The fact that Pavel had two known links to species that shouldn’t have been able to reproduce with each other made him a test subject of sorts. Only he and his family were the ones running the tests, and they were doing it to help ensure he didn’t lose his mind and go feral.
A part of him was so desperate to make Zane his mate, it was like he couldn’t think straight, only obsess over all the ways to make that happen. The more distracted by the fantasy he became, the more likely his actions would be erratic and troublesome.
But certain things couldn’t be rushed, no matter how inevitable they were. There was a reason Pavel had forced himself to walk away from Zane, not once but twice, despite his very soul screaming at him not to.
His doctor was stubborn. Independent. The only weakness he had to pick at was his need to be wanted, which happened to be something Pavel could easily provide. He’d freaked him out with how strongly he’d come onto him. How he’d escalated things from zero to one hundred by presenting Samuel’s body in the woods. That’d been by design. In order to convince Zane he was telling the truth when he said he coveted him, he had to first show him how obsessed and unyielding he could be.
Zane had to grow accustomed to his presence and his touch. Had to grow used to the feel of his ass being played with by Pavel. Had to get used to the idea of being at Pavel’s whims. Was it controlling? Yes. But surely his attempts to keep his darker desires at bay would earn him some points once they came to light and the doctor knew about them?
Once he knew just how far Pavel was going to ensure they both came out of this happy at the end.
Because simply taking the doctor had crossed his mind on more than one occasion. It wouldn’t be easy, considering how well Zane could fight and how on high alert he always was. Then there was the issue of covering his trail well enough that neither Lyra or Kelevra would be able to discover their whereabouts…
But he could do it. Pavel could. He had faith in his own abilities, and if he really wanted to—okay, poor choice of words.He did really want to, but he knew better than to go through with it. Knew that Zane would never forgive him if he kidnapped him and legitimately locked him away from the rest of the world.
Good Light, didn’t that sound phenomenal though? His delectable doctor kept in a place where only Pavel could see and touch him. Where he was the only company Zane was able to keep, the only one he could talk to and play with.
He’d be so reliant on Pavel then. The training process would be halved for sure. They—
“Should I get your pills?” Ledger’s voice sounded very far away at first, and his brother had to repeat the question several times before the words were finally processed in Pavel’s brain.
He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, allowing the scent of his brother and Nikita to fill his nostrils. It helped to drown out some of his twisted thoughts, bringing him back to the present and the importance of keeping himself from absolutely shattering and losing himself to the devil within.
The devil that demanded he leave the penthouse and track Zane down and finish what he started in the lab earlier.
“Niki,” Ledger kissed his boyfriend on the top of his head and urged him back toward the hallway, “isn’t it time for you to get ready for work?”
“You can just tell me you need to talk privately,” Nikita replied, but he turned on his heels and left without a fight, Ledger waiting until they heard the bedroom door shut before continuing, this time to Pavel.
“What triggered you this badly?” he asked, keeping his voice down so it wouldn’t carry. He and Nikita were fairly new, still trying to figure out where they fit together. Right now, he was working on convincing Niki that they were going to be together forever, and his kindness wasn’t merely a fleeting thing or charity.
Basically, he had his own problems to handle. He didn’t need Pavel worrying him on top of it all.
Which was why Pavel needed to get this sorted and under control. Even if it meant making everyone—mainly Zane—uncomfortable for a bit.
“I changed into Kazimir,” Pavel admitted, forcing himself to maintain eye contact while he confessed that.
“Okay?” At first, Ledger didn’t get it, but then the second it clicked for him his eyes went wide. He shoved at Pavel. “You don’t mean recently, do you? Are you actually insane?! If either of them finds out you impersonated—”
“I didn’t mean for it to happen,” he said. “I just…lost control.”
He’d managed to keep his cool for the past few months, but after this weekend, after getting another taste…His instincts were roaring and he was almost always in a constant state of arousal that was making it difficult to function properly. Didn’t matter that he’d done this to himself.
On Friday night, he shouldn’t have left the way that he had. He should have dragged Zane by the ankle back downstairs and chained him to the bed he’d painstakingly set up and decorated earlier that day.
He should have spread his legs wide and shoved—
“Were you drinking?” Ledger deadpanned, stopping his thoughts from spiraling yet again, and then shook his head before Pavel could answer. “You know what? It doesn’t even matter anymore. At this stage, you’re already too far gone to pull back, aren’t you?”
Pavel just stared, sensing that’d been a rhetorical question.
“Zane must have a magic ass to make you lose—”
“Don’t,” he warned.
Ledger rolled his eyes. “You’re the one who got a taste and now can’t keep it together. You should’ve realized that was a bad idea. Your obsession isn’t new, brother. You had a plan.”
Yes, one that involved waiting until they’d all graduated and Zane had taken up his position as the Royal Doctor. Pavel hadn’t wanted to interfere with the other man's personal goals, and he hadn’t been willing to share Zane with anyone—not even as a fuck buddy or a slave, which was how Kazimir and Lyra had always treated him.
