Page 135 of The Devil's Chaos

I was safe.

Safe.

The word felt foreign on my tongue. I had never truly known what it meant to feel safe, not with the constant threat of violence and abuse that hung over my head. But now, with Alex gone and The Brotherhood in my corner, I could finally begin to heal.

And right now, that meant sitting at a table in the back of the manor with my family—Kai, Archer, Mila, Cassian, Evelyn, Atlas, Aurora, Gage, Theo, and a sore butaliveWrenly.

Kai sat to my left, his hand resting on my thigh. Archer, my twin, and Mila were across from us, their eyes glued to each other. Cassian and Evelyn, my real parents, looked at me with a love I had never known before. Atlas and Aurora, my older siblings, laughed at something one of them had said. Gage is slowly warming up to the idea of Theo with his baby sister. And Theo whispered something in Wrenly’s ear that had her blushing.

Archer stood up and pulled Mila up with him as he clicked his fork against his champagne glass to get everyone’s attention. “We have an announcement to make,” he declared as a broad smile crossed his face. Mila beamed up at him, her eyes shone with adoration. “Mila and I are expecting!”

The table erupted into cheers and congratulations. I leapt to my feet and rushed over to embrace my twin and his fiancée. Tears of joy pricked at my eyes as I held them close, overwhelmed with the sheer happiness that radiated from them. As I pulled back, I caught Kai’s gaze. He grinned ear to ear, but there was another look there. One that you might miss if you weren’t looking for it.

“What’s that look on your face?” I asked him as I returned to my seat.

As I leaned in close, he whispered, “I guess I’ll have to work harder now.”

I looked at him, confused. “What do you mean?”

“I promised to fill you with babies.”

My cheeks flushed at his words—the thought of starting a family with him sent goosebumps through my body.

“We have all the time in the world.”

“Maybe. But I don’t like to lose.”

“Lose?”

“To Archer. We made a bet on whose swimmers would win first.”

“You made a bet on your sperm?” I asked while I tried to stifle my laugh.

“Fuck yes. And not often do I lose to anyone.”

I shook my head in amusement. “Leave it to you and my brother to turn procreation into a competition.” I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t suppress the grin that spread across my face. “So, tell me, what exactly are the terms of this bet?” I asked as I arched an eyebrow. “Do I even want to know?”

Kai chuckled, that devilish glint in his eye that always spelled trouble. “Let’s just say the loser has to name their firstborn after the winner. So, let’s hope you’re already pregnant; that way, we can have our own little Kai junior running around.”

I snorted. “In your dreams. I’m not letting you corrupt our future child before they’re even born.”

“Too late for that, baby girl.” He smirked as he pulled me closer. “You’re stuck with me now. No take backs.”

I gazed into his mesmerizing blue eyes, and I felt the depth of emotion that swirled within. After everything we’d been through, all the pain and darkness, somehow, this beautiful, damaged man had become my salvation. My heart.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way. I can't wait to make that a reality with you, Kai. To build a life and a family together.”

He smiled, and his eyes shined with a mix of love and mischief. “We can start practicing tonight,” he murmured while his hand slid higher up my thigh beneath the table.

I bit my lip to stifle a moan as desire coiled in my core at his suggestive touch. “Behave,” I chided playfully, though my voice's huskiness betrayed my growing need.

Kai chuckled softly, his breath tickled my ear. “Where’s the fun in that?” He nipped at my earlobe, and it sent shivers down my spine. “I think we both know misbehaving is our specialty.”

I turned to capture his lips passionately with not a care that we were in full view of our family. They’d understand. After all, we had a bet to win.

I suppressed a shiver as my skin tingled where his lips grazed my neck. Even after all this time, he could still turn me into a quivering mess with a single touch, a heated glance. And damn him, he knew it too.

Archer cleared his throat loudly.“Get a room, you two!” he called out as he grinned from ear to ear. “Some of us are trying to eat here.”

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