Page 27 of The Devil's Chaos

Ihave no recollection of the drive back to my apartment. It was as if my body was on autopilot, and before I knew it, I was already inside the penthouse. Time slipped away from me like a thief in the night. I unlaced my boots and kicked them haphazardly across the floor in my foyer. My mind was in a haze as I stumbled around, my body moving on autopilot. My feet carried me into my bedroom, where I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I was unrecognizable. My bare skin was coated in dried blood in a gruesome display, and my once-white skirt was now a deep shade of crimson—stained with Delilah’s blood.

Fueled by alcohol and desperation, I collapsed onto my balcony chair, half a bottle of whiskey already coursing through my veins. The familiar burn of a cigarette filled my lungs as I took long drags, waiting for Alex to arrive and punish me for my behavior tonight.

Maybe I’d be passed out and wouldn’t feel the pain he was sure to inflict on me.

Lightning flashed in the distance, illuminating the dark clouds rolling closer, but all I could feel was the searing heat of the liquor inside me. Bring on the pain, I thought bitterly, asthe storm raged on around me, mirroring the chaos within me, thunder roaring, and the wind howling.

I felt him before I saw him. His presence consumed every room he was in. The potent mix of sandalwood and spice, laced with the sharp tang of tobacco, reached out to me like a suffocating blanket. Yet, strangely enough, there was a twisted comfort in his scent. A solace in knowing my brother didn’t kill him.

“You’re alive?” I slurred, taking another long drink.

“It would take more than a couple of your brother’s roided out bodyguards to take me out,” he answered behind me.

“Well, I guess that’s lucky for you. Or maybe not. I guess time will tell.”

I slowly turned around, my eyes searching for the man who dared to confront me. My room was dimly lit, and his silhouette was obscured in the shadows. He stepped closer, his movements fluid and confident, and as the lightning flickered overhead, his face became clear to me, everything else around us distorted by the alcohol I’d had. His eyes were pools of endless darkness, seemingly containing every emotion known to man. I looked away, taking another swig of whiskey, trying to shield myself from the emotion stirring within me. I could feel his intense gaze burning into me, causing my skin to prickle and my heart to race.

He took a step closer, and his eyes scanned over my bloodied body with a chilling calmness. I didn’t know if it was the alcohol causing me to see things, but there was the slightest shift in his expression, gone as quickly as it had come. “Is that your blood?”

I scoffed. “As much as I wish it were…unfortunately, it belongs to yet another victim of my brother’s cruelty and lust for power.”

Kai studied me with an unreadable look, and I assumed he was trying to make sense of the scene in front of him. I’m suremy appearance was shocking, but was it shocking to someone like him?

“Why are you here?” I managed to choke out through gritted teeth.

“You know why,” he replied coolly.

I laughed bitterly, feeling the weight of all my past and present traumas bearing down on me. “Ah, yes. My dear brother, right? The one thing we can always bond over.”

I stood up, unsteadily squaring up to him. The sky opened up above us and drenched us in cold rain. I closed my eyes, letting the rain cleanse me. When I opened them, my drunken emotions poured out of me. “I forgot the only thing I’m good for is being used. Whether it’s by my brother, my father, their pervert business associates, and nowyou…” With all the strength and anger pent up inside me, I shoved at his chest with all my might. “That’s all I am to you…to everyone. Just a puppet to be manipulated. You won’t stop until you’ve all taken everything from me. Until I am nothing. Just a dried-out husk, forgotten in the wind.” My words echoed off the stone walls, and my chest heaved wildly as the rain soaked me, washing the dried blood off me and creating red tendrils on the stone floor beneath me.

I pushed past him, shoving my shoulder into his chest as I passed him. He didn’t flinch or back away. Instead, he grabbed my wrist with a fierce grip and pulled me back toward him. His face had an unusual expression, one that looked dangerously likedesire.

Pulling me close, he whispered in a low voice, “You’re so much more than that.”

And for a brief moment, I believed him. Until reality crashed back down on me, and I remembered the blonde he had on all fours at the quarry.

“Fuck you.” I spat, yanking my wrist out of his grip and storming back into my bedroom, fully committed to making itto my bathroom. My legs trembled from the alcohol, but I’d be damned if I let myself look weak in front of him. Unfortunately, the bottle of whiskey coursing through my veins had other plans, causing my legs to stumble and give way beneath me. I braced for impact, but instead found myself being hoisted up by his powerful arms and placed on the cold porcelain toilet. My eyes widened as he peeled off my soaked socks, tossing them carelessly onto the pristine marble floor. Without a word, he turned on the shower, filling the bathroom with steam, suffocating me in its thick weight as he prepared to cleanse me of my sins.

“Lift your hips,” he instructed. “Put your hands on my shoulders if you need to.”

I hesitated for a moment, the alcohol making me unsure if I had any control left. But, as if sensing my apprehension, he gently guided my hips up and placed my hands on his broad shoulders. The blood that had stained my white skirt was now brown, the wet fabric sticking to my skin as he pulled it down my toned legs.

“Your top. Are there buttons in the back?”

“Aw, you were doing so well with my skirt.” I ran my fingers underneath the spandex material of my crop top and lifted it over my head, baring myself to him. I stood up, using the sink to keep me upright. “Is this what you came here for? To get me naked, just like everyone else?”

He looked at me and smirked, slowly stepping closer. His gaze never left mine as he reached out and gently held my cheek, his fingers tracing my jawline. “I came here because you kissed me.” He pulled back slightly, his eyes softening as he added, “But for now, you need a shower.”

I hesitated, remembering I had kissed him before he left to help Archer. I shivered, my body cold from the rain, yet on fire from the electricity crackling through the air around us.

He leaned in closer, his lips inches from mine. I could feel the heat of his breath as he whispered, “Now, please do us both a favor and get in the shower.”

I nodded, too shocked to object, and stepped into the hot water. As it cascaded over me, washing away the dirt and grime of the past few days, I couldn't help but feel vulnerable. My eyes briefly met Kai's as he stood by the shower door, watching me intently. His outline was barely visible in the steamy haze, but his eyes never left me. He leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest, and watched me as I scrubbed myself clean, my skin turning red from the heat of the water and thoughts of him watching me naked.

As the blood and dirt washed away, my skin revealed bruises and scars that dotted my body. A part of me longed for him to reach out and touch me, to comfort me. To take away the pain I was feeling, even for only a while. Physical touch healed wounds we ourselves didn’t even know existed.

I don’t know when the first tear rolled down my cheek. I only remembered the dam breaking, releasing the pain bubbling below the surface, waiting for the perfect storm to be freed. I felt his warmth behind me as his strong arms wrapped around me. He pulled me to him, and I realized he was still fully clothed. Sobs wracked my body as I clung to him, begging him to hold me up because my soul was tearing in front of him—a stranger. Someone I didn’t even know if I could trust. His body was warm and solid against mine, his heart beating in sync with my every breath.

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