Page 121 of The Devil's Chaos

Before we could stop him, Theo ran back into the fray, dodged bullets and leapt over debris. Kai cursed under his breath, torn between going after his friend and getting me to safety.

“Kai, we have to help him,” I pleaded while my voice trembled.

He hesitated for a moment before he nodded, his jaw set with determination. “Stay close to me,” he ordered as he took my hand and led me back into the chaos.

We weaved through the panicked crowd, our eyes scanned for any sign of Theo or Wrenly. The air was thick with smoke and the metallic scent of blood. Gunfire continued to echo around us, accompanied by the wail of terrified guests.

Finally, we spotted them near the edge of the gardens. Wrenly was on the ground, her gold dress torn and stained with dirt and blood. Theo knelt beside her, his hands pressed against her abdomen. Even from a distance, I could see the dark red blood seeping between his fingers. Near them was the body of a man wearing Kevlar, dead from a gunshot wound to his head.

I recognized that armor.

“No, no, no,” Theo muttered, his voice cracked with desperation. “Stay with me, Wrenly. You're going to be okay.”

We rushed over to them and dropped to our knees beside Wrenly's weak body. Her face was pale, her breathing shallow and labored. Theo's hands were slick with her blood as he tried to stem the flow from the bullet wound in her stomach.

“What happened?” Kai demanded, his voice tight and concerned.

“She was shot,” Theo choked out, his voice raw with emotion. “She pushed me out of the way when the gunman aimed at me. She took the bullet meant for me.”

Tears streamed down his face as he cradled her head in his lap, pleading with her to stay with him. I swallowed hard to fight back my own tears as I assessed her wound. The bullet had struck her in the stomach, and she was losing blood fast.

Kai quickly shed his suit jacket to ball it up and pressed it against the wound. “We need to get her inside now,” he said urgently. “She needs medical attention.”

Theo nodded, his eyes never left Wrenly’s face. He scooped her up into his arms and cradled her against his chest as he rose to his feet. We flanked him on either side, Kai and I both scanned the area for any further threats as we made our way back to the manor.

Inside, the scene was one of controlled chaos. Those with medical training tended to the injured while the guards secured the building. We found Gage in the main hall, his hands and forearms covered in blood as he triaged the wounded.

When he saw Theo carrying Wrenly's limp form, his face drained of all color. He rushed over, “Wrenly! Oh god! What happened? What did you do?”

Theo’s voice was strained as he gently laid her down on a nearby sofa. “She was shot. In the stomach. She…she took a bullet for me.”

Gage immediately went into doctor mode and pushed aside his personal anguish to focus on saving his sister’s life. He barked orders at nearby staff to bring medical supplies as he quickly assessed her condition.

I stood back, my heart in my throat, as I watched Gage and Theo work frantically to stop the bleeding. Kai’s arm was tight around my waist, anchoring me as the severity of the situation crashed over me in waves.

Across the room, I caught sight of Archer and Mila. They were both disheveled and bloodstained but thankfully appeared unharmed. Archer held Mila close, his eyes scanned the room as if daring any further threats to emerge. Atlas and Aurora were nearby and spoke in low, urgent tones with the head of security.

The manor was a hive of activity as more injured were brought in and treated. Gage remained focused on Wrenly, his brow furrowed in concentration as he worked to extract the bullet and repair the damage. Theo never left her side, his hand clutched hers like a lifeline.

The sound of gunfire had ceased outside, but the manor was still in a state of terrified confusion. Archer and Mila made their way to us.

“Are you both alright?” Mila asked. Her voice trembled as she looked us both over.

“We’re okay,” Kai assured her.

“Oh my god. This is a nightmare. Who would do something like this? On our rehearsal dinner of all nights?”

Archer’s jaw clenched as he surveyed the chaotic scene. “I don’t know. But I intend to find out. This was a targeted attack. Those men were heavily armed and trained.”

A cold chill ran down my spine at his words. He was right. This wasn’t some random act of violence. Someone had planned this, had wanted to hurt the Kings and their loved ones. And I knew exactly who it was.

50

FIFTY

HAVEN

“What do you mean you recognize their armor?” Archer questioned.

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