Pavel shushed him. “Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you. I would never hurt you. I just need us to go somewhere and I know you’re going to be stubborn and fight me on it. This is the best way, for both of us.”
He glared, but his vision was already starting to get cloudy and his muscles were starting to loosen.
“You were complaining about how I didn’t take your bait this past month, remember, gorgeous?” Pavel said, lips close to Zane’s ear as he started to fade, like he wanted to be certain he caught each and every word. “You should be happy to know that’s not true at all. I was simply finding a way to get back at you while still following the rules. That’s what a good boyfriend does, wouldn’t you agree?”
Pavel rubbed his face against Zane’s, and just as he was about to sink into oblivion, he heard the crazy Retinue member whisper, “I’ll always play your game, Doctor. Always.”
Chapter 25:
“Where are you?” Ledger’s annoyed voice came through the earpiece set in Pavel’s right ear, contending with the sound of the rain pattering against the glass of the kitchen windows.
“Don’t worry about it.” Pavel stood by the sink, stirring sugar into the coffee he’d just poured from the freshly made pot.
“Easy for you to say, Mom is going to freak when you miss dinner tomorrow. At least give me something so I can make the lecture a bit easier.”
It didn’t matter, Pavel wasn’t going to tell him.
This section of the manor had been designed with an open floor plan, windows lining an entire wall, overlooking the bluffs. With the storm, the ocean was dark and gray, chaotically sweeping toward the cliff where the massive home had been built. The kitchen area took up the left side, the center clear and leading to two glass doors that opened onto the balcony, and the right a dining area.
He'd kept the furniture minimalist, not wanting to decorate on his own, not when this space was always meant to be for the two of them.
Pavel thought of Zane, upstairs, asleep in their bed, and his lips lifted in satisfaction. A part of him finally felt relief forthe first time in years, the tight knots he always carried inside of him undone. It was instinctual, brought on by his nature, but he welcomed it all the same.
There was a comfort in knowing his mate was here, safe, secluded, and all his.
He was more than happy to welcome that comfort.
And he wouldn’t let anyone, not even his brother, mess with it.
“Just tell her I’ll catch the next one,” he replied, smile growing when his brother cursed.
“This isn’t a movie theater hangout,” Ledger stated. “It’s dinner with our parents. It only happens once a month. She’s going to flip out.”
“She’ll be fine,” Pavel disagreed. “You’re going to distract her.”
“Excuse you?”
“Bring Nikita,” he suggested. “It’s about time he met them anyway.” When his brother went quiet, he scoffed. “Come on, Ledge, you can’t seriously still be confused? You want him. He wants you. You’re already dating.”
Ledger released a breath. “Way to use me to your advantage. When are you coming back?”
“I’m not sure.” He’d forced Zane here, but that didn’t mean he’d be able to keep him for the entire two weeks. If he was lucky, he could negotiate half that time, but he wasn’t overly confident. He could only push the delectable doctor so far before he risked pushing him away, so as badly as he wanted to chain Zane to the bedpost and refuse to let him step foot outside ever again, logically, he understood that was unreasonable.
“Were you able to get me what I asked for?” Pavel sipped at his drink, enjoying the warmth. It was colder here than in Valeo City, even with the fireplace in the living area on the opposite side of the room roaring.
“Saint was able to get it for me. Didn’t know the guy could hack.” Saint was another member of the Brumal, and a student at Vail. “What do you need with the university’s broadcast room access codes?”
“The journalism club is still running their weekly announcements, right?”
“As far as I know since there’s no holiday this week…Why?” Ledger sounded suspicious. “Please don’t tell me you’re going to do something even stupider than kidnapping the future Royal Doctor to the Imperial family.”
“Such as?”
“Such as broadcast you—”
A dagger sailed through the air at a rapid speed, causing Pavel to miss whatever else his brother had been about to say. The blade of the star crystal embedded deep into the wood paneling between the panes of glass, and Pavel kept facing the window for a bit, eyeing it and how close it’d come to slicing through his cheek.
“I’m sorry, Ledge, I have to go. My boyfriend is awake and he’s begging for my attention.”
