“Okay,” Rabbit replied, pretending like he didn’t understand how much weight the prince’s statement truly carried.
“Say it, little bunny.”
He knew what he wanted. He wanted him to seal the deal. To openly agree once and for all so that in the future, there’d be no more chance for Rabbit to blame Baikal for anything else that transpired between them. From this moment on, he’d have signed over his fate.
It didn’t matter if Rabbit understood that, however.
For something like freedom? Rabbit could sell his soul to the devil any day.
“I’ll be yours,” he said.
“And I’ll be your freedom,” Baikal confirmed.
“Then,” he captured the short distance between them, “we have a deal.”
This time when Baikal leaned down and kissed him, Rabbit put up no resistance, and for the first time in forever, the bathroom and the house they were standing in finally felt a little bit more like a home.
Chapter 24:
“I’ll call you a cab,” Rabbit lifted his multi-slate and started doing just that. “They’ll bring you directly to the hospital. Take my account info, I have enough to cover—”
“I don’t want your money, Rabbit,” Oli stated, sounding slightly offended, but mostly just harried.
“Then,” even knowing he shouldn’t ask it, that he should insist Oli go immediately, Rabbit hesitated, “What do you want, Oli?”
“She’s a monster,” he told him. “She isn’t safe to be around. You need to leave before—”
There was a hard crashing sound and Oli instantly stopped talking. For a moment, Rabbit didn’t understand why or what was going on, frowning over at the older man.
Then—
“Rabbit.”
It wasn’t the typical voice from his dream, sounded deeper and vexed, causing Rabbit to cower away from it, pushing further into the pillow and mattress he was lying on. Consciousness tugged at him, the remnants of the dream slipping away, the distress it’d caused going along with it.
“Rabbit,” someone shook him roughly, and then a large hand settled itself around his throat, squeezing in warning.
His eyes popped open and he blinked through the darkness, waiting for his vision to adjust enough that he could make out the identity of the figure looming over him. The room wasn’t completely dark though, the glass orb Void had brought with him actually a nightlight of sorts. It cast stars and moons across the walls and ceiling, providing enough brightness Rabbit still felt safe with the main lights off, and Baikal could still sleep as well.
As soon as he recognized Baikal, his shoulders lost some of their tension.
Only for it to return full force when the Brumal Prince glared down at him and squeezed a little tighter.
“You with me, baby?” Baikal had never called him that before, and for reasons unknown, it didn’t come off sweet.
Rabbit gently reached up and touched Void’s wrist, but he didn’t attempt to pull him away just yet. “What’s wrong?”
After they’d set new terms, they’d showered and gone straight to bed. He’d been expecting the Brumal Prince to initiate sex, had been sad and a little disappointed when he hadn’t. A part of him wondered if maybe Baikal was giving him a break but he hadn’t asked and he wouldn’t.
“You were talking in your sleep,” Baikal said.
“Okay…” He could see how that might be annoying, but he didn’t think it garnered this type of extreme reaction.
Until he recalled he’d been dreaming and what about.
Rabbit must have gone pale, because Baikal snorted derisively and lowered his face a bit closer, practically snarling when he asked, “Who the hell is Oli?”
He went still, and for a second his vision narrowed and the walls around them seemed to be closing in, a pall of unease settling around him. When Void shifted overtop him he latched on, silently begging him not to go and leave him there.
