Borders and Bribery (CTM Series- Book 3)

A/N: Surprise~ this is the crossover no one EVER suspected (The Moon Series & The Lust Series). However, Robin gave me full rein on this one until we can get the other crossovers and sequels closer to completion. This is technically more a spin-off than a sequel, but we'll definitely see some familiar faces.

Prologue: Iris and Roux

The moment the twin youths stumbled into the warped portal, they knew they'd fucked up.

Iris’s hooves thundered against the crumbling ground, each impact sending tremors up through his legs and into his chest. Gleaming claws clicked behind them, close enough that he could hear their growling. The two of them had tried the diplomatic approach at first, but these creatures didn’t care to communicate back. 

His twin brother, Roux, clung to his back, arms wrapped tight around Iris’s pale lavender neck, fingers digging into the violet gradient mane. Roux’s autumnal braided hair swung behind him, the intricate plaits Iris had spent hours perfecting now whipping wildly in the chaos. They didn’t look back. They couldn't. Their senses screamed that doing so would mean death, and neither of them doubted that primal warning.

The beasts were everywhere—monstrous things with polar bear-like bodies and claws so thick and long, it was a wonder they could keep up in speed. Their heads were similar to those of barbirusas, with tusks that curved, and their skin shimmered like molten coins, an unsettling silver glow that was blinding. Massive white eyes reflected the twins' terror back at them. 

Iris leapt over a fissure that split the ground beneath them, feeling Roux’s panic pulse through their twin-bond like a second heartbeat layered over his own. For a moment, he couldn’t tell if it was Roux's fear or his own, the two emotions tangling together.

The bond between them had always been their anchor, their compass in the storm. But now it felt raw and exposed, every surge of terror amplified between them until Iris thought he might shatter.

“Hold on tight!” Iris urged telepathically, his mental voice strained.

Roux’s response was a ragged laugh. “You expect me to do anything else in this situation? Though I have to say, your driving could use some work. Very bumpy ride. Two stars.”

Despite everything—the terror, the pain, the creatures snapping at their heels—Iris felt a desperate laugh bubble up. “Two stars? I just saved your life!”

“Okay, I admit I was slow to shift; that was my bad,” Roux shot back. “But I’ve always been the faster galloper, hands down.”

“Roux, I swear-”

“I’m just saying that when we survive this, we’re going to have to improve your racing ability.”

Both of them cried out when psychic waves suddenly battered them from all sides, invisible fists of mental energy that struck like physical blows. The coordinated attack reminded Iris of dolphins ganging up on a threat, circling and striking in perfect sync. These creatures were intelligent, organized, and relentless as hell. He didn’t want to know what would happen if they were caught. 

Iris’s muscles burned, his breath coming in harsh pants. How long had they been running? Seconds? Minutes? He didn’t think he lacked that level of stamina.

One of the beasts lunged, faster than something that size had any right to move. Silver claws caught Iris’s flank with a searing strike that sent white-hot agony radiating through his body. He stumbled, nearly going down, and felt Roux’s arms tighten around him. Pain lanced through him, sharp and immediate, but adrenaline drove him forward. Through the haze of hurt, he saw it—a portal, shimmering and unstable, its edges crackling with odd magic. Without thinking, he dove through.

The last thing he saw before the portal swept them through was Roux’s wide, grey eyes and his hand reaching out, mouth open in a silent shout that might've been his name. 

And then, they were ejected out.

The twin-bond stretched between them, taut as a wire, then snapped like a rubber band pulled too far. The sensation was agony—not physical pain, but something deeper. A part of Iris’s soul tearing away. “Roux!”

Iris whimpered at the loss. The portal had spat them out, but not together. Not together.

He crashed down hard, his body slamming into solid ground with enough force to drive the air from his lungs. Iris’s senses reeled, the world spinning. Stone and dirt pressed against his side. He blinked, dazed and disoriented, trying to make sense of his surroundings. 

Iris was still in unicorn form, his flank burning where the silver beast had struck, the wound throbbing in time with his racing heart. Blood matted his coat, warm and sticky. The scent mingled with unfamiliar city smells: dust thick enough to taste, animal musk both familiar and strange, something metallic and bitter that made his stomach turn.

He tried to stand, his legs trembling beneath him like a newborn foal’s. Every muscle protested, screaming at him to stay down, but he couldn’t. Where was his brother? The question consumed him, drowning out even the pain. Panic clawed at Iris’s chest. He reached out along their bond, desperate for any sign of Roux. It was there—weak, flickering like a candle in a storm, but there. 

Roux was alive, somewhere nearby, but alone. 

Their bond had never felt so faint. The sorrow hit Iris like a physical blow, and he sank further into the ground, his legs giving out. Roux.

They’d never been apart. Not truly. Even when separated by distance, the bond had always been strong, a constant presence at the back of his mind. But now it was barely a whisper, and the absence of Roux's familiar presence left a hollow ache in his chest that rivaled the pain of his wounds.

“Roux!” he called, pouring every ounce of desperate hope into the cry. But the word came out as a strangled whinny, the sound of a wounded animal rather than the telepathic call he’d intended. Iris was alone in a way he’d never experienced, and the fear threatened to swallow him whole.

Elsewhere, in a narrow alley that reeked of liquor and old rain, Roux rolled onto cobblestones, gasping for breath. His ribs ached, possibly bruised or cracked from the rough landing. He blinked up at a sky the wrong color—too dark, nothing like the vibrant hues of home. His body ached, every joint protesting. But physical pain was secondary. His first thought, his only thought, was for Iris.

Their bond was thin, distant, a thread so delicate he feared it might break if he pulled too hard. Where before it had been a river of connection between them, now it was barely a trickle. Roux pushed himself up on shaking arms. He scanned the alley, searching for any sign of his brother.

“Iris?” he whispered, frowning as he stepped out into the unfamiliar city.

He was alone, truly alone, for the first time.

Their world had changed in an instant. The beasts were gone, left behind in whatever dimension they’d fled. 

But so was the portal they’d used to escape.