Page 73 of Broken Obsession

“Yeah?”

“I don’t like being cornered.”

He lifted a single shoulder. “Who’s cornering you?”

Ares took a single step closer, calculating. “All right. Tonight then.”

“What about it?”

“I’ll tell you tonight. In exchange for…” His gaze swept down Eden’s body.

“No way.” He shook his head. “I have my first class tomorrow. I can’t hobble into the room.”

“We’ll make it work.”

“No.”

Ares snorted and then walked past him, the tense moment over as quickly as it started. “I guess you don’t want to know that badly.”

Chapter 16:

The campus was massive, but Eden felt like he’d be able to navigate on his own once Ares had shown him the important locations. He memorized the paths to the cafeteria and the music hall, and how to get back to Castle Black from there, as they went, not wanting to rely on the Black Hart indefinitely.

He was used to doing things on his own. Adjusting to having a partner of sorts was already an internal struggle. On the one hand, he was finally getting somewhere after years of dead ends, on the other…

Eden wasn’t the type who could pull off the sort of vengeance he felt was earned, but he also wasn’t sure how far he could actually allow this to go. Zonnie had been peeled apart, strip by strip. Bones broken in specific places to result in the most pain, but no chance of the relief of death.

Ares had done that.

For Eden.

It was Eden’s reaction to it all that had him the most torn. Not the vomiting—that had been the most normal thing he could have done. The appropriate thing, even.

It was the rest.

How he’d still wanted to fuck him that very same night.

How he’d literally dreamed of Ares’ cock while he’d been sleeping next to him, even though the Black Hart was clearly a devil and he’d rendered Eden unconscious with his stamina.

How he wanted to climb back on and ride to his heart's content, take control, and show Ares two could play that game and win. Eden wanted to take the reins and teach the Black Hart who he was dealing with. That Eden wasn’t the type to cower and run.

But he should be.

Gods. He should be.

Was turning into the same type of monster as those who murdered his family worth it?

Dilemma.

“There’s somewhere else I want to show you,” Ares cut through his thoughts. They were roaming the fourth level of the music building. He’d already shown Eden his classroom and his office and introduced him to a few other staff members, who’d all acted around Ares the same way the Dean had.

“Sure.” Eden wanted to see it all, soak it all in.

Distract himself from the disquiet within him.

Everything had happened too quickly, and he was still struggling to process. Just two weeks ago, Ares had been a stranger, and Eden had lived on the other side of the planet. Now he was in Aeternus, working at the most prestigious university in the galaxy, with someone who was clearly one of the most influential members.

“It’s here.” Ares brought them to a closed door, grabbing onto Eden’s wrist to stop him from moving forward. “I’ll give you privacy, but I will remind you, you’ve chosen the long game.”