Pavel draped an arm over the back of his seat, turning to catch his gaze. “I knew you’d be too afraid to be real with me, so I’m easing you into it, gorgeous. Don’t worry, I only said all of that just now because you looked like you really needed to hear it. I don’t want you thinking this isn’t serious. It is. I am.”
Neither of them pointed out how hypocritical he was, maybe because there was a chance Pavel really did believe his words.
Maybe he really did consider what he wanted to do to Zane and what Wells did as different.
“If you touch me again—”
“Oh, that’s a given. I’m going to touch you, fill you up, make you moan my name. All of it. Because that’s how you’ll warm up to me. Fight it all you want, we both know we get off on your struggles.” He stood and stepped closer, fingers grazing through Zane’s bangs delicately before he dropped his hand back to his side. “You need to grow attached to me physically before you’re ready to consider something more. I get that. There’s no reason to deny it.”
“I’m not—”
“But, Doctor?” He moved in until they were toe to toe, bringing his mouth close to Zane’s left ear. “You will grow attached. I’ll have you addicted to my cock, panting for me whenever I cross your mind. You’re going to belong to me.” He captured his chin and grinned, eyes glowing ever so slightly around his pupils, the sight both demonic and breathtaking at the same time. “I’m going to mess you up so bad, Zane Solace. And then, when you’re finally open to it, I’m going to teach you what it means to be truly cherished.”
Chapter 11:
When Zane couldn’t burn off his stressors with sex, he turned to other methods, mainly, tiring himself out in the pool.
It’d been four days since the incident in the lab and the second skin bandage he had sealed over the wound on his neck kept it from getting wet as he did his laps at the Little Palace. Sometimes, he spent time at the one on campus, but for the most part, he preferred to get his workouts here. It was even better knowing Samuel wouldn’t be lurking about, checking on whether or not he was still swimming as the night stretched on.
Lyra had taken his death rather well. Almost suspiciously even. If Zane didn’t know her, he might have been worried, but in the past week, she’d yet to bring anything else about him or Pavel up in conversation. They’d even had dinner again earlier before she’d left for another date, and it’d been filled with small talk about a new art gallery opening and whether his studies were going well.
But that was another reason he’d so readily agreed to her when she’d asked him to keep an eye on Pavel in the first place. If she wasn’t going to keep fucking him, then she was all but useless to Zane in any capacity other than as the sole thing standing between his brother and prison.
If he really wanted to, he could go to Kelevra, just as Pavel had suggested. He could go and explain that Kel’s sister had coerced him into a sexual relationship that he’d never wanted. That she’d ordered him to remain here in this palace prison and that he wanted out. Kelevra would no doubt help him, he would be freed…
Unless she decided to pull rank and dismiss Zane from the running for next Royal Doctor.
And the next time Aodhan needed a hand, Lyra would deny him, he’d end up locked up on death row, and their parents would blame Zane for the impending doom of their son. Theirrealson.
Zane wouldn’t care about that either, except for the fact he still needed them and the Solace name—not to mention their money—to finish off school. Unlike some of the other Devils who had side hustles or full-blown businesses, Zane had always been instructed to focus on his studies. He was rich now with nothing to fall back on, not until he had his degree, at least.
Which meant playing this game and swimming these laps, over and over again, on a constant, seemingly never-ending loop until—
What was that?
Zane surfaced toward the front end of the pool, pulling the goggles off his face so he could see better. He could have sworn there was a crashing sound just now, but the room was just as empty as when he’d gotten here.
No one else used the pool aside from him. When they’d been in high school, Kelevra would sometimes throw a party, but he had his own pool at his penthouse now and typically held them there. Unlike with dinner, there weren’t any staff members standing off to the sidelines either.
He liked peace and quiet more often than not, especially here, in a place he specifically came to in order to unwind.
A dark shape drifted beneath the surface some feet away, catching his attention, and he burst backward on instinct, almost reaching the edge when a hand shot out and latched onto his ankle.
Zane was yanked under, sucking in a breath just before he was submerged. He fought off his assailant, struggling as long limbs wrapped around him, fighting against the pull of the water. His panic didn’t last long, however. The second he recognized who it was currently trying to drown him, his body locked up.
He began to sink to the bottom of the pool, and his assailant laughed, a million tiny bubbles exploding from his full lips.
Pavel grabbed onto Zane and forced him back to the surface, pressing him against the side of the pool, still laughing as though they’d been playing a fun game and he hadn’t just appeared out of nowhere.
“Are you crazy?” Zane shoved him and then couldn’t help but glance over his shoulder toward the entrance to the pool room. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? How did you get in here?” He sure as fuck hadn’t invited him, which could only mean…He cursed. “Breaking into the Little Palace?! Seriously?!”
“I didn’t break in.” Chuckling, Pavel captured Zane’s chin. “I borrowed this face, gorgeous.”
As in, he’d shapeshifted into Zane again? And what? Had just waltzed in through the front doors? What the hell?
“Speaking of,” Pavel wasn’t done, “is there something you want to tell me?” He crowded Zane more firmly against the pool.
“No.” Zane couldn’t even begin to try to understand what he was talking about, so he didn’t bother. He did, however, try to disengage and shove Pavel away, but the other guy wasn’t having it.
