Still…
“I want it to look like we’re together, remember?” He ran a hand through his dark hair. “Won’t it be obvious if I’m always holding a knife to his throat?”
Zane tossed his coat on and started for the door. “Not if you’re sure to keep the blade shrouded in shadows. Threats are meant for the dark of night, Kaz. Not the light of day. When the sun is out, that’s when performances take place, but as soon as the curtains close…You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
“Do I?”
He stopped with his hand on the door handle and glared. “Owning people through threats and extortion isn’t a new concept for you. It’s how you got me, remember?”
Kazimir had been curious about what Zane would be like in bed without all the prim and properness. Mostly though, he’d hated the way the other man always looked down his nose at the rest of them. He’d never tell Zane that, of course, but that’d been the root of it all, and yes, Kaz had resorted to physical assault and threats to get the other man into his bed that first time.
“You keep coming back on your own,” he reminded.
“My point exactly. If you could do it to me…”
He could do it to Nate Narek.
“Force him,” Zane reiterated. “It doesn’t have to be for long. Trick your friends and then break up with him. That’s the plan, right?”
“Right.” He spun the dagger in his hand. “This is confidential. If you spoil things by telling on me—”
“When have I ever cared what takes place between your little Satellite?”
Kazimir’s gaze hardened. “I can’t believe after all of this time I still haven’t fucked the insolence out of you. Come back here, let me try again. We can pull out the chains this round.”
Zane flipped him the middle finger in response. “I’ll talk to Kelevra about giving you access to the imprinting system, but no promises.” He didn’t give him a chance to respond to that, slipping out into the hall and slamming the hotel door shut behind him.
Alone, Kazimir clicked the button on the side of the cigarette, the clear plastic going dark a moment after. He tossed it carelessly onto the end table and sighed, wondering what he was supposed to do with the rest of his night now that his source of entertainment had ditched him to no doubt study for a midterm or something equally boring.
Zane was hot and a badass in the ring, but that was pretty much where the excitement with him ended. He was studious and stuffy, with his head constantly elsewhere—aka, either on medical terminology or thinking about the Imperial Princess. Bleck. It was obvious to Kaz that Zane only used him whenever Lyra and he fought, but that didn't bother him in the slightest.
Considering Kaz was using him in return, why should it. He'd gotten tired of the options on campus. Maybe it was because he was close to graduation, or maybe because sinceBaikal's ascension to the throne, he'd had his hands full learning how to properly fill his new role as underboss. Either way, chasing Vail tail was no longer as appealing as it once was.
Everyone there was there for a reason. They had a purpose and a plan. Even though most of them gushed over him when he passed, whispering adoration for the Devils of Vitality, Kaz knew better. They were attracted to the idea of him. The idea of hooking up with a Devil, getting bragging rights. No one would ever want him for longer than that single romp between the sheets. For more than a story they could tell to their friends.
Kazimir Ambrose wasn't just a member of the Brumal. He was cousin to the Dominus and the underboss who handled all the underlings that Baikal didn't have time for. He was the line between them and their leader. Not only did that keep him busy, it also implied he was dangerous. It wasn't an inaccurate implication.
Why would anyone want to throw their fate into the ring and get serious with a mafia member when they had bright and shiny futures ahead of them? A degree from Vail pretty much-guaranteed success anywhere within the Dual galaxy, let alone on the planet itself.
Sure, he liked to play the big and bad role, but at the end of the day, Kazimir was a bit…lonely. He’d never admit it to the guys, but he could be honest with himself, right? Seeing Baikal and his Possessio together had sparked something within him he hadn’t known existed before. The way Rabbit looked at Kal…The way the two of them pushed and pulled at one another…Kazimir wanted that.
It wasn’t just about proving a point, but he could never say that to anyone, not even Zane.
Nate Narek may not be the all-around cure he needed, but adding him to the mix certainly couldn’t hurt any. If nothing else, it would help shut his cousin and Flix up, and that wasmore than enough reason in Kaz’s book to proceed. The fact that it’d also help ease his loneliness for a bit? Bonus. That particular ailment was new anyway. With any luck, after some time steady time with another person, Kazimir would find himself reset and could return to the way he’d been before.
He had his multi-slate out and a number dialed in a matter of seconds, twirling the knife in his hand some more as he waited for the person he’d called to pick up.
“Hey,” he grinned a moment later, “I’m looking to get into business owning, and I’ve got just the place in mind.”
Chapter 10:
“Maybe you should slow down,” Annya suggested, glancing between Nate and Sier, who was seated in the booth across from them.
Their boss kept sliding drinks Nate’s way, watching until he downed them and then clapping like an excited kid.
Or a psychopath. Take your pick.
“It’s fine.” It wasn’t anywhere near the amount he’d had a couple of weeks ago at the bar, and while he was starting to feel it, it wasn’t intense enough to cause him any real worry. “At least she’s talking to me again.”
