Split

Chapter 31

31

ELIZA

I wake to the low hum of voices rumbling outside my door, squinting my heavy lids open to find the interior of my bedroom bathed in the pale glow of moonlight. Pushing against the mattress, I prop myself up on my elbows and swing my gaze around, struggling to discern why this familiar room suddenly appears so strange to me. Slowly, realization begins to dawn that the curtains haven’t been pulled over the windows. For the first time, they’re open wide, chasing away the dark shadows that usually haunt me here at night.

It's fitting, considering the shroud has also just been pulled from my eyes. After tonight’s series of revelations, it’s as if I’m finally seeing things clearly for the first time, and they look startlingly different through the lens of truth.

My childhood.

My marriage.

My future.

I suppose that last one is still up to chance, but at least now I know my husband isn’t intent on murdering me any time soon. To the contrary, both he and his twin seem to care a great deal about preventing my imminent death. They took out my assassin; took the gun from my trembling hand. Do devils have hearts?

The murmuring voices outside my door abruptly quiet, followed by the metallic grind of the doorknob turning. My breath catches and I flop back down against my pillow, rolling over and pressing my eyes closed to pretend I’m still asleep.

The hinges creak as the door swings open, followed by the familiar clip of dress shoes against the hardwood as someone steps inside and closes it behind them. A single set of footsteps crosses the room toward me, and a little rush of exhilaration has my breath hitching as I consider which twin is here to pay me a visit.

And to think I’d presumed life here at the manor was mundane .

The knowledge that there’s two of them brings an extra thrill to every encounter, my heart pounding harder as he nears the bed. His presence alone shifts the energy in the room, his powerful aura demanding my attention. It takes everything in me to resist giving it to him as I regulate my breathing and remain still.

He lets out a long, exhausted-sounding sigh as he comes to a halt beside my bed, then I hear the rustle of clothing as he undresses; feel the dip of the mattress as he climbs in next to me. The familiar scent of his aftershave tickles my nose as he slides in close beneath the covers, banding an arm firmly around my waist and pulling me tight against his chest.

Roman.

I know from the way he holds me– his movements purposeful, his hands firm. His grip is no less demanding than his brother’s, but it’s decidedly more controlled.

“I’m sorry, Eliza,” he mumbles under his breath, the tired exhale that follows ruffling the strands of my hair.

He must think I’m asleep. I’m tempted to continue pretending I am in the hopes he’ll confess what’s in that hollow, black heart of his. It’s easier for people to speak their truths when they think nobody’s listening.

Minutes pass, but sadly, he doesn’t utter another word. His exhaustion is evident, while I’m now wide awake, finally thinking more clearly than I have in days– weeks , even. And there are still lingering questions burning in the back of my mind.

Putting my well-honed acting skills to use again, I gently shift my weight with a soft groan, sliding a hand over his resting against my belly. “Roman,” I rasp sleepily.

His thumb moves beneath my hand, tracing circles against my skin. “How’d you know it was me?”

“I can tell you apart better than you might think,” I muse, still kicking myself for not figuring out the truth about the twins on my own. The subtle distinctions in them are so glaringly obvious to me now. I was on the right track with recognizing two distinct personalities, but I really should’ve put together that there were two of them all along.

I roll over to face him, the glow of the moon reflecting in his green eyes as I lift a hand and brush the backs of my knuckles over his cheek. “You’re the one who reads to me.”

“Yes,” he confirms.

“And the one who… spanks me?” I ask bashfully, a blush rising to my cheeks.

He dips his chin in a nod.

I blow out a breath, pushing up on my elbows and scooching back to rest against the headboard. “Why not just tell me from the beginning?” I question as I reach up to comb my fingers through my tangled hair.

“Because this was never part of the plan,” he murmurs, shifting to sit up beside me.

My brows pinch together as I turn my head his way. “What do you mean?”

He slowly turns to meet my eyes. “Both of us… being with you .”

“What?” I scoff. “It wasn’t like this with your last wife?”

He snorts a laugh, as if my assumption is absurd. “No. I never touched Alina. Knox had his fun with her, but he never formed a real attachment. He’s never formed an attachment to anyone other than me, until you.”

My heart stutters a beat and I almost smile, chewing on my lower lip to cover it. “You truly didn’t kill her?” I ask, even though I’m starting to trust that he didn’t.

