THE DONS' PRIZE

LIA

The car was silent. On my right, Salve sat perfectly still, his eyes fixed ahead, his expression unreadable. Every inch of him was control. His body never shifted, his breathing never broke rhythm, as if he’d been carved from stone. On my left, Dimitri sprawled like a king on his throne, one arm draped along the seat behind me, his thigh brushing mine whenever the car jolted. He didn’t bother hiding the way his eyes roamed over me. Where Salve’s stillness suffocated, Dimitri’s heat burned.

I was trapped between winter and wildfire.

The city lights streaked past the tinted windows, flashing across their faces like fragments of some nightmare I couldn’t wake from. My stepmother’s laughter still echoed in my skull. Sold. Half a billion. A number bigger than I could comprehend. And here I was. A prize crammed into the back seat between two predators who had promised to share me.

I kept my eyes on my lap, nails digging into my palms. If I looked at them, I’d shatter.

No one spoke. Not until the car slowed and passed through iron gates taller than any house I’d ever seen. The sound of them closing behind us was like chains clamping shut around my throat. The mansion loomed at the end of a sweeping drive, its windows glowing like watchful eyes.

The car stopped. The driver hurried out and opened the door. Salve moved first. His shoes clicked against the gravel, each step deliberate. He didn’t even glance at me, but the command was clear: follow. Dimitri slid out next,his presence filling the night. As I tried to slip past, his hand brushed mine. My heart leapt. He smirked at my flinch, his eyes glinting like a wolf’s in the dark.

Inside, the air was colder. The marble floors gleamed under chandeliers that glittered like cages of diamonds. Men lined the hall, all in black suits, heads bowed. Not one looked at me. They looked only at Salve and Dimitri, like priests before gods. No one questioned why I was here. No one cared. I wasn’t a guest. I wasn’t family. I was property.

Salve stopped in the center of the hall and turned, his gaze slicing into me. “Name.”

My lips trembled. “L-Lia.”

“Age.”

“Nineteen.”

Dimitri’s laugh cracked through the silence. “Still a baby.” He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. His hand caught my chin, forcing me to lift my gaze to him. His eyes were darker up close, dangerous. “Smells like fear.”

I tried to pull away, but his grip held me fast. His thumb brushed the corner of my mouth, slow, deliberate.

“Don’t worry, kotyonok,” he murmured, voice rough velvet. “I’ll teach you pleasure before Salve freezes you with his rules.” My stomach twisted, but before I could react, Salve’s voice cut through.

“Enough.”

Two syllables. 

Dimitri held my gaze a moment longer, then released me with a mocking smirk. His eyes flicked toward Salve, the air between them sparking like live wires. I swallowed hard, my knees weak. Their rivalry was a storm I couldn’t escape.

Salve turned away first, dismissing the clash without a word. “You’ll stay here now. Under our protection. Under our rules.”

My throat burned, but the words slipped out before I could stop them. “What rules?”

His head tilted slightly, as if weighing my worth for daring to ask. His eyes pinned me in place. “Rule one: you do not run. Rule two: you do not lie. Rule three—”

“She doesn’t breathe without our permission,” Dimitri cut in, his grin sharp as broken glass.

Salve’s jaw tightened. He didn’t look at Dimitri, but the tension in the room thickened. I realized something then. Something terrifying. They were both obsessed with winning. Not just power. Not just money. Control. Over each other. Over me. Maybe if I could make them fight each other hard enough, I could survive the storm.  But for now, survival meant silence.

Salve turned his cold gaze back to me. “You’ll sleep between us tonight.”

A maid appeared, her eyes downcast, hands folded neatly. Without a word, she led us up a winding staircase. My heels clicked against the marble, echoing like chains in a dungeon.The bedroom she opened was vast. Bigger than the entire apartment I’d lived in with my stepmother. The walls were dark wood, the bed massive, its sheets black silk. A fire crackled in the hearth, throwing gold and crimson shadows across the room.

Dimitri walked past me first, tugging off his jacket and tossing it carelessly onto a chair. He sprawled back on the bed, his tie hanging loose, his smirk never fading. Salve entered quietly, setting his cufflinks on the dresser, his movements methodical, controlled. He removed his jacket and hung it with precision, his silence heavier than any shout. I stood frozen by the door, my chest tight, my legs trembling.

Salve’s eyes lifted to me. “You’ll change.”

The maid placed a silk nightgown on the bed and left without a sound. The door clicked shut, locking me in with them. Dimitri’s chuckle rolled through the room. “Go on, kotyonok. Don’t be shy. We’ve already paid for every inch of you.”

Heat flooded my cheeks. My throat closed. “I—I can’t—”

Salve’s voice sliced through, cold and final. “You will.”

Tears burned behind my eyes. My hands shook as I picked up the fabric. I turned, fumbling with the zipper of my dress, my back to them. I felt their eyes like fire and ice against my skin. When the dress slipped to the floor, my breath caught. I pulled the nightgown over my body, its thin silk whispering against my skin.

When I turned back, Dimitri’s grin was wide, hungry. Salve’s face was unreadable, but his gaze was sharper than a knife.

“Better,” Salve murmured.

“Perfect,” Dimitri growled.

I clutched the hem of the nightgown, trying to steady my shaking hands.

Salve gestured to the bed. “Lie down.”

My legs refused to move. Fear clamped around my chest like a vice.

Dimitri laughed softly and patted the mattress beside him. “Come, little rabbit. Don’t make me drag you.”

My pulse hammered so loud I could hear it in my ears. But I forced myself forward, step by step, until the silk sheets brushed against my legs.I lay down stiffly, staring at the ceiling.

The mattress dipped on either side of me. Salve to my right, Dimitri to my left.

Salve lay with his hands folded over his chest, his breathing even, his body still. But I knew he wasn’t sleeping. His control was a mask, his eyes behind closed lids calculating every move. Dimitri stretched out, his body heat bleeding into me. His arm brushed mine, deliberate, claiming. He let out a satisfied sigh, like a predator curling around its prey. Between them, I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.

I was their prize. Their possession.And as the firelight flickered across the room, painting shadows on the walls, I realized the truth that clawed at the edges of my mind.I was the storm they’d burn the world down for.