Killiian should have walked away. He knew better than to play with fire, and yet, there he was—seated in a private booth at Eclipse, directly across from Adrian and Aiden Cross. The tension between them crackled like a live wire, an unspoken challenge simmering in the air. The twins exuded a confidence that bordered on arrogance, but there was something more beneath their polished exteriors. Something dangerous. Something tempting.
Adrian took a slow sip of his whiskey, his silver eyes never leaving Killiian. "I have to admit, I didn't expect the son of Romano to show up in our club."
Killiian leaned back, fingers drumming against the crystal tumbler in his hand. "And I didn't expect to be personally invited to your table."
Aiden smirked, tilting his head slightly as he studied him. "It's not every day an outsider gets past the doors of Eclipse. And yet, here you are."
Killiian held their gaze, refusing to flinch under their scrutiny. "Is this the part where you tell me to leave?"
Adrian chuckled, low and dark. "Now, why would we do that? You're far too interesting."
Killiian wasn't sure if that was a compliment or a warning. The server arrived with a fresh round of drinks, placing them on the table with a quiet nod before slipping away.
Killiian noticed how everyone in the club seemed to move with purpose—like they were part of something larger, something intricate. This wasn't just a place of pleasure; it was a kingdom, and the Cross twins ruled it effortlessly.
Aiden leaned forward slightly, his fingers tracing the rim of his glass. "Tell me, Killiian, do you know what kind of club this is?"
Killiian met his gaze steadily. "I have a pretty good idea."
Adrian's lips curled into a slow smile. "And yet, you don't seem the type to indulge."
Killiian let out a small chuckle. "You mean I don't seem the type to submit."
Aiden's eyes gleamed with amusement. "Or to dominate. So what are you, Killiian?"
That was a loaded question, one that had no simple answer. Killiian had never thought much about his place in this world—not the world of pleasure and control, but the one his family had built with blood and power. He was neither a leader nor a follower. He existed somewhere in between, an anomaly in a world that demanded absolutes.
"I suppose that's something you'll have to figure out," he said smoothly, lifting his glass to his lips.
Adrian exhaled a soft laugh. "I like him."
Aiden nodded in agreement, his gaze still sharp, still analyzing. "So tell us, why are you really here?"
Killiian shrugged. "A drink. Maybe some distraction."
"And have you found it yet?" Adrian asked, his voice a velvet caress against the noise of the club.
Killiian should have said no. He should have finished his drink, thanked them for their hospitality, and left. But something about the twins—the way they watched him, the way they spoke with deliberate intent—kept him anchored to his seat.
"Maybe," he admitted.
Aiden smirked. "Good. Then stay a little longer."
There was no demand in his voice, but Killiian could feel the weight of the invitation. It was dangerous, this game they were playing. The Cross twins were not men to toy with, and yet, he couldn't bring himself to walk away. Not yet.
Killiian shifted in his seat, stealing a glance around the room. The air inside Eclipse was thick with sensuality, filled with bodies moving together in a dance of power and surrender. He caught glimpses of a woman bound in silk ropes, her partner whispering in her ear before placing a feather-light kiss along her throat. Another man knelt at the feet of a stern-faced Dom, waiting patiently for a command. The sheer openness of it all—the raw, unapologetic hunger—was unlike anything Killiian had ever seen.
"Does this make you uncomfortable?" Adrian asked, tilting his head.
Killiian met his gaze, the hint of challenge in his voice. "No. Just... curious."
Aiden smirked. "Curiosity is a dangerous thing here, Killiian."
"I can handle danger."
Adrian leaned in slightly, his voice dropping lower. "Can you? Because I think you're used to a different kind of danger. The kind that comes with a gun in your hand and blood on your shoes. This—" he gestured to the scene around them—"is a different battlefield. One where power isn't taken with bullets but with control."
Killiian exhaled slowly, rolling the thought over in his mind. Control. That was the key here. The twins had it in abundance, and they wielded it like a weapon.
"And which one are you?" Killiian asked, looking between them. "The one who takes, or the one who gives?"
Aiden chuckled. "We don't take. We make people want to give."
Killiian felt a shiver of something—anticipation? Warnings? Both?—crawl down his spine. There was no denying the twins' presence was magnetic, impossible to ignore. But this was still a game, and he refused to be played.
"What about you, Killiian?" Adrian murmured. "Are you someone who likes to take?"
The words hung between them, loaded, dangerous. Killiian set his glass down, eyes steady. "I don't take what isn't mine."
"Good answer," Aiden murmured, something flickering in his gaze.
Just then, a man approached their table, his posture stiff with authority. One of the club's security, Killiian realized. He bent slightly to whisper something in Adrian's ear.
The twin's expression didn't change, but a brief flicker of annoyance passed over his face. "Excuse us for a moment," Adrian said smoothly, rising to his feet. Aiden followed without another word, both disappearing into the shadows of the club.
Killiian exhaled, leaning back into his seat. He should leave. This wasn't his world. And yet, as his fingers traced the condensation on his glass, he knew he wasn't ready to walk away. Not yet. Because the Cross twins had ignited something inside him. And whatever it was, he wasn't sure he wanted it to stop.
Adrian and Aiden moved through the club with an air of authority, slipping into a private hallway away from prying eyes. The man who had whispered to Adrian walked a step behind them.
"It's him," the man said under his breath.
Aiden exhaled, a slow, measured breath. "We knew he would show up eventually."
Adrian's gaze flickered with something unreadable. "Yes. But I didn't expect it to be tonight."
The man hesitated. "What do you want us to do?"
A slow, knowing smirk spread across Adrian's lips. "For now? Nothing. Let him enjoy his drink. Let him enjoy... us."
Aiden's gaze darkened as he glanced back toward the booth where Killiian sat. "He has no idea what he's stepped into."
Adrian chuckled, low and knowing. "No. But he will soon."
And with that, the twins disappeared into the depths of Eclipse, leaving only shadows and whispered promises in their wake.