Page 18

This was getting tiresome.

Zane sat across from Professor Diar, alone with the man in his office, and tried not to openly glower or grimace in disgust every time that leering gaze settled on him. Everything about this was stifling and upsetting, and yet there was nothing he could do but dance to the older man’s tune and pretend like he wasn’t fantasizing about all the ways he could kill him with various objects strewn about the room.

“I’m glad to see you’ve taken my advice,” Wells broke the silence as he continued to flip through the research paper Zane had submitted. His finger scrolled over the holopad screen, but his movements were too quick to convince his audience he was actually reading anything. It was all a farce.

Just like this meeting.

Zane didn’t need him, didn’t want him, and frankly, would be a lot better off without him. But accepting the professor as his mentor wasn’t a choice he was given. Lyra had been the one to set them up, and he wouldn’t risk disobeying her just to avoid a few uncomfortable situations with her cousin. It wasn’t worth it.

Risking his future on a loser like Wells wasn’t worth it.

Especially when he’d already had to speak to the staff at the Little Palace about touching his things. Some of his stuff kept going missing randomly, and he was convinced they were tossing items before they were fully used. He had half a mind to order them to stop cleaning his rooms altogether, but there was no way he’d have time for dusting and vacuuming with everything else he had on his plate.

Lyra liked to give him the illusion of freedom, but the truth of the matter was, she kept him on a tight enough leash he knew better than to question her staff and her cousin all in the same week.

“Yes, I think the direction of my research has improved,” Zane agreed, figuring that’s what the professor was referring to.

But of course it wasn’t.

“I meant staying away from Pavel Hart. He was a distraction you didn’t need, but I’ve noticed he’s lurking from further away recently.” Wells moved to the next page more slowly, giving himself away. “Did you two have a fight, perchance?”

“Are you asking out of curiosity for yourself, or did Lyra ask you to do it?”

He snorted, giving up the ruse and setting the tablet down on the desk. “Believe it or not Zane, I’m merely concerned for your wellbeing. You’re my best student, after all. You have a bright future ahead of you. There’s no reason to throw that away on a bad egg.”

“He’s a member of the Retinue,” Zane reminded coldly. Wells might be a Diar, but he was further down the ascension line than Kelevra and, frankly, obsolete. The fact that he was working here at the school instead of in some fancy government position was proof of that. ‘I’ll tolerate you spying on me for Lyra, but I won’t sit still if you continue to insult my fellow members.”

Wells acted wounded and stood, slowly walking around the desk to perch on the edge close enough his knee bumped against Zane’s.

And stayed there.

He ground his teeth together but said nothing.

“Why must you always bring Lyra into this?” Wells asked, sounding forlorn. “I’d hoped by now, you’d feel close enough to me to trust that I have your back. My cousin doesn’t have to know everything, Zane. It’s not like she has a legitimate claim over you.”

No, because that would mean admitting publicly that the two of them were ever together, which was something Lyra had always been adamantly against. Honestly, he’d been shocked when Wells had cornered him in the lab last year and announced he knew all about their affair.

He’d claimed Lyra had been the one to tell him, and though Zane hadn’t bought it at first, he’d given details that only she and Zane knew to prove it. Apparently, she’d explained their situation because she wanted him to be Zane’s senior advisor, even though she’d never discussed such a thing with him.

Zane had gone straight to the Little Palace, still thinking there was a mistake, but nope. She’d confirmed it herself, had looked him dead in the eye, and said she’d asked her cousin to step up and take over the role.

And just like that, another spy had been locked into place.

She was smothering him and she didn’t even know it. Or maybe she did and she simply didn’t care. Either way, she’d single-handedly chipped away at all the safe places in Zane’s life, until there were only a rare few he could escape to where her eyes couldn’t follow. Friction, the private fight club was one of them. Since she rarely came down to the pool room, that was another.

Concealed could have been the safest place of all, but he’d gotten freaked out by Pavel’s confession and had placed that bet in order to gain space.

