Sunday Morning, 11:00 AM.
Consciousness returned to Elian slowly, like a swimmer surfacing from deep water.
There was no alarm clock. No traffic noise. Just a heavy, luxurious silence.
His body felt weightless, sinking into a mattress that was softer than clouds. The fabric against his cheek wasn't his usual crisp cotton; it was cool, slippery, liquid silk.
Elian groaned, unwilling to open his eyes. His head throbbed with a dull, rhythmic ache—the souvenir of the "Galaxy Bombs."
He buried his face deeper into the massive pillow, inhaling deeply.
A scent filled his lungs.
It wasn't his laundry detergent. It wasn't the smell of his Home.
It was Dark Sandalwood, Old Leather, and Fresh Rain.
It was intoxicating. Masculine. Powerful.
"Mmm..." Elian hummed sleepily, rubbing his cheek against the pillow. "Mom must have bought the expensive fabric softener. Smells like... a expensive man."
He tried to turn over, but his limbs felt heavy. He felt safe. Warm. Protected.
He decided to ignore the strange smell and drift back into dreams.
BZZZZT. BZZZZT. BZZZZT.
The vibration of his phone on the glass bedside table shattered the peace. It sounded like a drill in the silent room.
Elian frowned, scrunching his nose. He blindly reached out a hand, patting the cold surface until his fingers found the device.
He swiped 'Answer' without opening his eyes, pressing the phone to his ear.
"Hello?" he rasped, his voice thick with sleep and huskiness.
"ELIAN! OH MY GOD! FINALLY YOU PICK UP THE DAMN PHONE!"
The shriek pierced his eardrum. It was Chloe. And she sounded hysterical.
Elian pulled the phone away, wincing. "Chloe... why are you screaming? It's Sunday. It's illegal to scream on Sunday."
"Where are you?!" Chloe yelled, her voice trembling. "We woke up on your lawn! You were gone! Jax is crying! Milo is checking the news for 'Missing Prince'! Tell me where you are right now!"
Elian sighed, his brain still foggy. He didn't understand the panic.
"I'm in bed, Chloe," he mumbled, annoyed. "I'm at home. Sleeping. Stop being dramatic."
"You're at the Condo? Are you sure? Because Noah is on his way there and—"
"Yes, yes, I'm sleeping. Bye."
Click.
Elian hung up and tossed the phone onto the sheets.
"Dramatic," he whispered, pulling the heavy duvet over his head. "I'm obviously in my bed..."
The room was quiet again. Elian closed his eyes.
But sleep didn't come back.
Instead, Memory kicked in.
It started as a trickle, then became a flood.
Flash.
The neon lights of NOX. The taste of blue tequila.
Flash.
Stumbling into a dark room. Falling onto a "sofa."
Flash.
The sensation of hard muscle under his hands. The smell of whiskey.
Flash.
His own voice, slurred and happy: "Wow. You guys are Super Hot."
Flash.
Kaelen's face inches from his own. The shock in those icy blue eyes.
Flash.
Hugging someone in the parking lot. "You smell like safety. Take me home."
Elian's eyes snapped open. Wide.
His heart stopped beating for a second.
"No," he whispered to the empty air. "Please, God, tell me that was a dream."
He sat up abruptly. The black silk sheet pooled around his waist.
He looked down.
He wasn't wearing his pajamas.
He was wearing a Charcoal Grey T-shirt. It was massive, swallowing his frame. And it smelled exactly like the pillow.
It smelled like Kieran Blackwood.
"Oh no."
Elian's face burned. He covered his mouth with both hands.
"I sat on his lap. I called him hot. I hugged him. I asked them to take me home."
He looked around the room properly for the first time.
This was not his condo.
The ceiling was high and dark. The walls were glass, revealing a panoramic view of the city skyline from a dizzying height. The furniture was sleek, black, and dangerously sharp.
He wasn't in his bedroom.
He was in the Lion's Den.
His phone lit up again.
Elian grabbed it with trembling hands. He saw the notifications, and his blood ran cold.
10 Missed Calls from Noah.
5 Missed Calls from Declan.
20 Messages from The Squad.
He opened Noah's chat.
[Noah 10:30 AM]:Elian, pick up.
[Noah 10:45 AM]:Chloe said they lost you. If this is a prank, you are dead.
[Noah 11:05 AM]:I am at your Condo. The door is locked. I know the code, I'm coming in.
Elian gasped.
"He's at the Condo. I'm not at the Condo."
If Noah enters the apartment and finds it empty... after Elian just told Chloe he was "at home"...
World War III.
"I need to leave," Elian panicked, throwing the covers off. "I need to teleport. Right now."
He swung his legs off the bed, ready to run.
But a movement in the corner of the room caught his eye.
Elian froze.
He turned his head slowly.
There, in the seating area by the floor-to-ceiling window, sat The Audience.
Kieran Blackwood sat in a leather armchair, one leg crossed over the other. He was dressed in casual loungewear—grey sweatpants and a fitted black sweater. He held a cup of coffee, looking effortlessly elegant.
Kaelen Blackwood was sprawled on the sofa, shirtless, wearing only low-slung sweatpants. His arms were spread along the back of the couch, displaying his tattoos and muscles.
They weren't doing anything.
They were just... watching him.
Silently. Intently. Like they were watching their favorite movie.
"Good morning, 'Sleeping Beauty'," Kaelen broke the silence. His voice was deep, raspy, and filled with amusement.
Elian clutched the oversized t-shirt to his chest, shrinking back against the headboard.
"H-How long have you been sitting there?"
"Since you started snoring," Kieran replied calmly, taking a sip of his coffee.
Elian turned bright red. "I do not snore!"
"You do," Kaelen smirked, standing up and walking slowly toward the bed. He moved like a predator stalking prey. "It's actually quite cute. Like a kitten purring."
He stopped at the foot of the bed.
"We heard your phone call," Kaelen tilted his head. "You told your friend you were 'at home'."
He leaned forward, placing his hands on the mattress, trapping Elian with his intense blue gaze.
"You are at home, Elian," Kaelen whispered possessively. "But tell me... why is your brother threatening to break down your condo door?"
Elian swallowed hard. He looked from Kaelen's smirk to Kieran's calm, grey eyes.
He realized two things:
He was trapped in the Penthouse with the villains he had accidentally seduced.
His brothers were about to launch a city-wide manhunt.
"I am in so much trouble," Elian whispered, burying his face in blanket.
The Twins chuckled—a dark, rich sound that promised chaos.