Page 14 of Devil May Hunt (The Devils of Vitality #8)

“Dude, you look terrible.” Rin leaned across the library table and pressed the back of his hand to Brennon’s forehead, scowling. “Go home. You’ve got a fever. What are you even doing here?”

Two weeks ago, a little touch like that would have sent his heart racing, despite knowing there was nothing romantic in the gesture, but this time, Brennon was wholly unaffected.

Strange.

Had sleeping with the alpha really worked? Maybe he should thank Sila.

It’d been three days since Gunho had visited the Academy. His voice was finally back to normal, but he’d woken this morning with a migraine and a raging hard-on. He’d had to rub himself off twice to get it to go down.

“I’m fine.” He felt weird, but whatever.

After having soup and medicine delivered to his room as promised, Gunho had all but gone dark. Despite his threats that Brennon answer his calls, there had been nothing. No line of communication. Not so much as a whisper.

Had he grown tired of the chase already? That’s probably what this was to him. A game. It wasn’t like Brennon was hard to find, he’d been on campus all week. If he’d wanted to show up again, he could have. Just like how he’d gotten Brennon to suck his cock when he’d wanted that from him.

What if he’d gone back home, to Glyph or Synastry? What if he’d left and wasn’t even on planet anymore, and he’d done so without so much as a goodbye?

“How’d you know when to give in to Kelevra’s advances?” He shouldn’t ask. There was a very fine line separating them now, and every word out of his mouth was a chance to cross it and risk the tentative friendship they’d managed to hobble together.

Sure enough, Rin pulled away, frowning.

“I’m sorry, I get that’s super private but…” Brennon couldn’t finish that sentence, didn’t even know how to. How much did he want to tell him? What was he even getting at? “Forget it.”

“Is this about the alpha?” Rin shrugged a single shoulder when he gave him a surprised look.

“Come on. Even if I hadn’t seen the way he ordered you out of the gym the other day, my brother is the one who set you up, remember?

He doesn’t keep anything from me. I know all about your plan to fuck someone else to get over me.

Well?” He tilted his head. “Did it work?”

“I…” He exhaled, mildly embarrassed. “Kind of? I know we’ll never be anything more than friends, Rin.”

“Yeah, but do you still want to fuck me?”

“I…” He didn’t. He blinked, caught off guard by that realization. “No. Not even a little bit.”

Rin snorted. “Bet it wasn’t all that hard, since you’ve never actually been attracted to me sexually ever.”

Brennon stared at him.

“I’m not stupid, and neither are you,” his friend said. “We both know you misinterpreted your feelings because you’ve never liked anyone else enough to want to be close friends with them.”

He frowned. “If you’d known that, you could have shared it with me.”

“Why? It wouldn’t be self-discovery if I told you.”

“Dude.”

“All right. Sorry. You know it now though, don’t you? No more lingering doubts about it?” he clicked his tongue. “Leave it to Sila to know how to solve a problem. What’s the matter then? The alpha giving you trouble?”

“He did at first, but I haven’t heard from him in days.”

“And? You miss him?”

“No way.” He really didn’t. “But he seemed interested in more…”

“Don’t lie. We both know that’s a claiming bite on the back of your neck.

Nice try covering it up, by the way.” Rin rolled his eyes when Brennon glanced around to make sure no one else had overheard.

“Relax. The library is mostly empty today, that’s why we can get away with talking without being shushed by that annoying student librarian. ”

Of course Rin had noticed that sort of thing. He was a master at catching the small details that Brennon never even considered looking out for.

“Can we be serious for a moment?” Rin sobered and propped his arms on the table, the movement bringing him closer to Brennon.

Despite his assessment that they were out of earshot, he lowered his voice when he next spoke.

“You never wanted to sleep with me, Bren. I know it, and now you know it. Hell, the only one who doesn’t is probably Kelevra, and that’s just because he prefers being jealous and having a reason to hate you over having to play nice. ”

“Can’t blame him.”

“I don’t. And, if you want, I can ask him to check and see where the alpha is and what he’s doing now, if it’ll help alleviate some of this anxiety you’re feeling.”

Brennon cocked his head. “But?”

“I think you’re missing a perfect opportunity here. What’s so bad about dating an alpha?”

