All Chapters of Sheltered and Ruined in His Darkness: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Something was wrong.Kai opened his eyes. A strange smell hit him—sharp. Metallic. Like old coins and something rotten. It burned the back of his throat.The apartment was too quiet. No sound of Damon moving around. No smell of coffee.Just silence. Heavy. Wrong.He sat up slowly. He pulled his shirt on. His hands were shaking.The hallway felt longer today. Darker.Whispers came from the living room. Low. Urgent.Guards. Several.Kai’s heart raced as he moved closer.The door opened before he reached it. Not by him. By someone else.Damon stood there. His eyes were wild. His jaw was tight.He pulled Kai close suddenly. His hands moved over Kai’s shoulders, his arms, his face—checking for injury.“What happened?” Kai’s voice was small.“Stay close.” Damon’s voice was rough. Strained. “Don’t ask questions.”“Damon—”“Not yet.”Damon kept Kai close, his hand on his shoulder as they walked toward the door. Guards were already there.Looking at something on the ground.Margaret stepped as

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.Kai gasped for air. Panic squeezed his throat.He called Damon’s phone again. Straight to voicemail.“Damon, please,” he whispered into the phone. “Someone’s here. He says he’s inside. I don’t know what to do. Please call me back.”The apartment was too quiet. Too still.Every creak sounded like footsteps. Every shadow seemed to move.Kai grabbed a knife from the kitchen drawer. His shaking hands could barely hold it. He had never fought with a knife. He didn’t think he could.But he wouldn’t go down without trying.A sound. From down the hall.Soft. Deliberate. Footsteps.Kai’s heart stopped.The front door was locked. He had checked it—three times. But then… how?The bedroom. The balcony

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

“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

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