“Him who?” Boone asked, smile smug.
Park rolled his eyes, then dropped down in the seat across from the other man. “Can I not just have a bad day?” he asked, sounding sulky even to his own ears. “There are other things besides that boy that cause me grief.”
“That’s a lie,” Boone said without hesitation. “In all the years I’ve known you, nobody has ever gotten under your skin before. Nobody but him.”
Park tilted his head. “You don’t know me as well as you think you do.”
Boone snorted, giving him a dubious look. “I know you have the emotional intelligence of a potato. I know you’ve had longer relationships with your dry cleaner than any romantic partner. I know you see dating as some sort of act of domestic terrorism. Yet, you insist that boy have dinner with you—alone in your room—every night. What’s up with that?” Boone asked, voice dripping with mock innocence.
“I’m just trying to keep him from being corrupted by the wolves prowling these halls. He’s too comfortable around them,” Park said, taking another healthy swallow.
“There’s not a wolf in this facility more dangerous than you, not when it comes to that boy. Besides, you’re the one who dropped him into their laps. What did you think would happen?” Boone pressed.
“I thought he would stay with the handlers where he belongs. I didn’t think the killers would adopt him as a…pet.”
That much was true. He’d brought him to the school because a military installation with armed guards was the safest place for Gift, but he’d never intended for him to fall in with the students training to kill.
Boone scoffed. “He’s twenty-one, not twelve. Besides, it’s not them who seem preoccupied with the idea of…corrupting him.”
That was true. The neurodivergent faction of the school were fascinated by Gift, but didn’t seem like they had any interest in harming him. It was like when predatory animals came across a defenseless baby and, instead of eating it, decided to adopt it and raise it as one of their own.
The rational part of Park thought it gave Gift an added layer of protection. Payton and Dove were fiercely loyal to the boy. They would kill for him, Park had no doubt. That was a good thing. But the jealous part of Park hated how freely they touched Gift, playing with his hair, hugging him, holding him, kissing his cheeks. They had no right. Gift was his.
Except, he definitely wasn’t.
Not in any way.
Park took a deep breath and let it out, flexing the hand that had touched Gift’s cheek. “Fuck you.”
Boone tilted his head, raising the bottle in a salute. “Fuckhim. You’d feel better.”
Park’s mouth became a flat line. “What kind of headmaster are you? Encouraging me to sleep with a student?”
“You’re the one who reminds us allad nauseumthat Gift is not long for this program.”
Before Park could form any type of witty retort, the door burst open and West poked his head in. Upon seeing the two sitting there, he entered and closed the door, dropping down into the other empty seat across from Boone.
Great. Now, there were two of them. Unlike Boone and Park, who were still dressed from work, West looked like he’d just come from the gym, wearing joggers and a hoodie, his short reddish-blond hair still slightly damp from sweat, his freckles hidden behind the flush of his cheeks.
When he wasn’t coming from the gym, West was usually overdressed for his job. Teaching cybersecurity to the handlers didn’t require much fashion sense, but West dressed like he was in a fashion show, with vests and jackets and overpriced ties. Park was a big fan of a well-fitting suit, but he didn’t understand the need to be flashy about it.
West looked back and forth between the two of them. “What’s going on in here? Who died?”
Boone snorted. “Park’s lamenting about Gift again.”
West’s face split into a wide grin. “Why don’t you just bang this kid and be done with it?”
Park’s eyes went wide. “You two realize that we’re instructors here, right? We’re not supposed to be bedding our students.”
West snorted. “We’renot trying to bed our students. You, however, have been lusting over that virginal little kewpie doll since the moment you laid eyes on him. If he feels the same, what’s the problem?”
“The problem is he’s half my age and I’ve been friends with his parents since before he was born.”
West snickered, giving him a puzzled look. “We killed people. For money. So did Anchali. Fucking a guy who is well over the age of consent hardly seems worth all this fuss, no? It’s just sex. God knows, you need to relax. Besides, as long as that boy remains a virgin, there’s a target on his back. There’s not a psychopath in this school who doesn’t want to be the first to taste that particular forbidden fruit.”
“I will skin the first one who so much as holds his hand,” Park growled. “He’s not going to be a prize for anyone’s trophy case.”
West shrugged. “So, take him first, then all the mystery is gone and he’s just another student.”
