A different heat from the flames crept up his neck, and there was a strange tug inside him. A shivery force of gravity beneath his skin, pulling him towards Quinn.
Was that the binding? He found all three of them attractive, gorgeous beyond even what he was used to seeing in movies, but now he had the mistaken impression he might actually have a chance of being with any of them. Not that he cared to fall into bed with his captors. He wasn’tthatdesperate to get laid.
Besides, if he wasn’t a mage, there was no way in hell they’d even be interested in him. No one needed a useless bony guy who could set them on fire by sneezing.
“Hey,” Quinn said, coming around the counter with a frown. “Whatever you’re thinking about, stop.” He leaned in, hooking his arm around Max’s shoulders and squeezing.
Max tensed at the unexpected touch, but he couldn’t resist pushing into Quinn’s solid warmth. “Are you a telepath or something?”
Quinn snorted, brushing his wrist against Max’s neck and mussing his hair. “No, but my nose is excellent, and you smell like bad thoughts.”
“Not all bad,” he muttered before he could stop himself, heat creeping up his neck again.
Quinn pulled back enough to look at him, his lips slowly pulling into a grin. “Oh yeah? Tell me what else you were thinking.”
“That you’re unbelievably hot.” Max blinked and snapped his mouth shut before groaning, covering his face with his hands. Fuck, why had he said that? He slumped against the counter as Quinn’s delighted laughter sank into his head and stuck there like an earworm. When he finally peeked through his fingers, Quinn was propped against the counter beside him and waggled his eyebrows.
“You’re pretty hot yourself.”
Max’s ears burned as he scrubbed at his face. “Are all shifters unnaturally gorgeous assholes?”
Quinn snickered. “Don’t let Lukas hear you say that. He already thinks he’s Fenrir’s gift to shifters.”
He raised an eyebrow, about to ask if Quinn thought that too, but Quinn straightened and bumped their shoulders together.
“We’re leaving as soon as Cap is ready,” Quinn said, tapping Max’s plate. “You have maybe five minutes to finish eating.”
Max shoved a bite of croissant into his mouth. “Where are we going?”
Caius answered from the stairs behind them. “Quinn said you were in college.”
“Yeah. Online, since I wasn’t allowed on campus and all.”
Caius sat on Max’s other side with a confused frown. “Not allowed?”
Max shrugged and ripped apart more of his croissant. “After the umpteenth time I ran, I was homeschooled. Haven’t been to a school since eighth grade. Pretty sure that was just an excuse, though. Daddy dearest didn’t want me bringing shame or attention to the family with mypredilections.”
“I see. Would you rather attend classes in person?”
That was a trick question. It had to be. Max didn’t respond immediately, watching Caius from the corner of his eye. He knew better than to voice his desires; that was the quickest way to have to fight to keep what he did have. But the thought of going from one cage to another was unbearable, even if this one was gilded.
He dropped his croissant and dusted his fingers off before turning to face Caius directly. “Yeah, I would.”
“Okay.” Caius nodded as if he really had no qualms about letting Max out of his sight. “We’ll get you what you need to finish this semester. By the time the next one starts, you should be able to protect yourself on campus.”
“Seriously?”
Caius raised an eyebrow, reaching for the cup of coffee Quinn set in front of him. “What?”
“You’re just… gonna let me go off on my own?” Even as a kid, before he’d started his escape attempts, he’d always had bodyguards hovering around him.
Caius glanced at Quinn, obviously confused. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“You’re the one who said the Order was going to jump me!”
“That was before we bound you. I expect they’ll show up soon regardless, but things should be resolved well before the New Year.”
Quinn drummed his fingers against the counter. “We should get going if we don’t wanna be out all day.”