“No.”

“Then what happened?”

He swipes a hand over his stubbled chin, brows drawing in. “My brother and I both showed up to dinner one night, about a week after the wedding,” he states. “She didn’t take it well when she realized Knox had been the one playing games with her. She was a strict religious type, said it made her an adulterer and this was a house of sin.” He rolls his eyes, stabbing his fingers through his hair. “She wasn’t fully stable before she arrived here, but that was what set her off. The following day, she threw a chair through the tower window and jumped.”

I wince, sucking in a breath through my teeth. “I’m sorry.”

He scrubs a hand over his face, as if the memory pains him. “We waited to tell you until we thought you were ready because we didn’t want another suicide on our hands,” he explains. “And as for why we didn’t tell you from the beginning, well, that was my brother’s call. He’s always been different. Volatile, quick to anger. My father suggested long ago that he’d be better suited to working behind the scenes, while I present as the face of our family in business. Not even all our associates know there’s two of us. We’ve been playing this game our whole lives, so it felt natural to continue on as usual with you.”

He cups my chin, running the pad of his thumb over my lower lip. “We never intended to keep you, but circumstances have changed. You can continue plotting your escape, but know that if you do manage to get away, I’ll find you and bring you right back here.” He pauses, fingers tightening their hold as a possessive gleam ignites in his eyes. “Over and over again until you accept that you are mine .”

I feel his claim like a brand, his grip unwavering as he stares me down to drive his point home. “What about Knox?” I ask.

“He enjoys the chase even more than I do,” he replies with a dark chuckle. “But you already know that, don’t you, wife?”

I turn away to hide the blush rising to my cheeks.

This whole situation is ludicrous. I shouldn’t even be entertaining the thought of staying here; of being with both of them. But also… in their own, fucked up way, they’ve done more for me in the short time I’ve known them than anyone else has for the last decade. Not only did they uncover my father’s treachery, but they’ve also tended to my needs; led me to discover parts of myself I never even knew existed. Helped me to embrace the darker parts I’ve always tried to ignore. I haven’t felt this alive since my mother died.

Knox tests my limits, making me recognize crucial parts of myself. He hurts me, but only in the name of pleasure. He breaks me so he can build me back up stronger.

Roman takes control, silencing my swirling, anxious thoughts so I can be present in the moment. He makes me feel safe and protected, possessed and cherished.

They’ve both taught me that there’s peace in pain; beauty in brokenness. And sure, they’re complete psychopaths, but I’m no angel either. I’ve got my fair share of damage. They both seem to care about me in whatever capacity they’re capable of, and that’s all I’ve ever really wanted– for someone, anyone to care enough to actually see me.

I know Knox sees me, and I think Roman’s finally starting to. These monsters push me to the edge, but they always manage to pull me back from it, as if our broken pieces just fit together.

“We need to get you out of this dress,” Roman orders, his lip curling as he rubs the soiled fabric between his fingers.

“Why, you don’t like it?” I ask innocently, batting my lashes at him.

“It’s filthy,” he grumbles, his evergreen gaze lifting to mine. “But before it became that way, you looked exquisite in it.”

My pulse flutters, heat rising to my cheeks.

“Will you help me get it off?” I ask.

He dips his chin in a nod. “Of course.”

The two of us climb out of bed, Roman circling around to my side. I spin around and put my back to him, gathering my hair over a shoulder as my pulse kicks up a notch with nervous anticipation. He reaches for my zipper, and a shiver skates up my spine as he slowly drags it down over the curve of my ass, goosebumps pebbling up on the exposed skin of my back. He peels the fabric away from my body and I step out of it, acutely feeling the weight of his stare as I slip off my bra and panties before turning back around to face him.

Roman’s gaze turns molten as it combs over my naked form. He steps closer, taking my hand and leading me to the edge of the bed. Urging me down to rest on the edge, he says he’ll be right back, pacing over to the bathroom and returning with a damp cloth in hand. Even though it’s warm, goosebumps pebble up on my chest as he glides it across my dirty skin, washing away the blood and grime.

Now I know the bath wasn’t a dream. The strokes of the cloth under his hand are achingly familiar, echoing the way he did it before. Not only that, but each pass has my core tightening, thighs quivering with need as a steady throb pulses to life between them.

