Chapter 6: a shared claim

A Shared Claim

Dmitri’s words, "Let's discuss the terms of your engagement," hung heavy and dark in the vast, silent penthouse. I was frozen between the two men, their presence overwhelming the massive room.

"I already agreed," I whispered, the surrender raw and humiliating. "I said I'd follow the rules. What more do you want?"

Ivan, who was blocking the door, tilted his head, his smile losing its charm and becoming something sharper, more predatory. "We want you to understand the spirit of the contract, Leo, not just the letter. The terms of engagement aren't merely about secrecy. They are about us. Our needs. Our control."

Dmitri stepped closer, forcing me back a step. His eyes were focused entirely on me, intense and unforgiving. "You are ours now, and that is a shared reality. We are a unified front, even in this. You belong to the Volkov Structure, and that structure is bound by twin rule."

I tried to stand my ground, crossing my arms defensively over my chest. "I understand the threat. I understand the shared... claim. But I need to know the practicalities. How does this work? Who decides when?"

"We decide," Dmitri stated simply. "We decide the time, the place, and the manner."

Ivan moved from the door, his steps slow and deliberate as he circled me. "You see, Leo, you spent years constructing a delicate wall of denial around yourself. We simply gave you permission to tear it down. We are two entry points to the same dark truth you ran from this morning. It doesn't matter who claims you first; the act itself is shared."

"You talk like I'm property," I choked out, hating the shame that tightened my voice.

Dmitri finally moved, his large hand reaching out, his fingers closing around my jaw. His touch was cold and absolute, pulling my face up until I had no choice but to meet his gaze. "You are property," he corrected, his voice a low, gravelly current that vibrated through my bones. "You are a highly valuable, highly desired asset. And assets are utilized."

He released me as quickly as he grabbed me, turning his attention to Ivan. The exchange was swift, silent, and completely unified, a terrifying non-verbal agreement passing between them.

"I will take the lead tonight," Dmitri announced, his decision final. "Ivan will observe and learn the points of failure."

Ivan gave a cool nod, a slight flicker of something almost proprietary in his eyes. "Be thorough, brother. Our asset must understand the gravity of his surrender."

I felt a surge of pure, cold panic. "Wait! Observe? What does that even mean? You’re just going to—"

Dmitri didn't let me finish. His physical presence was instantaneous, overwhelming my senses. He backed me against the cold marble wall, his body close, his heat a sudden, dangerous contrast to the chill of the stone.

"It means you have no control, Leo. None. You have signed over every right to object. Ivan watches because every reaction, every tremor, every moment of weakness, or pleasure, is data shared between us. He learns where your walls are weakest, so he can breach them later."

His face was inches from mine, his scent—smoke, leather, and something uniquely primal, clogging my throat. The initial terror of the betrayal was still there, but beneath it, a familiar, shameful heat began to stir, fueled by his dominance and proximity. I hated myself for the response.

"I hate you," I managed, the words thin and useless.

Dmitri’s lips curved into a cold, satisfied smirk. "Good. Hatred is a strong emotion. It binds you. Now, let's establish the claim."

He didn't rush. His movements were slow, deliberate, heavy with power. One hand came up, not to strike, but to settle firmly on my chest, right over my wildly hammering heart. The pressure was immense, a physical demand for stillness.

"You will stand still," he ordered, his eyes never leaving mine. "You will not object. You will only feel."

He began to lean in, his intention obvious, terrifying, and utterly consuming. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to build a fortress in my mind, a place he couldn't touch.

Dmitri let out a soft, mocking growl against my ear. "Open your eyes, Leo. This is not something you get to deny. Look at the man taking you, look at the brother watching."

I forced my eyes open. I met his gaze, saw the raw, demanding lust there. And over his shoulder, I saw Ivan. Ivan watched, detached, leaning against the wall, his own identical eyes dark with a cold, analytical interest. He looked less like a twin and more like a predator waiting for his turn.

Dmitri crushed his mouth against mine. It wasn't a tentative kiss; it was a devastating claim, heavy and final. There was no softness, only demand, pure dominance enforced through the physical act. He was reminding me, with the taste and weight of his mouth, exactly who was in control.

His hand left my chest, tracing a burning path down my side, settling on my hip and gripping tight. I tried to pull away, a small, involuntary movement of defiance, but he countered the movement instantly, pressing his large body harder against mine until I was pinned between him and the cold stone.

A low moan escaped my throat—a sound of shame, not pleasure. But the feeling, the sharp, overwhelming lust ignited by his dominance, was undeniable. I was losing the battle not just of will, but of instinct.

Dmitri pulled back an inch, breathing heavily. "You feel that, Leo? That heat? That quickened pulse? That is not hatred. That is us."

I couldn't answer. I could only gasp for air.

"You will be reminded, every time we touch you, that you are the one who sought this transgression," Ivan's voice cut in smoothly from across the room, the sound detached and clinical, yet somehow adding to the humiliating intensity. "We are simply facilitating your true nature."

Dmitri took command again. He moved one hand to the back of my neck, tilting my head, asserting ownership over every part of me. He pulled me into another long, consuming kiss, deeper this time, seeking, demanding a response. My hands, which had been pressed against his chest in futile resistance, slowly, reluctantly, clenched into the expensive fabric of his suit.

I hated that I was drowning, hated that I was responding. The shame was a wave, but the desire, fueled by the sheer, undeniable power of the man holding me, was a tidal pull.

When he finally released my mouth, I was dizzy, flushed, and panting.

"Get up," Dmitri ordered, his voice thick with satisfied dominance. He didn't wait for me to move. He took my wrist, pulling me roughly but surely toward the corridor.

"Where are we going?" I managed to ask, my throat raw.

"To finalize this," Ivan answered, pushing off the wall to follow, his gait easy and assured. "You need to learn that resistance is futile. Tonight, Leo, you belong entirely to us. And we are very demanding."

I had surrendered my will, and now, they were taking the physical proof. I was being led down a hall of shadows, deeper into their life, completely consume

d by the dark promise of the night.