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홈 / MM Romance / Sheltered and Ruined in His Darkness / CHAPTER 9: The First Crack

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CHAPTER 9: The First Crack

작가: NONSO PEN
last update 최신 업데이트: 2025-11-28 14:29:35

“Did you see that yesterday? Mr. Ashford stood right in front of him.”

Kai kept his head down, walking faster. The whispers followed him.

“They’re definitely together.”

“No way. Mr. Ashford’s too cold for that.”

“Then why is he always protecting Kai?”

Heat rushed to Kai’s face. His locker felt miles away.

He couldn’t stop thinking about last night. The figure under the tree. That cold smile. Mr. Ashford’s hand on his arm. The fear in his voice.

Someone who should be dead.

He hadn’t slept. Every shadow felt dangerous. Every sound made him jump.

Now, at school, everyone was staring.

He yanked his locker open and shoved his books inside.

“Pathetic.”

Marcus was leaning against the lockers a few feet away. He was smirking.

“What?” Kai was too tired for this.

“You. Hiding behind a teacher. Can’t even fight your own battles.”

“Leave me alone.”

“Or what? You’ll tell your boyfriend?” Marcus stepped closer. “Everyone knows what’s going on. You’re sleeping with him.”

Kai’s hands curled into fist
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  • 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

    The nurse found Kai in the hallway, his hands still shaking. “Mr. Ashford is asking for you.”Damon sat on the edge of a hospital bed, shirtless. A white bandage wrapped around his back and chest. His eyes were empty.“How bad?” Kai asked, voice low.“They’ll heal,” Damon said. His words were flat, like a machine. “Second-degree burns.”Kai pulled a chair close. “Talk to me.”“About what?”“What you’re feeling.”Damon let out a sharp, ugly sound that was supposed to be a laugh. “I killed my brother.”“He pressed the button.”“Because I chose you.” Damon finally looked at him, his face haunted. “I drove him to it. I failed him twice. Once when he was taken, and again tonight. He was right about me. I’m selfish. Obsessive. And you need to leave before I destroy you, too.”The words cut deep. Kai stood up, anger burning through his fear. “Is that what this is? You’re running away?”“I’m protecting you.”“By pushing me out? That’s not protection. That’s guilt.” Kai stepped forward, forcin

  • 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 firm. “You don’t get to die protecting me alone.”Damon’s jaw tightened. But he stayed silent.They got out of the car. The cold hit them immediately—sharp. Biting.Margaret was parked in another vehicle with two guards. They watched.“Stay at the perimeter,” Damon ordered. “If I signal, you come in. Not before.”“Sir—”“That’s an order.”Margaret nodded reluctantly.Damon looked at Kai—his fingers came up and brushed his cheek.“Stay behind me. No matter what. Understand?”“Yes.”“Promise me.”“I promise.”Damon’s thumb stroked his cheek—then let go.They walked toward the largest warehouse. The door was slightly open. Dark inside.Kai’s heart raced. Every step felt wrong—like walking into a

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