“As soon as this stops hurting,” Zane promised, “I’m going to pick up that dagger and slash you across the gut with it.”
“I can think of other parts of me I’d prefer you play with.”
Madden blinked at the two of them. “No but really. What’s going on here?”
“Nothing,” Zane insisted, only for Pavel to snort. “Do you really think they’ll side with you if I tell them to get you out of here?” he asked the infuriating man.
“I think,” Pavel replied, “that you had an entire weekend to get rid of me if that’s what you truly wanted, gorgeous.”
He scowled. “That’s twisted logic.”
Though it would be a lie to say he hadn’t considered it. Murdering the other man had been practically all he’d thought about all weekend.
That, and questioning why his dick kept getting hard whenever he replayed Friday night's events. Minus the whole being left in the dirt bit.
“I’m a twisted individual, ” Pavel said.
“Your sociopath is showing,” Berga chided, though it was clear from his movements as he continued to dress Zane’s injury that he was in a good mood.
“Takes one to know one,” Pavel returned, and Zane couldn’t help but stare at the both of them, probably in a mimic of the look Madden had just given him and the other Retinue member.
“Do you two…like, know each other?” he asked, the question stupid but off his lips before he could help it. He cleared his throat and tried again. “I mean, do you actually hang out, or something?”
Madden laughed and Zane frowned. “Karmic justice.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he admitted.
“He used to get jealous about us,” Berga leaned in and explained.
“About us?”
“Why?” Pavel tipped his head. “Nothing has ever happened between the two of them.”
It was the confident way he spoke that seemed to remind them all what they were really doing there.
“Whatever is going on between the two of you—or not going on,” Madden added when Zane went to open his mouth, “figure it out somewhere else. This is Vail campus and you’re drawing way too much attention to things that should remain in the shadows.”
Berga hummed his agreement. “We have a reputation to uphold, boys. We’re supposed to appear scary but not actually do anything publicly to prove we’re dangerous. Especially you,” he poked the needle he’d been using to stitch up the bitemark a bit harder to emphasize, “Everyone covets you because you seem the most rational. Don’t ruin it for them.”
“You mean,” Zane surmised, “don’t cause everyone to take a closer look at how messed up the rest ofyouare by losing their attention.”
“Devotion would be a better word, but yes.” When Zane grunted, Berga clicked his tongue. “I’ve never received snacks or presents from other students. As far as I know, neither has Baikal or Flix.” He stilled and then straightened to turn and send a look over his shoulder at his boyfriend. “Do you receive presents at the Academy?”
“No, baby,” Madden reassured. “That’s not really something soldiers in training do.”
There were three major schools on the planet, with the majority of the Retinue and Satellite spread between them. Since Kelevra attended the Academy, a training facility for military and police, Madden also attended. More of them should have ended up there, but Zane needed a medical degree and Pavel and Ledger were studying business.
“This isn’t even your school,” Zane pointed out. “What are you doing here?”
“Picking up the Butcher for lunch. Duh. And you’re lucky I did otherwise vampire wannabe over here might have kept chomping.”
“I wasn’t going to hurt him,” Pavel said, then shrugged when they all turned to him incredulously. “I wasn’t going to hurt him more than I already did. Not here, anyway. If you inflict too much pain at once, there’s no time between to soothe and enforce trust.”
“Wow,” Berga sounded impressed. The shithead.
Madden on the other hand scowled. “So that’s it? You’re not even going to try to hide what you are anymore?”
“What is he?” Zane really, really wanted to know.
