Chapter 1I Bought The Twins Now They Own Me

My sister adopted a merman. A frail, beautiful creature from the Blackwood Registry.

And then she threw him at me like a stray she’d lost interest in.

So I cared for him. I nurtured him, watched him grow from a boy into a man, his body becoming strong and powerful under my roof. But his eyes were always fixed on my sister, and in them, I saw only hatred for me, the woman he believed had torn them apart.

He killed me in my sleep. A brutal, intimate betrayal before he set my entire world on fire.

Then, I opened my eyes.

And I was reborn.

This time, I went straight to the bar. This time, I bought the twin fox Beastkin, the ones with eyes that promised sin and salvation all at once. Two tails, sleek and silver, were already tracing patterns against my skin before the ink was dry on the contract.

“Sweet Ava,” one of them purred, his voice a low thrum against my ear. “If you can’t tell us apart, there will be a punishment.”

* * *

The air in the club was thick with smoke and secrets. I let my gaze drift over the Beastkin attendants—all muscle and curated charm—but my interest didn’t spark until my eyes landed on a booth tucked into the shadows.

There they were. A pair of fox twins.

They wore tailored server uniforms—crisp white shirts, black silk vests—that seemed more like high fashion than work attire. Fox ears, silver-white and alert, twitched above their dark hair. The top buttons of their shirts were undone, black bowties hanging loose, revealing the elegant lines of their necks. In the dim, hazy light, they were intoxicating.

One was the epitome of gentle grace, every movement so fluid he looked like he’d stepped out of a classical painting.

The other was all fragile beauty, his eyes wide and faintly red-rimmed, inspiring a desperate, primal urge to protect him.

The manager, following my gaze, practically trembled. “Miss Sinclair,” he stammered, his voice hushed. “Anyone but them. They’re—”

He never finished. A cool glance from the booth cut him off, and he snapped his mouth shut.

The one with the gentle face, the graceful one, picked up a tray of drinks and approached my table. He bowed, a perfect, elegant arc of his body. “Miss,” he said, his voice as smooth as aged whiskey. “My brother and I are in… a difficult situation. Our father’s debts are substantial. Would you consider buying a bottle?”

His twin stepped up beside him, his voice a shy whisper. “We’d be willing to do anything for you, ma’am…”

I was drowning in their beauty. The question escaped my lips before I could stop it.

“How much to buy you both?”