They’d known each other as children?

Did that mean Pavel was obsessed with someone else? A version of him that no longer existed? That didn’t have a hope or a prayer of ever seeing the light of day?

The doctors had been clear. His memory loss wasn’t a temporary affliction. That part of his brain had been damaged from lack of oxygen. By the time his adoptive father had fished him out of the pool, he was already legally dead.

They’d flown in the best brain surgeon around and utilized all sorts of new tech in order to repair the damage. There was nothing wrong with him now, nothing to worry about. The only thing he’d lost had been those memories. The nanites given to him were apparently able to rebuild tissue, but not the data once stored there.

If that’s what Pavel was hoping for, if that was the real reason he kept coming around…

He didn’t want Zane. He wanted an idea of him.

Wasn’t that the same as being a second choice?

How had he managed to come full circle all over again?

If he’d been truly intelligent, he would have demanded more time. Hell, he’d been confident enough he could win, he should have stuck to his initial demands and made it so Pavel had to leave him alone forever. But he hadn’t. He’d caved.

Which meant some part of him was growing attached to the other Devil, and that was a serious problem for multiple reasons.

The least of which was currently reaching to rest a meaty hand on his thigh as though he had a right to any part of him.

Zane slapped Wells away, stony expression still in place. “You don’t have permission to touch me. What would the board of education say if they knew your pastime was hitting on students?”

“No need for ruffled feathers,” Wells replied, straightening but still not moving away. “I’m only suggesting a…merger that would be beneficial for the both of us. You should really consider it. All I have to offer.” His gaze turned calculating, the bumbling idiot mask slipping some. “And all I have the power to take away.”

To be fair, Wells wasn’t an unattractive individual. He was a Diar, and they tended to be prime specimens worthy of physical praise. But that was where the compliments ended.

Maybe if Wells had gotten to him first, it would be different, but as it were, Zane didn’t like his curly dark hair or his hazel eyes. They reminded him too much of Lyra. Didn’t matter that one of them was a man and the other a woman, the features were enough to turn him off, which meant no amount of workouts in the gym or fancy thousand-dollar suits were going to be enough to change Zane’s mind.

Kudos to the guy for trying though.

“If you continue to threaten my grades like this, I’m going to be forced to involve Kelevra,” Zane warned, pulling out the card he usually hated to use. It was impossible to stay relevant if you had to constantly hide behind the person you were meant to protect. As a Retinue member, Zane’s job was to look out for Kel, not the other way around. But after months of rejections, it was clear the situation called for the extreme approach.

“I’m more your type than Lyra,” Wells pushed. “If you’d give me a chance, I know I could satisfy you. An older man is just what you need.”

What he needed was far away from this room.

Why was leaving and finding Pavel the first thing to come to mind when he thought about walking out? It’d been his choice to put distance between them. He couldn’t be second-guessing himself already…

Could he?

Damn it.

This was all Pavel’s fault. All of it. The only reason Wells was coming on this strong was because he’d seen the way Zane reacted to the other Retinue member. All of the Diars were piranhas drawn to the first sign of blood in the water. After waiting mostly on the sidelines, Wells had sniffed out Zane’s hesitation toward Pavel and now he was coming in for the kill.

Too bad for him Zane had no intention of allowing another member of the Imperial family to lay hands on him.

He stood with a flourish, forcing the professor back to avoid whacking into him as he slipped around the chair and to the door. “It seems like we’re done discussing my assignment, Professor. I’ll leave you to the rest of your work.”

“Zane, hold on—”

He didn’t. He stepped into the hall and slammed the door shut at his back, keeping hold of the handle for a bit just in case the older man tried to follow. When there was no pull on it and it was clear he wasn’t going to, Zane exhaled and turned to leave, pausing when he noticed Berga standing off to the side watching him.

For a second he thought maybe it was actually Pavel playing a trick on him again, but the other Retinue member had been good at following the terms of their agreement, and it became apparent it was the real Butcher eyeing him after a quick search of his expression.