“We wouldn’t be dating?” he said. “He wants to skip straight to being bonded mates. I don’t even know what that means, at least, not for his kind.”

“Same as it does for all the rest, I’d imagine.” Rin lifted a single shoulder like it was no big deal. “Does it matter? Isn’t this what you’ve always wanted? Someone to choose you?”

“Ouch.” He’d forgotten the whole reason he’d crushed on Rin in the first place was because the guy was able to make him feel seen for the first time in his life.

Sometimes being seen sucked.

“You’ve got people who care about you, Bren. If you stopped wallowing, you’d see that.”

He gave a pointed look around the empty table, and Rin rolled his eyes. Brennon shut the book he’d been trying, and failing, to study with. “What about Daylen? Any progress?”

Daylen had gotten tangled up with a Royal and vanished, and Calder was out on a mission with his Brumal boyfriend, which was why it was just the two of them meeting at the library today. Brennon had almost canceled, but eventually, he was going to have to stop avoiding being alone with Rin.

It really did feel different now. Rin was still as hot as ever, but Brennon acknowledged it in a more appreciative way than lustful.

He didn’t feel any romantic connections to his best friend, not even when Rin spoke about Kelevra.

In the past, being reminded that he’d been overlooked for the Imperial prince would often sting, but he didn’t experience that now.

Was it really this easy to get over someone?

Or was it because Rin was right about that as well, and Brennon had never actually wanted to be with him sexually?

Brennon hadn’t thought he was madly in love or anything, had more been mourning the closeness of their friendship than any missed opportunity. Sure, his ego had taken a hit, but that had more to do with the competitiveness he felt for Kelevra and the rest of the Retinue than Rin.

He might be a couple of years younger than the members of the Retinue, but Brennon had still grown up attending the same events.

He’d been in prime position to become a member, a fact his parents had frequently reminded him of up until he’d turned sixteen and it’d been abundantly clear that was never going to happen.

The Retinue were tasked with following and protecting the Imperial Prince. That was far too much responsibility. He hadn’t been interested. For the most part, Brennon avoided other Royals. They chatted a bit during functions, and if he happened to pass one in the city, but that was about it.

He’d always wanted a relaxed life.

Which was why it was so ironic that he’d ended up in bed with a pushy Imperial alpha.

“The Brumal are working on it,” Rin replied, twirling the stylus he was holding with his fingers. “I just hope he and Calder are back in time for the end of the semester.”

“You think it’ll take that long?” He let out a low whistle. “Damn.”

“They aren’t the only ones causing me grief.” Rin gave him a knowing look. “But nice try.”

“Just let me change the subject like a good friend,” Brennon asked, but the other cadet merely pursed his lips.

“I’m being a good friend. Good friends are honest when they think the other person has royally fucked up. Or imperally, in this case.”

“Not funny.”

“Dude, he’s wealthy, attractive, and most importantly, he wants you. Clearly you’re into him too, or you never would have hooked up with him in the first place.”

“I was wasted!”

“My brother says you were sober enough to make your own decisions.”

“Yeah, well, what the hell does he know?”

“Almost everything.” Rin snorted. “It’s annoying, trust me, but he tends to see things others miss.”

“Even you?”

Rin straightened cockily. “Come on. See, this is your problem, Bren. You’re always so butthurt that no one seems to care about you, but you’re the one who never opens up. If you keep closing yourself off like this, you’ll never find the connection you so badly crave.”

“I don’t.” Who needed connection?

“Liar. That’s the reason you thought you had a crush on me for months, and we both know it.

I wasn’t going to say it out loud because I didn’t want to rub it in or embarrass you, but clearly it needs to be said.

Wake up. You want someone to love you unconditionally, but you’re never willing to take the first step and try that out yourself. You’ve never loved anyone.”

He didn’t need love. He needed understanding.

Those two things weren’t mutually exclusive.

His parents didn’t love one another, but they made perfect partners.

If their imperfect son was removed from the equation that was their life, they could easily be considered the most content couple on the planet.

He blew out a breath. “This is stupid. It’s a stretch to go from a hookup to let’s be together forever . How am I the only one who sees that?”

“I think you’re just the only one who’s hung up on it.”

“That’s the problem. No one cares. You say that’s a me problem? But why should I be the one to take that first step?”