“…Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
He searched his gaze. “Why aren’t you screaming at me then?”
“Because you’re sick, and thanks to that stunt you pulled, we now have all the time in the world for me to punish you. Which I will be doing. Most likely to that sweet ass of yours.”
Aneski sucked in a breath and Flix’s gaze dropped down to the spot between his legs.
“Oh no,” he shook his head teasingly and straightened. “None of that now. That’s our sign it’s time for lights out for you.”
“Flix—”
“Enough, Ani. We’ll talk more when you’re better.” He slipped the needle in without any more hesitation.
Aneski opened his mouth to complain, but whatever drug he’d given him was fast-acting. With a growl of annoyance, he found himself doing exactly what the Brumal member wanted and falling back to sleep.
Flix chuckled and then planted a kiss on his forehead. “Dream of me, Tiny Terror.”
Another wave of anxiety pulsed through him, because Flix was being far too kind and that made Ani nervous, but the drug was a good one.
He drifted off regardless of his fears.
Chapter 15:
“Do you have any idea what a guy like that would do to someone like you?” Russ preached, shaking his head as he stared at the TV across the room from his seat on the couch. He didn’t move over or offer Aneski a space, just sat there drinking his beer, intermittently laughing at the sitcom he was watching.
Ani had only just walked in the door when his brother called him over and started in on him. On the one hand, he couldn’t even blame him because…
“But you’re fine with him?” he shouldn’t talk back, knew better than to poke his brother when he was in this state, but he couldn’t seem to help himself.
Russ grunted. “Of course. He won’t hurt me. I’m older than he is.”
“Age has nothing to do with this.”
“You’re only saying that because you’re the youngest. You don’t get it. Do you really think Flix would give you the time of day if not for me? What? I bet you fantasize about what it would be like if I was out of the picture, don’t you? Wish you could make your move? You want me gone, little brother?”
“No,” he shook his head, not liking where this was going. How much exactly had Russ had to drink before he’d arrived?His gaze swept the surface of the coffee table, which was littered with beer bottles, some empty, some unopened.
There were only six empties. That shouldn’t be enough to get Russ wasted.
“Now you’re a liar too,” Russ said snidely.
The age gap was smaller between Aneski and Flix than it was Russ and him, with Russ being three years older than his brother and two years older than the Brumal member of topic. But he’d meant what he’d said. Age didn’t really come into play in Aneski’s mind. Not here. It wasn’t like they were decades apart or anything, and this year, once he started his first semester at Guest, they’d all be university students.
“Trust me,” Russ sighed. “Getting involved with the Brumal is naïve, and despite his physical appearance, Flix is no angel. If you’d heard about half the things he’d done, you’d lock yourself in your room and refuse to come out whenever he was over. Not swoon and stare at him longingly like a love-sick puppy the way that you do.”
“I do not.” He did. He knew he did, and apparently, so did his brother.
Was Flix aware? Had he caught on?
Was he just not saying anything to be nice and not embarrass Ani?
Something must have flashed across his face because Russ glanced at him and then rolled his eyes. “Pathetic. What do your friends think, huh? Did you tell them you’re lusting over your brother’s—”
A knock on the door interrupted, and without waiting for one of them to answer, Flix opened it and strolled in. He spotted them in the small living area and came right over, tossing an arm around Aneski’s shoulders to tug him in close as he casually nodded his head at Russ. “What’s up?”
“Nothing much.” Russ stood and set the beer down. “Let’s get out of here.”
