He feinted left then dropped, slicing across Zane’s right upper thigh. He came up behind him, latching onto his throat with one hand to pull him into an upright position, the blade then placed beneath his chin.
“Check yourself,” Zane said a second later, and when Kel glanced down, he saw Zane’s blade turned and pressed against his side.
He chuckled and released him, shoving him a couple of feet away before backing up to lean against the thick ropes surrounding the ring.
“Feel any better?” his friend asked, dabbing at the blood trickling from his thigh, seeping into the dark material of his pants. He scowled at it. “This is the fourth one you’ve ruined, by the way. I’m going to start charging you for my clothes.”
Kel waved his hand. “I’ll have some new ones delivered tomorrow.”
“I was joking.”
“I wasn’t.” He may be self-absorbed, but he took care of his things, and besides, it wasn’t like he’d miss the couple hundred coin it would take to restock Zane’s wardrobe.
If someone asked how he felt about the other man, Kel would say it was above indifference. He cared for him to the extent he was capable of and enjoyed their time together. Zane was witty and intelligent, so talks with him were always fruitful, and there was a quiet intensity to him that he only did away with when he was in a crowd and allowing himself to let loose.
They’d known each other for years, and he was loyal, a perfect member of Kelevra’s Retinue.
But if it came down between the two of them, Kel would save himself each and every time. He’d make sure they were well fed and had above what their basic needs required, but at the end of the day, none of that was a sacrifice for him. It didn’t take work or effort to maintain these friendships. Even getting a new wardrobe wouldn’t take more than a single phone call and a couple of instructions spoken to whoever picked up and was listening on the other end.
Kelevra wasn’t blind. He understood he was spoiled rotten, and that was the exact reason he’d opted to stay away from his flower for so long after the incident in the library. It’d been days already. He’d wanted to see if the allure would wear off with time and distance. If perhaps he was overthinking this need swirling in his gut. He’d known what Rin was thinking that night at the penthouse. He’d expected to give in and fuck Kel and then for the two of them to go their own ways, never to speak again.
Honestly, Kel had anticipated the same. But the next day when he’d woken to find Rin gone, that side of the bed cold to the touch…something in him had snapped. It’d felt…wrong. Like something vital was missing. He’d even wandered aimlessly throughout the house, even knowing he wasn’t going to find Rin snooping in any of the rooms. It’d been strange and out of character.
Anything that could shake up his otherwise mundane existence was worth further exploration, which was why he’d gotten dressed and gone after the cadet. He’d slipped the pill into his pocket as an afterthought, not actually thinking he was going to use it or even bring it up. But then he’d mistaken the imposter for his flower, and the lingering jealousy over believing Rin had been caught flirting with someone else had eaten away at him.
He’d propositioned Rin in the library in the hopes fucking him again would accomplish what having him the once clearly hadn’t. But they’d been interrupted, and now even with more time between them, nothing had changed. Kelevra craved him the same way he craved a new three-piece suit when he saw one.
If he had his way, he’d climb inside of Rin and keep him forever. He’d realized that if he had to buy, barter, or beg to have him, he would do so.
Rin Varun was going to be his. No matter what he had to do, or how low he had to get to make that so. Some things were worth putting in the extra effort, and even though Kelevra had never personally needed to go that far, he’d found that only added to the excitement of it.
All his life he’d lacked one thing and one thing only. Purpose.
Perhaps cultivating a particular flower could be his.
His sisters had sent him away this morning without an answer, but he knew what they were going to say, even if they wanted to drag things out and make him wait for it.
They’d give him what he’d asked for. They always did, just like everyone else.
Just like Rin was going to.
“What do you think about sacrifice?” Kelevra asked absently, inspecting the stain of blood on the edge of his knife.
Zane grunted. “I think you don’t know anything about it.”
He hummed. “Up until a couple of hours ago, I would have agreed with you.”
His friend and future doctor frowned. “What are you trying to tell me? Does this have to do with why you were at the Little Palace?”
“I was asking for a present.”
The stiffness that’d come over him eased at that, and Zane laughed. “That means you’ll be getting something,” he pointed out. “Sacrifice is about giving, Kel. You’ve got things backward.”
“Even if I’m only getting something by giving something in return?” he asked. Could he call what he’d asked of his sisters a partial sacrifice on his part? The choice had come from him and would mean giving up any future chances at making it differently. Didn’t that count?
“What did you give?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.” Technically, Kelevra didn’t even have a set answer yet. The last thing he was going to do was talk about it with his friends before the official announcement from his sisters arrived. He wouldn’t risk word getting back to them before and them taking it as a sign he was too cocky and denying him in the end after all out of spite. Sometimes they did things like that to “teach him a lesson”. It never worked, and eventually, he ended up with what he’d wanted anyway, but that could be after some time and he found he wasn’t willing to wait any longer than he already had.