“Touch me, Roman,” I breathe, peering up at him through my eyelashes.

He tosses the cloth aside, his hands coming back to my body. Sliding them down to part my thighs, he trails one closer to the apex until his thumb lands on my clit. I suck in a gasp, as he starts rubbing it in circles, catching myself on my palms as I fall back with a soft moan.

Increasing the pressure, he coaxes another moan to fall from my lips, the tension of the day slowly ebbing from my body. Then the faintest creak in the floorboards makes me stiffen, and I jerk my head toward the corner of my room, where the shadow lingers late at night. It’s usually shrouded with such darkness that I can’t see anything, but with the expanse of moonlight shining in through the unobstructed windows, I can make out the seams of a hidden door concealed in the wall as it swings open, allowing my husband’s twin to slip into the room.

Knox lifts his gaze as he pushes it closed behind him, our eyes locking.

“You’re my shadow,” I declare on a breathy exhale.

The corner of his mouth kicks up with a sly grin as he nods. “Always watching.”

A strange rush of titillation surges through me. I’d come to terms with the idea of the manor’s ghosts keeping watch over me at night, but now I know it was him all along. It’s a violation of my privacy; a twisted way to keep me under their thumb… and yet, something about his confession has my heart pounding faster, heat pooling in my core.

Or maybe that’s just from what Roman’s doing between my legs. He’s not paying his brother any mind as he strides toward us, pumping a finger in and out of me as he rubs my clit. Knox approaches the bed, gaze dropping to the apex of my thighs. His nostrils flare, jaw tightening, and I reach out for his hand, brushing my thumb over the scabbed cut on his palm before tightening my fingers and pulling him in to join us.

Only then does Roman withdraw his touch from between my legs, large hands gripping my waist as he lifts me up and moves me to the center of the bed while Knox sheds his clothes. Roman presses against my shoulder, laying me down as Knox circles the bed and climbs up on my other side. They both reach for me at the same time, and I suppress a shiver as two sets of hands roam my body, slowly exploring every inch, as if they’re staking their claim. The sensation is overwhelming, every nerve ending alight as I crave each brush of their palms. My reaction is visceral, the feeling so familiar that a lightbulb goes off in my brain.

I lift my head, eyes popping wide. “That night with the blindfold?” I gasp.

Knox gives me a cunning grin of confirmation. “It’s better that you know now so we can both take you together, stuff you full of your husbands’ cocks.”

“B-both?” I stammer, apprehension curling in my gut.

“Yes, pet,” he chuckles darkly, delving his hand between my thighs and spreading my slickness from my opening to my back hole. “ Both of us. You’re ours .” He pauses, narrowing his eyes. “Or have you forgotten who you belong to?”

“Perhaps we need to remind her,” Roman suggests with a deviant smirk.

Even if I wanted to, Knox doesn’t give me a chance to object, flipping me over onto my belly and banding an arm around my hips to pull me up onto all fours. Roman shoves down his boxers and moves to his knees in front of me, his thick cock at eye level as he pumps it in his fist. I blink up at him demurely, tongue darting out to wet my lips as Knox’s hands grip onto the front of my thighs and his warm breath fans my center. My lips part with a gasp as his broad tongue licks into me, and Roman seizes the opportunity to thrust his cock past them, sinking a hand into my hair as he thrusts down my throat.

My toes curl as Knox teases my clit with the tip of his tongue, nipping it with his teeth before suctioning his lips over the sensitive bud. I hum around Romans length as he pumps in and out of my mouth, my scalp prickling as his fingers tighten their grip on my hair. He mutters a strained curse as I hollow out my cheeks and suck harder, choking as the head of his dick bumps the back of my throat. Knox’s skilled tongue laps against my center while I trace my own around Romans shaft, the building pressure in my core making my thighs quake.

The salty taste of precum slides over my tongue as Knox withdraws his mouth and shifts around behind me. Curiosity and anticipation mingle as I attempt to turn my head, but then Roman pulls out of my mouth, sliding a finger gently beneath my chin and tipping it up. “Eyes on me while he fucks you, wife .”

