The words hit me hard. Stepmother. Alliance. Goodwill gesture. They felt like punches in the cold, empty air. Lyra Volkov stared at me, her eyes sharp, like a queen looking at a worthless piece of a game.
Then, the twins moved in.
Jax, the icy one, stepped close first. His metal arm reached out, his cold fingers brushing the skin above my tied wrists. A hot spark shot through me at his touch. Not pain, but something wild, something new. It scared me.
His dark eyes, usually so hard, opened a little wider for just a second. A flash of shock crossed his face before he hid it.
Koda moved at the same time, grabbing my other arm. The spark hit again, stronger, burning. His breath caught, a deep growl rumbling in his chest. His eyes glowed red, the color getting brighter.
They both felt it. Whatever this thing was.
They stayed quiet, their grips tightening as they pulled me out of the room. Their touch felt hot, heavy, like they owned me. It was dangerous.
We walked through shiny metal hallways that looked like the inside of a machine. The walls reflected our twisted shapes. Glowing lines on the floor pulsed like fake blood veins. The silence was thick, broken only by the soft buzz of their robotic parts and my uneven breaths.
My thoughts spun. Stepbrothers. Sold. Trapped. And now this weird, scary energy buzzing between us.
They stopped at a smooth metal door. It slid open, showing a room that looked like a prison. Gray walls, a single chair stuck to the floor, bright lights above. No windows. No way out.
Jax let go of my arm and started walking around me, like a hunter watching prey. His eyes studied me, cold and sharp. A small sound came from his robotic arm as it scanned me, probably some expensive tech worth thousands.
"Interesting," he said, his voice low and deep. "Cyber parts not normal. Model X-07. Old maker, but the energy readings are way too high. Beyond anything recorded."
His eyes locked on mine, cold logic mixing with something dark, something hungry. He knew my tech was rare. Worth a lot.
Koda stood still, his fists opening and closing. The wild energy coming from him grew stronger. He stepped close, too close, until I could feel the heat from his enhanced body.
"Who are you, really?" he growled, his voice rough. "Forget the Serpent Coil lies. Why did Thorne hide you? Why are you worth five million credits, little courier?"
The air felt electric. This bond, whatever it was, pressed down on me, heavy and hard to breathe through. I felt trapped, my own tech useless against the ties on my wrists.
Suddenly, Koda lost it. With a deep, angry roar, he rushed at me. His hands grabbed my shoulders, spinning me and slamming me against the cold metal wall. The hit shook me hard.
His face was so close, his eyes burning with rage and a deep, raw hunger. "Mine," he hissed, and his lips crashed into mine.
It wasn’t just a kiss. It was a takeover. Rough, fierce, unstoppable. His teeth scraped my lip, a sharp sting as blood welled up, the taste sharp on my tongue. His tongue pushed in, hot and demanding, taking over every inch of my mouth. One hand gripped my hair, pulling hard, forcing my head back as my body arched against the wall. His other hand slid down, grabbing my hip, yanking me tight against his rock-hard frame, letting me feel every inch of his need pressing into me.
My mind spun. Fear fought with this strange, burning pull, a heat I didn’t want but couldn’t stop. I pushed against him, but his cyborg strength held me like steel.
"Control yourself, Koda," Jax’s voice sliced through the fog, sharp and firm. He stepped in, grabbing Koda’s shoulder.
But the smell of my fear, my blood, the wild rush of this fated bond, it broke him too. Jax breathed in deep, his own walls cracking. The hungry look in his eyes matched his brother’s. Instead of pulling Koda off, his hand slid down Koda’s arm, then to me. His cold metal fingers grazed my waist, sending a fiery jolt straight through my core.
Koda growled, a sound of pure possession, but didn’t stop. Jax pressed in closer, trapping me between them. Their heat, their strength, their matching, overwhelming scents drowned me in that tiny room.
Jax’s lips found my neck, his teeth sinking in just enough to make me gasp, a sharp, delicious pain that sent shivers down my spine. Not breaking skin, but marking me, claiming me with his twin. His robotic hand tore at my thin dress, the fabric ripping like paper. Cool air kissed my bare skin, only to be replaced by the searing heat of his touch.
They moved together, a perfect, terrifying rhythm driven by raw need. Koda’s brutal kiss grew deeper, hungrier, while Jax’s hands roamed, tracing every curve of me with a ruthless, teasing precision. My fight faded, overwhelmed by their force, the thick, heady scent in the air, the wild signals sparking through my body.
The ties cut into my wrists as they held me tighter. Koda finally pulled back from the kiss, breathing hard, leaving my lips sore and swollen. He buried his face in my neck, teeth grazing my skin, sending electric tingles everywhere, while Jax’s focus dropped lower. His fingers, so exact, so knowing, slipped under the waist of my pants, finding the aching, wet heat between my thighs.
I gasped, a mix of shame and burning want twisting inside me. He didn’t hold back, his touch both calculated and possessive, stroking slow circles that made my knees weak, drawing out every shudder as he watched my face, feeding off my reactions, using this bond to drive me wild.
Koda lifted his head, eyes dark with satisfaction and a hint of rivalry as he watched Jax’s hand work me. He reached down, grabbing Jax’s wrist, not to stop him, but to push his fingers deeper, harder, guiding him to unravel me completely, their shared control making my body tremble with forbidden heat.
It was raw, untamed, a deep invasion of pure instinct and power. They didn’t ask. They took. Testing their new prize, their fated mate, in the most intimate, scorching way, right there on the cold floor of this stark room.
My mind broke apart. Torn between disgust and the undeniable, body-shaking pull. Tears rolled down my cheeks, hot and quiet.
Then, suddenly, Jax stopped. His control snapped back, though his breaths came rough, his eyes still dark with want. He pulled Koda away with him, the sudden space leaving me shaking, bare, sliding down the wall.
"Enough," Jax growled, his voice tight. He looked from Koda’s heated face to my tear-streaked one, my ripped dress, the marks of their claim on me.
The air buzzed. Heavy with tension. Silent challenges passed between the twins. Hunger fought with anger. And I was the center, the trigger, left trembling and overwhelmed in the middle of their storm.
