Chapter 6 Cyrus
CYRUS
Blood rushes in my ears, drowning out Ace’s voice in the comm. Nothing matters but the flash of purple ahead, the glimpse of bare skin, the scent of fear and sweat and something uniquely her. My muscles burn with every stride, but the pain only feeds the fire raging through me.
She’s close. So fucking close.
I round the corner, and there she is—Keira Valentino—breathing hard, her back to me as she hesitates at an intersection of corridors. The purple fabric clings to her body, showing every curve, every line I want to claim.
My heart hammers against my ribs, a wild animal trying to break free. A growl builds in my throat, escaping before I can stop it.
She turns, her eyes meeting mine through my mask, and time stops. Those violet-blue eyes widen with recognition, with fear, with something else—something that makes the monster inside me howl with satisfaction.
“Found you,” I breathe.
For one perfect second, she’s frozen, a deer sensing the wolf. Then instinct kicks in, and she bolts down the left corridor, bare feet slapping concrete.
I laugh, the sound echoing off the walls like shattered glass. “Run, little dancer. It won’t matter.” My voice bounces through the maze, surrounding her. “There’s nowhere you can go that I won’t find you.”
The chase is fucking glorious. Every step she takes, every panicked breath I hear, sends electricity down my spine. This is what I was made for.
“You can run, but you can’t hide, Keira.”
I’m gaining on her with each stride, the distance between us shrinking. I can almost taste her now, can almost feel her under my hands.
“I’m going to break you,” I call, my voice a promise, a threat, a prayer. “I’m going to take you apart piece by piece until there’s nothing left that isn’t mine.”
The thought alone nearly brings me to my knees. I’ve never wanted anything—anyone—with such blinding intensity. It’s consuming me, burning away every shred of control Ace has ever instilled in me.
I don’t care. Let it burn.
Her back slams against the concrete wall as I pin her there with my body. Her chest heaves against mine, her scent filling my lungs with every breath. Sweat and fear and arousal—a fucking intoxicating cocktail that makes my blood sing.
“Got you,” I growl, pressing my hips against hers, letting her feel exactly what she does to me. The thin purple fabric is nothing between us, and I see her eyes widen as she realizes how hard I am.
My hand tangles in her hair, yanking her head back to expose the delicate line of her throat.
“Mine,” I breathe, yanking my mask down before sinking my teeth into the soft junction of her neck and shoulder, hard enough to mark but not break skin. She gasps, her body arching into mine despite her fear.
Her hands push against my chest, but there’s no real strength behind it—just the token resistance her pride demands. “Let me go,” she whispers, but her body betrays her. Her pupils are blown wide, her cheeks flushed.
“Never.” I capture her mouth with mine, swallowing her protest in a kiss that’s all teeth and tongue and possession.
“Enough, Cyrus.”
Ace’s voice cuts through the haze of lust. He stands a few feet away, his posture controlled where mine is chaotic, but I see the same hunger burning in his eyes behind the mask.
“She’s ours now, brother.” His voice is steady, measured, everything mine isn’t. “Both of ours.”
Keira stiffens in my grip, her eyes darting between us. “Both? What the hell are you talking about?” Her voice trembles but holds a thread of defiance. “You’re brothers, right? Why would you share... prey?”
I laugh against her skin, not loosening my grip. “We share everything, little dancer.”
“Always have,” Ace adds, stepping closer, the predatory grace in his movement matching my own. “Always will.”
Keira’s breath catches. “That’s—that’s not normal.”
“We’ve never been normal, Ace and I,” I say, my lips brushing her ear.
“Ace and Cyrus?” she asks, realization hitting her. “From the club last night?”
I smirk. “Well remembered, little dancer.” The tension in the air shifts, thickens with possibility and something darker.
I press her harder against the wall, my cock throbbing against the thin fabric between us. Her body heat seeps through, making me wild with need. I want to tear that ridiculous purple scrap off her and take her right here.
“You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into, little dancer,” I growl against her throat. “We’re going to ruin you.”
Ace moves closer with his mask still covering his face, his breathing controlled, but his eyes burning. “We’ll take turns with you until you forget your own name.”
“Until all you remember is ours,” I add, grinding my hips into hers, feeling her response in the way her body trembles. “I’ll fuck you while he watches, then he’ll take his turn.”
Ace’s voice drops lower. “Or perhaps we’ll have you together. You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Both of us filling you at once?”
I slide my hand up to grip her jaw, forcing her to look at me. “I’ll be rough when he’s gentle.” My thumb traces her bottom lip. “I’ll mark every inch of this beautiful skin while he makes you come so hard you see stars.”