“Something I can do for you?” Zane asked, heading down the hall with Berga falling into step at his side.

“It’s funny how everyone jokes about you being this unobtainable god amongst the students,” Berga stated, unaffected when Zane glared at him.

“It’s a prince title,” he corrected, “not a god. And I’m not the only person who has one.” There were at least five others on campus who’d been given them as well, like Rabbit Trace, the Prince of Music who also happened to be dating Baikal Void.

“It’s funny,” Berga continued as though he hadn’t spoken, “until it isn’t.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I think you know.”

“Humor me.” Because Zane was lost. When it came to the Butcher, he could honestly be talking about anything.

“I just find it ironic that someone who wants to be wanted so badly always ends up drawing the attention of those he’d rather avoid. Perhaps you should be more specific with your wishes.” Berga turned to him. “Are you no longer experimenting with Pavel?”

Zane opened his mouth, but before he could respond, another voice cut across the hall.

“Are we talking about Pavel?” Flix, another member of the Satellite appeared with a redhead by his side. “I’m looking for him actually. Know where he’s at?”

“Why?” Zane slipped a hand into his front pocket and demanded he keep his composure.

“He offered to give me a few art lessons,” the redhead, who Zane recognized as Flix’s boyfriend Aneski, explained.

“Art lessons?” He frowned. “Aren’t you a student at Guest Fine Arts Academy?”

“Yeah, but I’m a sculptor, and everyone knows Pavel is the number one art student here at Vail.”

“He…is?” That was news to Zane.

“Oh,” Aneski gave him an odd look, like he thought he was crazy. “I guess everyone doesn’t know. You two are both Retinue, I assumed you were close.”

“Pavel isn’t exactly close with anyone, Tiny Terror,” Flix stated, resting an arm on his boyfriend’s shoulder before turning to Zane. “He just wanted to brush up on his body study and got tired of the models at Guest. Pavel overheard us talking about it in the parking lot the other day and offered to invite him into today’s class. Problem is, he never gave me the room number, and I’m not one to frequent the art department.”

“He’s in Room G7,” Berga announced, checking his multi-slate before adding, “Unfortunately, I’m late for a meeting. Zane can escort you.”

“I what?” He’d probably been to the art department less than Flix.

Berga merely stared at him pointedly, as though he should be getting the hint.

Whatever the hint was.

“Cool, can you take him?” Flix asked, checking his own device now. “That meeting is with Baikal and I forgot I was called to it as well.”

“Something the matter?” Zane asked.

“Only if you consider a dead visiting Royal a problem.”

“Ah.” Yes, yes that definitely fell under the category. There was a good chance Zane and the Retinue would be ordered to involve themselves as well if it was really bad. Depending on who the Royal was and how they’d died. If they were summoned to help though, it could be an excuse for Zane to see Pavel…

Or he could do Flix a favor and bring his boyfriend to the art department like Berga had offered.

“I can bring you,” he told Aneski, a part of himself screaming at how foolish he was being. He couldn’t possibly miss Pavel’s attention. It was crazy and controlling, and—

Hot.

Super fucking hot.

Damn it.

Berga’s words returned to him and he thought maybe he finally understood them. They both had a secret thing about being wanted, something they’d recognized in the other early on, but hadn’t spoken of often. Zane might have the attention of multiple people, but it wasn’t strictly the attention he was after.

He could never be Lyra or Wells everything . Which meant neither of them could fill the void inside him.

Pavel claimed that’s what he wanted to do, but after discovering their past…Zane wasn’t so certain he could trust him. Still, the fact that it’d only been a week and he already missed the insufferable stalker had to mean something , even if that something wasn’t something he wanted to admit to.

They parted ways, Zane mostly in his head as he directed them toward the art building located on the opposite side of campus. Really, it was no wonder he’d had no idea Pavel took classes there, how could he have? They never would have run into one another in that location since he remained firmly in the same two buildings.

