He passed out, still dressed, on top of the bed.Morning light filtered th
Sheltered and Ruined in His Darkness CHAPTER 13: The Door You Shouldn’t Open
Kai opened his eyes, confused about where he was.The ceiling was wrong. Too bright. Too clean.Then he remembered. Mr. Ashford’s house. The break-in. The message.He sat up slowly. Everything was too quiet. Too still.He hadn’t woken up in the middle of the night. He hadn’t checked the locks. For
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