My stomach bottoms out, my throat tightening with apprehension as I blink up at him. My mind’s reeling, heart racing, but all my tension ebbs away when the head of Knox’s cock nudges my entrance and he slides into me from behind. I cry out, the sound of it muffled as Roman thrusts back into my mouth. My lips seal around his shaft as Knox starts hammering into me, forcing me to swallow his brother deeper with every harsh snap of his hips.

“Such a good girl, taking both of our cocks like this,” Knox praises, curling an arm under my hips to pinch my clit. “My perfect little pet.”

Roman twists my hair around his hand like a rope, arching my neck as he tugs until my eyes meet his. “She loves it. Don’t you, wife?”

A strangled gasp is all I can manage as he rolls his hips, his tip punching the back of my throat. Even as I choke around Roman’s girth, my pussy slickens with desire as Knox pounds in and out with wild abandon, driving me closer to the edge of bliss.

The two of them alternate their thrusts as they fuck me from both ends, Knox driving forward when Roman draws back, the twins working in tandem to deliver both rapture and ruin. I whimper around Roman’s cock as Knox’s motions suddenly pause, the cold sensation of lube dribbling between my cheeks sending a flurry of chills racing across my skin. His thumb swirls it around my back hole, easing it inside, and I shudder a sharp gasp around Roman’s dick that has me swallowing him deeper.

“ Fuck ,” he hisses, fingers tightening in the strands of my hair.

I relax my muscles to let Knox in my ass, moaning as he starts pumping his thumb in and out. He adds more lube, pressing a second finger past the ring of muscle to stretch me, the coil in my belly winding tight again as he buries himself in my pussy while Roman savagely fucks my face, saliva dribbling down my chin.

“She can take more, can’t you, Eliza?” Roman asks, arching a devilish brow.

I blink up at him in a daze as he pulls out of my mouth, dropping down to sit on the bed and hauling me up onto his lap. My nipples scrape across his muscular chest as he positions my body to straddle his waist, lining his tip up with my opening and sinking inside. I moan at the stretch, flinging my arms around his neck and holding on tight while he pushes in deeper, filling me up. His fingers sink into the soft flesh of my hips to direct my movements, bouncing me up and down on his length, then I feel Knox move in close behind me, my pulse taking off at a gallop. His hands start kneading my ass cheeks, the velvety crown of his cock gliding between them.

“Deep breath, wife. You can take it,” Roman coaxes, stilling his own movements as Knox starts pressing against my back hole.

The air rushes from my lungs as he inches inside, the feeling of fullness unlike anything I ever could’ve anticipated or imagined. My fingernails dig into the flesh of Roman’s thick shoulders, my breath coming out in short pants as Knox rocks in and out, sinking deeper with each languid stroke until his hips press against my ass as he sheathes himself completely. Intense pleasure riots through my veins, eyes rolling back as Roman rolls his hips and they both start moving inside me. One retreats as the other thrusts, alternating their rhythm, stretching and filling me like never before. Friction builds between my clit and Roman’s groin with every deep grind from Knox, my legs shaking, breath coming out in short pants.

They’re both so big , but as the pressure builds, pain blurs to pleasure, pushing me to the edge of oblivion. My orgasm barrels down on me like an impending storm, pussy and ass clenching around them as their names fall from my lips like a prayer. So good . I never could’ve imagined it’d be this good to be pinned between them as they ruthlessly fuck both of my holes. The twins’ muscles tense and strain beneath their sweat-slicked skin as they press me tighter between their bodies, their thrusts turning wilder as we all race to the edge of release.

I’m the first to leap from the cliff, both men groaning as my body clenches around them and I cry out in ecstasy. A heartbeat later, they both follow almost in perfect synchronicity, their dicks swelling inside me and the heat of their cum filling me.

Knox wraps a hand around the column of my neck, fingers flexing as he wrenches my head sideways and pulls my mouth to his. I gasp against his lips, pulse fluttering as he licks past the seam of my own, solidifying his claim over me with a filthy hot kiss.

Roman circles his tongue around my nipple, as his brother ravages my mouth, and the moment Knox releases me, Roman grabs me by the face, turning it toward his and crushing his lips against mine.

What was it I said before, about kissing being too intimate?

Because kissing often leads to feelings, and this was supposed to be purely transactional.

But it isn’t .

Not anymore.