Still, it irked him that Pavel was right about him not knowing anything about him. About him not having seen the other man at all these past years.

He’d always prided himself on being responsible for the Retinue, but here he was, walking to a department he hadn’t even known any of them were a part of.

Recalling his attempt to get to know him while on their way to Bibo’s that one day irked him further. He’d asked what the guy’s favorite subject was, hadn’t he? It wasn’t his fault Pavel hadn’t taken that opportunity to share he was some sort of art savant.

“You’re less scary up close,” Aneski stated suddenly, dragging Zane from his thoughts.

He quirked a brow. “Thank you?”

“I said less,” he reiterated. “You’re still scary.”

“Do me a favor and don’t tell Flix that.”

Aneski snorted. “He’d know what I mean if I did.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve got this whole,” he waved a hand around Zane, “icy exterior thing going. Very—”

“Unattainable,” Zane drawled. “So I’ve heard.”

They entered the main arts building and he paused by the directory, searching for the right room number before leading them to the elevator.

“I still don’t understand what an art major is doing here,” Zane said as they stepped inside. “Guest is the finest art school on the planet. Our program can’t possibly compete.”

“It can’t,” he agreed. “But that’s not why I came. Pavel is pretty well known, even on my campus. I wasn’t about to turn down an offer like his.”

“What was the offer again?”

“He’d let me sit in on a couple of advanced classes he’s taking, give me tips and pointers if I needed them. Nothing extreme.” Aneski gave him a sidelong look and cleared his throat. “I’m very happy in my relationship with Flix.”

Zane frowned. “Good for you.”

“There’s no reason for you to scowl like that, is all I’m saying.”

“Who’s scowling?” The elevator stopped on the third floor and Zane exited first, heading right to follow the signs toward the correct room. He hadn’t been aware their department was so…large. Apparently, it wasn’t just Pavel he didn’t know much about, it was the whole damn university.

His college career had been relatively focused, though. It wasn’t easy, studying to become the Royal Doctor. Even with Kelevra’s backing, there was always the chance he’d fail. If his grades slipped or he showed he couldn’t grasp the material, he wouldn’t qualify no matter how badly the prince wanted him in the position. Between keeping Lyra and then Wells happy so that neither of them would interfere and try to sabotage him, Zane hadn’t really had time for anything else but sticking to his own neck of the woods.

Great. And now he was thinking about woods and being chased through them, preferably by a psychopath with glowing eyes who—

Who was currently sitting completely naked on a chair in the center of the large room Zane and Aneski had just stopped in front of.

The door was wide open, but that was nothing compared to the set of Pavel’s thighs. His feet were planted on top of a dais, right arm slung over the back of the glass chair he sat in, his other hand resting on his lower thigh. The pose left all of him exposed, his flaccid cock still hanging impressively.

Someone made a sound, and too late, Zane realized it had come from him. Fortunately, it was quiet enough no one else seemed to notice, but Pavel’s gaze immediately shifted to his.

“…Sorry, he told me you were coming tomorrow,” a woman, probably the professor, was talking to Aneski just within the room, leaving Zane standing there like an idiot. “As you can see, he’s the model for the day. You’re more than welcome to pull up a chair and join the rest of the class though.”

The rest of the class…who were drawing Pavel.

Naked.

Zane tore his gaze off of the other Retinue member, glancing at the nearest easel.

Only to suck in another sharp breath when he saw the female student was busy shading in the contours of Pavel’s abs depicted on the cream paper.

Another sound followed shortly after, this time not Zane’s doing, and he looked back in to see what had caught everyone else’s attention, eyes widening when they landed on that spot at the apex of Pavel’s thighs.

His cock was lengthening, and he was doing nothing to cover up or hide that fact.

Zane met his gaze, noticing the yellow of his eyes slipping through, washing away the usual dark brownish-black of his irises.

Before anyone could notice Pavel wasn’t the only one getting turned on, Zane spun on his heels and retreated, pretending not to hear the dark, familiar chuckle that followed him in his wake.