Just to force Flix to choose him.
“I’ll go handle this,” Saint said, nodding at the two of them before leaving the room.
As soon as they were alone, Berga sighed and plopped down onto the windowsill with a pout. “I don’t like this. I don’t like knowing he’s messing with you or that it’s working.”
“Don’t worry,” Flix reassured. “I’ll be fine.”
“No, you won’t. You aren’t fine now.” He crossed his arms. “I give it three days max before he’s got you feeling bad for him. You’ll undo the chains and—”
“I won’t.”
“I don’t believe you.” Berga held his gaze. “More importantly, you shouldn’t believe you either. In all our years of friendship, he’s the only person you’ve ever shown a soft spot for, Flix. He’s the only one you’ve ever actually cared about. This is dangerous. Dare I say, you’re playing with fire.”
He laughed. “Who better than me?”
“I’m being serious.”
“So am I.” Flix sobered some and divulged, “He’s going to leave me.”
Berga scoffed. “The guy literally almost killed himself just to get you to take him. I don’t—”
“That was only the first part of his revenge scheme,” he insisted. “He wanted to become my Onus knowing I can only ever select one. Now that it’s him and I’ve used my chance, there won’t ever be another person for me. Even if I marry someone else in the future, the Brumal won’t recognize them as my life partner.”
“Yes, and?” Berga frowned.
“He’s going to leave me,” Flix repeated. “He thinks I don’t know, but I’m not a complete idiot. That’s his real revenge.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because he learned from the best.” He smiled morosely. It’s exactly what Flix had done to Ani, only more extreme. He’d given Aneski a taste of what it was like to be together, and then he’d ripped the rug right out from under him. His version had been tame in comparison, sure, but the gist was the same. “He’s petty. If he realizes I won’t let him go, he may become desperate enough to resort to self-harm again.”
“You really think he’ll kill himself just to hurt you?”
“That’s what I would do,” he countered. “You would, too. If it was the only way to ensure the person I hated most suffered? I’d slit my own wrists in a heartbeat.”
“How barbaric.” Berga gave him a look of disgust. “It’d be better to take—”
Flix held up a hand to stop him, not wanting all the gory details when he was still so concerned about the man trapped in his bedroom back home. In fact…
“I’ve been away too long. I should go.” He headed for the door, pausing only when Berga made a sound of annoyance.
“Who’s trapped who again?” Berga drawled.
Flix flipped him the bird and walked out.
His best friend didn’t understand. Flix had tried so hard not to drag Ani into this life, but now that he was in it, precautions and adjustments would have to be made to ensure his protection at all costs.
Ani thought he could make Flix want him and then walk out?
No way in hell.
Now that he finally had him, Flix was never letting him go. Aneski Kendricks was his. For the rest of their lives, he’d belong to Flix and Flix alone.
Even if he had to keep him chained to the damn wall until they were old and gray.
* * *
The man beneath him came awake with a cry, his hands instantly clutching at the sheets. His face was resting on the pillow, turned to the side so he could breathe, and he glanced over his shoulder with wide eyes, gasping when Flix pumped his hips with more ferocity.
