Page 130 of The Devil's Chaos

“You think I want revenge?” He snarled as he pressed the muzzle of the gun harder against Evelyn's temple. She whimpered and squeezed her eyes shut. “I want you to suffer, Haven. Or should I say, Aven? I want you to feel the same agony I felt when you left me. When you chose them over me!”

Tears streamed down my face as I met his wild, rage-filled eyes. “Then make me suffer. Torture me, kill me, punish me, do whatever you want to me. I’m the one that deserves your wrath. But please, let them go.”

Alex stared at me for a long moment, his eyes glinting with a manic light. Slowly, a cruel smile twisted his lips. “You're right, sis. They don't deserve a quick death.”

He lowered the gun from Evelyn's head, and she sagged in Bruno's grip, and a choked cry escaped her. Alex sauntered over to me and trailed the muzzle of the gun along my jaw almost tenderly. I fought the urge to recoil while I held his gaze steadily even as my heart pounded wildly in my chest.

“I'll make you a deal, Haven,” he purred, his breath hot against my ear. “I'll let your little friends live. For now. But in exchange, you belong to me. Completely. No more running, no more defiance. You will be the perfect, obedient little sister I've always wanted.”

I swallowed hard as bile rose in my throat at the thought of being under his control again. Of never being free of his twisted games and manipulations. But as my gaze flicked to Kai, to Archer, to the parents I never knew I had, I knew I had no choice. I would endure anything to keep them safe.

His eyes glinted maliciously. "Or you can make a choice. Right here, right now. You can save one of them—your lover, your real parents, or your long-lost twin. The rest die. So who's it going to be, Aven? Who matters most to you?"

I stared at him in abject horror. How could he expect me to make such an impossible, heartless choice? My heart felt like it was being ripped apart. Each one of them meant something to me and represented a piece of my fractured identity: Kai, the love of my life and the only man who showed me what real, selfless love looked like; Archer, the brother I always yearned for, a chance at a true familial bond untainted by cruelty; and Cassian and Evelyn, the promise of parental love and acceptance I had been denied all my life.

How could I possibly choose between them? Condemn three to death to save one? It was an impossible, sickening choice.

Alex watched me with sadistic glee as he reveled in my torment. “Tick tock, sis. Who’s it going to be? Better choose quick, or I might just kill them all.”

“Haven, pick me,” Cassian ground out through gritted teeth. “Save yourself and the others. I'm not worth it.”

“No!” Evelyn cried. “Take me! I just found you. I can't lose you again!”

Archer met my gaze, his expression grim but resolved. “Haven, it has to be me. I'm your brother. I won't let anyone else die in my place.”

Kai's eyes burned into mine, a silent plea in their depths. “Haven, don't do this. Not for me. Not for anyone.”

I met his gaze, my heart shattered even as I tried to convey all my love and resolve in that single look. “I have to,” I whispered. “I can't let him hurt you—any of you.”

“Muzzle them, please!” Alex ordered.

Bruno and Rocco shoved cloth in their mouths to silence any further protests.

Anguished sobs built in my throat as indecision paralyzed me. I swallowed back the bile that burned my throat. I knew what I had to do, the role I had to play. "I'll do it," I whispered brokenly.

“Do what?”

“I’ll belong to you. No more running. No more defiance. I’ll beyourperfect, obedient little sister.” The words tasted like ashes in my mouth, but I forced them out. “But first, you have to let them go. Please.”

Alex’s eyes gleamed with triumph and perverse satisfaction. He lowered his gun. “I knew you’d see reason, Haven. You’ve always been a smart girl despite your misguided attempts at rebellion.”

He circled me slowly as he trailed a finger along my shoulders. I fought the urge to shudder at his touch. “But you seedear sister, I've learned not to trust your word alone. No, I need proof of your sincerity. Of your obedience.”

A cold sense of dread settled in my stomach. I knew that tone, the cruel calculation in his eyes. He had something twisted planned, some sick test to break me.

“W—what do you want me to do?” I asked, my voice trembled despite my efforts to remain steady.

Alex smiled, a chilled, predatory expression. He stepped away and picked up a black leather case from a nearby table. “It's simple, really. You're going to show me, show all of them, who you truly belong to.”

He opened the case and pulled out a gleaming silver dagger, its blade wickedly sharp. My heart seized with fear as he pressed the handle into my palm and I curled my numb fingers around it.

“You're going to carve my initials into your flesh,” he purred, his breath hot against my ear. “Right over your heart. A permanent reminder of your devotion to me.”

I stared at him in horror. He couldn't be serious. This was madness, depravity beyond even what I thought him capable of. The dagger felt heavy and cold in my hand as Alex’s words sank in. He wanted me to mutilate myself, to brand my body with his initials as some sick proof of my loyalty and submission. I met his gaze while I searched for any shred of humanity, any hint of the brother I once thought I knew. But there was only madness reflected back at me, a twisted hunger that made my skin crawl.

“Alex, please,” I whispered, hating the tremor in my voice. “Don't make me do this. Haven't you hurt me enough?”

His fingers dug into my shoulders painfully as he leaned in close. “Hurt you? Oh no, dear sister. Everything I've done has been out of love for you. To protect you, to make you stronger. This?” He tapped the dagger. “This is your ultimate test of devotion. Proof that you belong to me, body and soul.”

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