“Screw you,” a bitter voice came from behind him, and Pavel chuckled.
“And he wants me to fuck him. Later, brother.” He hung up the call and removed the earpiece, clicking it back into place in the side of his multi-slate at his wrist before turning with his cup in hand. Leaning back against the sink, he took another sip, watching Zane seethe over the rim. “Morning, lover.”
“The last time you called me that, you hunted me down in a forest. Where the hell are we, Pavel? Where is my multi-slate? And why the hell did you bring me here?” Zane’s hair was mussed, and he was wearing the navy blue pajamas with white trim that Pavel had changed him into. “I swear to the gods youranswers better be good, or the next one is going straight through your heart.”
Pavel pointedly dropped his gaze to the remaining weapon clutched in Zane’s left hand and hummed. “Yes, that’s a very scary threat. I’m curious if you can even find the location of my heart though, Doctor, what with you still not knowing exactly what I am.”
He sneered. “I know where your heart is, asshole. I’ve felt it pounding in your chest whenever you’re holding me down.”
“You pay attention.” He grinned but held up a hand when Zane lifted the knife. “Okay, okay. Calm down. I told you I wanted to go home, didn’t I? It’s not my fault you misunderstood and thought I meant Concealed.” It was entirely his fault, but he continued before Zane could say as much. “We’re on Ascent.”
Zane frowned. “The island?” He glanced around, confused. “I thought it was uninhabitable?”
“It’s not, it’s just privately owned.”
He stared at him. “By you?”
“By us.”
“Well, if that’s the case,” he took a step backward toward the front door, “I’m leaving.”
Pavel set his cup down and spread his arms out, hands gripping the edge of the counter at his back. “You’re certainly welcome to try. I wasn’t planning another hunt through the wilderness so soon, especially not in these conditions,” he angled his head back toward the window and the downpour, “but I meant what I told you last night. I’m always willing to play along.”
“This isn’t a game, Pavel!”
“Of course it is,” he said, “with you as the prize. Meaning, this is a game I have no intention of losing. What’ll it be, gorgeous? Are you going to put the weapon down and allow meto make you breakfast, or are we starting our day off with a brisk jaunt through the rain?”
Zane hesitated, and the quick flicker of interest in his eyes was enough to give him away.
Oh.
All right then.
“The island is small,” Pavel told him, voice growing gruff as anticipation bubbled low in his gut. “You can make it to any side in under a day. There’s only one way off, and I’ve sent that mode of transportation away for the next week, so there’s nowhere you can go I can’t find you. The storm, however,” he glanced out the window at the gray sky, “is supposed to go well into the evening. If you get tired of being wet, head East.”
His eyes narrowed but he slid back another step. “Why are you telling me all of this?”
“You know why.”
“Maybe I want you to say it out loud.”
“I was certain kidnapping you would soothe some of that misplaced brooding and show you how badly I want you, but apparently I was wrong.”
“What—”
Pavel straightened. “You want to run, Zane. That’s okay. I’ll play. Whatever you need, gorgeous.”
“What if what I need is off this island?”
He shook his head. “Let’s not get greedy now.”
“I have classes, Pav.”
“You were given a leave of absence and are allowed to work from home for the time being,” he revealed.
Zane’s eyes narrowed. “And how exactly did I swing that?”
“Kelevra met with your senior advisor.”
