Page 45 of The Devil's Chaos

“The Ceremony requires it. You know this.”

“Fuck The Ceremony. She’s mine and only mine,” he glared at me, gripping his chair's armrest.

He was serious about Mila. I had never seen him become so possessive over pussy since I’d known him. I was beginning to understand how he felt. I don’t know if I could share Haven, but I knew what The Ceremony required. Torn between love and duty. That’s not a decision I wanted to have to make.

“Look, man, I’ve seen the way you look at her, the way you touch her, the way you possess her in your mind. I think the mighty Archer King has finally met his match. While I would love to have a taste of that sweet pussy, if she’s the one, I think we can bend the rules this once, even if The Ceremony calls for us to share everything. At the same time, I saw what she did to that dumb redheaded slut to be with you. I don’t want Mila to bite my dick off if she is forced to do something she doesn’t want to do,” I let out a low laugh, shaking my head to ease the tension in the room.

“I know,” he sighed, rubbing his temples. “What do you propose?”

“Well, Archer King,” I began, grinning widely, “I propose we give Mila the choice. After all, it’s her vagina. For your sake, you better hope she says no because if she gets a taste of what Theo and I have to offer, we may not be able to keep her off us. She’ll follow us with her mouth open, begging for a taste of our baby gravy.”

I stood up, stretching my arms above my head. “Anyway, our daddies want us presentable for The Carnival of Love CharityEvent tonight. It might be a good time to make an appearance with your lady since her daddy is on our hit list.”

“Yeah,” he released a loud breath of air. “Have the men plan on doubling up security. I don’t want any surprises while we are there. With that shady fucker and his friends, you never know who else might be there planning to cause a scene.”

“You think The Collectors would be stupid enough to show their faces?”

“After we hit their warehouse, I’m not taking any chances. Her father’s a coward. I wouldn’t put anything past him. He would flaunt his power in front of us to see if we would break our agreement. And I’m not putting Mila in danger because of it.”

I nodded, understanding how serious the situations we always seemed to find ourselves in were. I was loyal to Archer despite keeping Haven a secret. He would be my king when his father stepped down, and if he asked me about her, I wouldn’t lie. It’s just that right now, I wanted to protect whatever this was between Haven and me. It just felt right. And if it wasn’t, at least I could get information from her that would help us bring her brother and her disgusting family down once and for all.

I left him there, deep in his thoughts, and prepared to make arrangements for tonight’s extravaganza, which I hoped was uneventful.

23

TWENTY-THREE

HAVEN

My brother's recovery was miraculously swift after his quarry and warehouse ordeal. It was so swift that I found myself in an evening gown, reluctantly attending The Carnival Of Love Charity Event to keep an eye on our business partners and enemies, as he put it. Yet, something felt amiss from the moment we arrived. His unusually warm demeanor toward me was a red flag I couldn't ignore. I nervously checked my makeup in the mirror, a sense of unease gripping my stomach.

The limo stopped in front of the venue, and my brother, always the gentleman, stepped out first and ascended the stairs, leaving me behind. But not without imparting his instructions; each word carried a weighty warning I couldn't ignore.

“Go and enjoy the party. Mingle with the guests. And remember, don’t embarrass our family.”

“Is that how you see me, brother? An embarrassment?” I challenged.

“Don’t start your shit tonight or?—”

“Or you’ll punish me,” I interrupted. “I am well aware of your tactics, big brother. And I’ll be on my best behavior, scoutshonor.” I held up my hand in a half-hearted salute to emphasize my sarcasm.

He rolled his eyes and ascended the stairs, leaving me to enter the event alone. Most people would be upset about being left behind, but honestly, the farther he was from me, the better.

I gathered the hem of my dark gray dress and gracefully exited the limousine. Tonight, I purposely chose a color that I hoped would allow me to blend in with the crowd and avoid standing out. The shimmery fabric hugged my curves and flowed into a flattering V neckline before cascading down to my feet. My hair was styled in an elegant braided crown, adorned with a delicate diamond headpiece woven into it.

Once I entered the venue, I maneuvered through fire breathers, scantily-clad belly dancers, and trapeze artists in tiny bodysuits flying through the air above our heads. Like many opulent events, no expense had been spared, and I planned on taking full advantage of the free-flowing champagne. If I had to attend this event, I might as well indulge in some liquid libations.

I mingled with the crowd, grabbing flutes of champagne off servers’ trays while watching in awe as the trapeze artists spun and twisted in the air, balancing on shoulders and doing shit that if they didn’t time their movements perfectly, they would come crashing to the ground. Eventually, I spotted Mila and Archer sitting at a table near the stage. Mila was downing glasses of champagne as if it were her day job. I scanned the table and saw Kai, another dark-haired man and a familiar-looking blonde.

Maddie?

No, it couldn’t be Maddie because she was head over heels for my brother, desperate for his attention. But there she was, sitting at a table with The Brotherhood like they were good friends.

“Oh my God,” I muttered under my breath.

My brother sent Maddie to get information, which is how he knew so much about The Brotherhood. Maddie was the blonde from the quarry—the one Kai fucked in front of everyone. He said he had people watching me. Was he talking about Maddie? That conniving little bitch. I had to be wrong about this because if I weren’t, that would mean she knew about Kai and me, and if my brother knew, I was a dead woman. He would have no qualms about burying me six feet under.

Feeling dizzy and nauseous, I sat at the bar to catch my breath. My phone started buzzing in my clutch, and it wouldn’t stop. With a sigh, I pulled it out and sawUnknown Callerflashing on the screen.

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