Page 59 of The Devil's Chaos

Archer stood up straight, his gaze piercing as he looked at each of us. "Then it's settled. We strike at dawn. Damion, make the necessary arrangements. Kai, Theo—get some rest. You're going to need it."

“Let the games begin,” I chuckled.

As we filed out of Archer's office, I couldn't shake the unease that settled in my stomach. This was the calm before the storm, the deep breath before the plunge. Everything was about to change, and I wasn't sure if I was ready for it.

“You good?” Theo asked as I stood outside the door, waiting for Archer.

“Yeah. I need to talk to him about The Ceremony, not the other stuff,” I lowered my voice.

“Okay, man. I’m going to get some sleep. I’ll get with you later.”

Theo walked away, and I remained outside the door. When Archer came out, I followed him.

“The Ceremony is tomorrow night. Have you talked to Mila about it?”

“I’m not sharing her,” he scoffed like the idea was unfathomable.

I understood his sentiment, but we were bound by the rules of our fathers.

“You’ve never had a problem with it before.”

“That was before Mila,” he snapped.

“You still have to be honest with her. She deserves that.” I hadn’t meant for my tone to be so condescending. The thoughtof sharing Haven made me equally angry, but I couldn’t tell him that.

Not yet.

“Don’t fucking tell me what she deserves. You don’t know the first thing about her.”

He wasn’t wrong.

“Calm down. I’m just trying to uphold the legacy of our ceremony. The Brotherhood comes first, you know that. If our fathers caught wind that you were showing favoritism toward her, do you know what would happen?”

“I know,” he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

“But do you?” I paused. “Because you’re not being smart, parading around with Mila like she’s above The Brotherhood. Your father may look the other way, but mine and Theo’s won’t. We are only here by their mercy. We move when they order us to. We respect their traditions, and we never question their commands.”

Who am I trying to convince? Archer or me?

“Goddamn it, Kai! Mila is above The Brotherhood. She’s above you, me, the whole fucking legacy!” he yelled before he slammed me against the wall.

I deserved that.

I was a fucking hypocrite.

I was lecturing him about the rules of The Brotherhood, but if I were in his shoes, I would feel the same way. It’s not that I didn’t trust Archer and Theo. Because I did, with my life. However, there was something about Haven that set me on fire. Even thinking of her being with anyone else made me furious. That’s why I went up to that hotel room. I knew Haven would do what she was told to do because she was afraid that her brother would make good on his promise to end my life. Maybe he would. Or perhaps I’d get to him first. Either way, I wasn’t scaredof death. Death comes for everyone. Iwasscared of leaving her though.

I could see the conflict that Archer carried: the struggle to do what was required, and the primal urge to protect the one who brought life to our souls.

“To you, she is,” I started. “But do you think they care? Will you be able to watch all of them take her in front of you? She will be passed around like a toy to show you whoyoubelong to. They won’t stop until she’s broken, and you know it. She may be above all of this, but you aren’t. You chose to bring her into our world and knew the price she would pay. I’m trying to protect her, too, even if you’re too blinded by your feelings to see the truth.”

Archer studied me for a moment as my words settled over him before he released his hold on me. He knew I was right, but I didn’t want to be at that moment. I spoke to him about responsibilities when I was not free from those same responsibilities. My father, Asher Montgomery, was a stickler for rules. Hell, he was the police commissioner of New York City. As his son, there were certain expectations that I was charged with following, but I had never been the greatest at following the rules.

“I’ll talk to Mila,” Archer finally said. “But if anything happens to her…”

“We’ll do everything in our power to keep her safe,” I interjected. I wondered if, when the tables turned, he would be as inclined to do the same for Haven. “Just remember our duty. Our loyalty lies with The Brotherhood above all else. But my loyalty lies with you. Theo and I are withyou.I just want to make sure you are prepared for the consequences if you defy our fathers.”

With that, I left him standing there and headed down the hall. Back in my room, I stripped off my clothes and stepped into the scalding hot shower, letting the water cascade over mytense muscles. My mind raced with thoughts of the impending operation, of the risks we were about to take. But above all, my thoughts kept circling back to Haven. Her fiery spirit, her resilient soul—she was unlike anyone I had ever met. And now, with the weight of The Brotherhood’s expectations bearing down on us, I feared for her safety more than ever.

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