Her pupils dilate, breath coming faster as I roll my hips again, letting her feel exactly how hard I am for her. A small, involuntary sound escapes her throat.
“We’re going to break you open,” I whisper, “and put you back together the way we want you.”
“Piece by delicious piece,” Ace finishes, now close enough that she’s sandwiched between us.
Her eyes flutter closed, lips parting as she whispers, “Please.”
The word hangs in the air between us, charged with surrender and desire.
“Exactly right, beautiful,” Ace says, his voice like silk over steel. “Tell us what you want.”
I slide my hands down her sides, feeling her shiver under my touch, her back arching instinctively, pressing her breasts against my chest.
Her eyes open, gaze moving from me to Ace and back again. There’s fear there, yes, but something stronger drowns it out—hunger.
“Both of you,” she breathes.
I grab Keira’s wrist and tug her away from the wall. “Let’s go somewhere more comfortable, little dancer.” My voice is rough with need, a growl that vibrates through my chest. “Somewhere we can take our time with you.”
She stumbles as I pull her down the corridor, but I don’t slow my pace. Ace follows close behind, his footsteps measured where mine are urgent. My blood’s on fire, every nerve ending screaming for her touch.
When we reach the steel door to the Pit, I punch in the code with shaking fingers. The door slides open with a metallic groan, revealing the red-lit chamber beyond.
“What is this place?” Keira’s voice catches as she peers inside. Her body goes rigid, resistance finally showing in the way she digs her heels in.
“Our playground,” I say, dragging her through the doorway despite her sudden reluctance. The heavy door closes behind us with a final-sounding thud.
I watch her face as she takes in the sunken floor, the mirrored wall, the restraints hanging at strategic points. Her eyes widen, pupils dilating with fear and something darker.
“Come on.” I tug her toward the steps leading down to the main area. “Down you go.”
As we descend into the pit, her entire body tenses against mine. The subtle shift catches my attention immediately—it’s different from her earlier fear. This is deeper, more visceral.
“Interesting,” I murmur, studying the way she holds herself now.
“What?” she asks, voice barely audible.
I don’t answer, exchanging a glance with Ace. He’s noticed it too.
Without warning, I grab the flimsy purple fabric of her hunt dress and rip it clean off her body. The sound of tearing cloth echoes in the chamber as she stands before us, naked and trembling.
“Jesus,” I breathe, my eyes devouring every inch of exposed skin.
Her hands move to cover herself, but Ace is there instantly, catching her wrists and pulling them away from her body.
“Don’t hide from us,” he demands.
Keira’s chest rises and falls rapidly, her eyes darting between us. “What—” she swallows hard, “what are you going to do to me?”
I prowl closer, my gaze locked on her naked body like she’s the only prey that’s ever mattered. The controlled temperature of the Pit suddenly feels blazing hot against my skin.
“So many dirty things, little dancer,” I say, voice dropping to a growl. “First, I’m going to taste every inch of that gorgeous skin. Then I’m going to fuck that pretty mouth until you’re choking on me.”
Her chest rises and falls rapid-fire, a trapped bird.
“And then,” Ace continues, “we’ll take turns stretching you open, training that sweet as hell body to take both of us.”
I drag my thumb across her bottom lip, pressing hard enough to feel her teeth beneath. “I want to hear you scream until your voice breaks.”
“I want to feel you shatter around us,” Ace adds, voice velvet-smooth but eyes burning. “Repeatedly.”
“Your cunt, your ass, your mouth,” I growl, leaning so close my mask brushes her cheek. “We’re going to claim every hole you have.”
I feel Ace’s eyes on me, that silent communication we’ve perfected over years. He guides her backward until she bumps against the leather bench. In one fluid motion, he spins her, bending her forward over it.
“I’ll keep her still, brother,” Ace says, his voice cracking slightly as he grasps her wrists, pinning them above her head. “While you get a taste of what’s ours.”
The way he says brother sends electricity down my spine—that word has always been sacred between us. More than blood, more than family. Two halves of the same soul.
I drop to my knees behind her, hands gripping her thighs hard enough to bruise. The perfect curve of her ass is right there, and I spread her legs wider, exposing everything.
“Look at that,” I breathe, my voice barely human. “Fucking perfect.”
Ace holds her upper body immobile, his eyes meeting mine over the curve of her back. “Taste her,” he commands, voice tight with need. “Show her what happens when the hunt really begins.”