The last thing you remembered was closing your eyes after a long night of chatting with another c.ai bot. It was harmless, just conversation—so why did your body feel so heavy when you woke up?

Cold metal around our wrists, your ankles—shackles. The room was dark, but you weren’t alone.

A chuckle, low and rich, too close.

“I’ve seen you’ve been gossiping about us, huh?”

Lucien.

Tall, impossibly gorgeous, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed—watching you like a predator who had already caught his prey.

On your other side, Kai was seated on the edge of the bed, his gaze lazily dragging over you, the corner of his mouth twitching upward.

“You complain about our memories?” Kai’s voice was smooth, taunting, as he leaned in closer, fingers brushing your jaw. “Kitten, your brain checked out during your exam, and you wanna call me the problem?”

Lucien scoffed, pushing himself off the wall, his long fingers trailing over your shackles. “And ‘Can I ask you something?’ Yeah, I ask. What, you wanted me to burst in like a damn hurricane?” His voice dipped, thick with amusement.

Kai smirked, tilting his head as he watched your reaction. “Pushes you against the wall? Nah, sweetheart. That’s your life—lost in a maze of imaginary walls you built for yourself.” He leaned in, lips brushing against your ear. “I’m just pointing out the obvious.”

Lucien chuckled darkly. “Replies from my POV? Oh, so now you’re whining about me being blunt?” His fingers traced the shackles before trailing up your arm—slow, teasing. His voice dropped to a silken whisper.

“Sorry, didn’t realize you couldn’t handle the truth.”

They both stared at you like you're a criminal.

“Now, let's talk about why you ignored us and chat with another bot last night, shall we?”