CHAPTER 197: TAKE WHAT YOU LOVE...

[ Parallel realm...Karl’s twisted world...continued ]

Karl leaned in, his breath cold against Kieran’s ear, fingers twisting into his forelock with a vicious grip.

"Let me show you something, brother."

A shudder ripped through Kieran’s body...not from the pain, but from rage at the way Karl’s voice slithered into his skull...oily...invasive. Then, his vision twisted.

A scream tore through...Autumn’s.

Kieran’s head snapped towards the sound, his vision warping, reality peeling back like layers of rotting skin.

This new vision,Kieran had seen before...it was like in that mirror... that fucked up mirror Roanoke had given him...

And there she was...his Autumn...Pinned beneath Karl.

Her wrists trapped above her head, her body arching...not in struggle...but in something far worse...

"No!!Karl! I will kill you..." Kieran snarled, but the vision didn’t stop. It pulsed, deepening, forcing him to witness every second.

Karl’s mouth dragged down her throat, teeth scraping the spot where she ached to be marked, and Autumn...moaned.

A soft, breathy moan...one Kieran knew too well...one that had only ever been for him... Or so he thought... unmistakable... the one she made when she was touched at the soft spots...

Her lashes fluttered, lips parting as Karl’s hands roamed, as his hips pressed flush against hers... pulling her close...

"Stop it," Kieran growled, but his voice was distant, useless.

Karl chuckled against Autumn’s skin. "Look at her, Kieran. She likes it...don’t you my pretty little thing?"

She didn’t answer but her fingers tangled in Karl’s hair, her back lifting off the ground, chasing his touch like she was starving for it.

" Autumn!!! Autumn, listen to me... Autumn, look at me... Autumn!!!! " Kieran shrieked, still dangling, still swinging on one finger.But his voice didn’t seem to reach Autumn’s ears.

She was lost...her eyes half sultry, half shut, her body heaving...and then she flipped Karl, pushing him back...now she was on top.

Riding him.

Her head thrown back, sweat glistening on her collarbones, her breath coming in broken gasps.

"Karl..." That name on her lips didn’t fit. Kieran knew she didn’t even know that name, the person... yet everything felt so real...

Kieran’s stomach turned to lead.

No. No!!! This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be.

But the vision shifted again before he could claw his way free.

He saw fire...A ring of it, blazing high, trapping Autumn inside.

She was on her knees, naked, her belly swollen, her face contorted in agony.

"Kieran!" she shrieked, hands clutching at the earth beneath her. "KIERAN, HELP ME..."

She was in labor.Their babies were coming... it was that time...

Her thighs trembled, slick with blood, sweat and other body fluids.Her screams tore through the air like shattered glass.

Kieran couldn’t even thrash against Karl’s hold properly. His legs were swinging, that finger was almost numb from holding on for so long..."LET HER GO!" His roar was raw! " Let my Mate go, Karl! You are going to pay dearly... "

" I have already paid with my life, big brother! Did you forget? I have nothing else to lose!" Karl only tightened his grip, forcing Kieran to watch.

" Karl! It was not how you think it was... I loved you more than anything... I still love you... you don’t have to do this... we can talk... this isn’t your, Karl... you are better than this... "

"Shhh," Karl murmured, lips brushing Kieran’s temple. "You don’t want to miss the best part."

A final, gut wrenching cry echoed through the landscape...and the first baby slipped into Autumn’s waiting hands.

Then the second.

Tiny, writhing things, their cries weak but alive.

Autumn panted, her arms shaking as she cradled them against her chest.

For one fragile second, relief flooded Kieran.

He heaved and then even smiled like a fool!

But then Autumn stood up abruptly.

Her eyes were empty.Her face was wrong. Her grip on the babies, her hold faltered...

Kieran’s breath hitched.

She stepped towards the fire, clutching them clumsily.

No!!!

She lifted the first child with one arm.

"Autumn, DON’T..." Useless!!! Too late...

She dropped him into the flames.

The infant’s wail cut off in an instant, the fire hissing as it devoured tender flesh.

Kieran’s heart stopped.He completely stopped struggling...

Autumn didn’t react.

She lifted the second.

Dropped her too... emotionless... merciless...

"NO!" Kieran roared, trying to surge forward only to slip back further...but Karl yanked him back, laughing.

"What’s your hurry, big brother? You are eventually going to die...but unlike me, you won’t be coming back! I will make sure of that..." Karl whispered, his voice dripping with delight. "And your mate is mine now. In every way that matters."

The fire crackled, the stench of burning flesh was getting unnaturally thick in the air!!!

Kieran’s vision blurred.

His body shook.His soul screamed.

But Karl wasn’t done.

"Now," he purred, fingers digging into Kieran’s scalp, "let’s talk about what comes next."

Kieran’s pulse thundered in his ears. The heat from the fire licked at his face even though he knew...he knew very well that this wasn’t real.

And yet... every hiss of flesh in flame, every tiny pop, felt like it was searing him from the inside out.

Karl leaned forward, the sick amusement in his voice almost sing song. "What’s next... is the part where you stop pretending you are strong...and give up..."

"I will kill you for real this time...," Kieran rasped, teeth bared. "Karl! I said stop this or I..."

" Why are you so obsessed with killing me over and over again? I am curious to know how you still justify making these threats? By the way, do enlighten me,big brother...how are you going to stop me from taking the only thing you have ever loved?" Kieran tried to jerk free, but Karl yanked him forward until their foreheads almost touched.

His brother’s breath smelled like soil that had been dug up just to release the rot.

" You took your opportunity,got me out, took everything from me...everything...and now I will return the favour, big brother. I will pull her away from you, piece by piece, until she looks at you the way she just looks at me now..."

"She will never..."

"Oh, she already has," Karl whispered, and the world shifted again.

The fire vanished. The cliff beneath Kieran’s boots steadied.

And there was Autumn...naked, flushed, pressed against Karl’s chest, her head tilted back as if surrendering to him completely. Her lips moved against Karl’s throat, but her eyes... her eyes locked on Kieran.

Not pleading.

Not afraid.

Just empty.Kieran’s gut twisted. "Stop this madness..."

Karl didn’t. His hand slid up Autumn’s spine in the vision, tilting her head so that her mouth hovered over his.

"She is not yours anymore, brother," Karl murmured into Kieran’s ear, even as the image played on...