All Chapters of CLAIMED IN THE DARK : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Cove’s eyes darkened. “Oh, I will.”Before Eli could say another word, Cove grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the bedroom. Eli tried to yank away but Cove’s grip was too strong.“Let go!” Eli said. “What the hell are you doing?”“Teaching you,” Cove answered. “You sabotaged my work. Now you pay for it.”He dragged Eli down the hall into a different room. This one had almost no furniture just a large bed with black sheets and a small table with some things on it. Cove pushed Eli inside and locked the door behind them.“Take off your clothes,” Cove ordered.Eli crossed his arms. “No. Fuck you.”Cove stepped closer. “You can take them off or I’ll rip them off. Choose.”Eli glared at him for a long moment, then pulled the t-shirt over his head. He shoved down the sweatpants and stood there naked, trying to look defiant.“On the bed,” Cove said. “Lie on your back.”Eli climbed onto the bed slowly. “This is bullshit. One little sabotage and you’re acting like I killed someone.”Cove pic

Eli woke up slowly the next morning. The bed felt too soft and warm. He opened his eyes and saw the blanket Cove had pulled over him last night. The room was bright with daylight coming through the windows.Cove wasn’t there.Eli sat up and looked around. “Cove?” he called out. No answer.He got out of bed and pulled on the gray t-shirt and sweatpants from yesterday. “Hello? Anybody here?”Nothing. The penthouse felt quiet.Eli walked to the bedroom door and tried the handle. It opened. He stepped into the hallway, surprised.“Cove, you here?” he shouted. “If this is a trap, it’s a stupid one.”He waited. Still no answer.“Guess you trust me enough to walk around now,” Eli muttered. “Or maybe you’re just watching on those cameras.”He started walking through the penthouse. The place was huge. Big open living room with expensive black couches and giant windows showing the whole city.“Wow,” Eli said to himself. “This is ridiculous. Who needs this much space?”He walked over to the windo

 “You were never safe with your brother.” Eli stared at Cove. “What the hell does that mean? Tell me. Right now.” Cove stayed quiet. “Answer me!” Eli shouted. “You’ve been watching me for months, you have folders of my photos, and now you drop this bomb and say nothing? What did Marco plan to do with me?” Cove just looked at him. No words. Eli stepped closer, breathing hard. “Talk! You owe me that much. Why was I never safe? What was he going to do? Sell me? Use me? Kill me? Say something!” Silence. “Goddamn it, Cove!” Eli slammed his hands on the desk. “You can’t keep doing this. You can’t drop pieces of truth and then shut down. I deserve to know!” Cove moved fast. He grabbed Eli by the front of his shi

Cove stepped closer again. “You almost breached my system, Eli. That’s not nothing.”Eli swallowed. “So what are you going to do about it?”Cove’s eyes were cold with anger. “I’m going to remind you who owns this penthouse. And who owns you.”Eli backed up a step. “Cove, wait. I was just”“Shut up,” Cove snapped. He grabbed Eli’s arm and pulled him down the hallway toward the punishment room. “I gave you freedom to walk around and you immediately tried to run.”Eli tried to pull away. “Let go! I was alone for two hours. What did you expect?”“I expected you to start learning,” Cove growled. “But you’re still fighting me.”He pushed Eli into the room and slammed the door. “Clothes off. Now.”Eli crossed his arms. “No. I’m not doing this again.”Cove grabbed the front of Eli’s shirt and ripped it open. Buttons flew. “You don’t get a choice today. You tried to escape. That’s serious.”Eli shoved at Cove’s chest. “You left me here! I’m not your dog that waits quietly.”Cove pushed him tow

Eli kept staring at the black silk blindfold in the box. “You really think giving me this is going to fix anything?”Cove sat down on the bed again. “It’s not supposed to fix everything. It’s supposed to help you face it. On your terms. With me.”Eli closed the box. “I don’t know if I can do this. After everything that happened yesterday… I still feel messed up.”Cove nodded. “I know. That’s why we go slow today. No punishment. No anger. Just us.”Eli looked at him. “You say that, but you’re still you. You still like control.”“I do,” Cove admitted. “But I also want you to get better. The fear controls you right now. I want to change that.”Eli bit his lip. “What exactly are you thinking?”Cove picked up the blindfold. “We start with this. I put it on you. Lights stay on at first. I stay right here. We talk. You tell me how you feel. If it gets too much, you say the word ‘red’ and everything stops.”Eli’s hands tightened on the box. “Red? Like a safe word?”“Yes,” Cove said. “Your saf