Page 26 of Devil May Hunt (The Devils of Vitality #8)

Brennon found Gunho in the kitchen of their home when he rushed back from campus. A part of him had been worried about the guards supposedly sent, but there’d been no sign of any type of disturbance outside, and now that he was here, everything seemed fine.

He let out a sigh of relief, the sound catching the attention of the alpha who’d been stirring something in a metal bowl.

Gunho frowned the moment their eyes met, dropping what he was doing to cross the room toward him. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“Nothing.” Brennon caught his hand when he reached for his forehead. “I’m fine.”

“It’s a Tuesday,” Gunho stated.

“I know.”

“You don’t have to be here on Tuesdays. Our arrangement—”

“Am I not allowed to come home whenever I want to?”

Gunho paused, expression turning enigmatic. “What’s going on, Brennon?”

He sighed. He’d never been able to hide anything from the alpha, not that he’d planned to. He’d just been in such a rush to get here and see for himself that Gunho was all right, he hadn’t taken the time to properly think about how he was going to explain.

“I met someone,” he opted to just jump right in, but had to stop and roll his eyes when that elicited a low growl from the alpha. “Relax, not like that. I mean I met someone sent by your grandfather.”

“What?” Gunho grabbed his arms. “Did he hurt you? Touch you?”

“No, nothing like that. But he tried to feed me this story about a cure for the drug you gave me and—”

“Tell me you didn’t take anything from them?” Gunho shook him, and if not for the fear in his eyes, Brennon might have been annoyed.

“What if I did?” He couldn’t help himself.

“Come.” Gunho took his hand started tugging him down the hallway.

“Where are we going?”

“To the hospital.”

“Why? Salz said the antidote is just meant to stop heats. Are there nasty side effects or something?”

“He sent Salz ?!” Gunho swore. “What an insult. That man is incompetent to the bone.”

“Tell me about it. Hey.” Brennon stopped them just as they made it to the front door. “Stop.”

“No. Who knows what type of poison he fed you. We need to seek immediate medical attention. How long ago was this?”

“Like twenty minutes? What do you mean poison?”

“There is no antidote,” Gunho turned on him and explained.

“But you said—”

“I never said there was one, I just told you I wouldn’t give it to you.”

Brennon frowned. “No, I’m positive you implied there was.”

“Can we talk about this in the car?”

“Tell me about it now.”

“This isn’t the time to be stubborn! Your life could be in danger!”

“Then I’ll die in the foyer of the home you so desperately wanted,” he said, internally wincing when that came out crueler than he’d intended. “Shit. That’s not what I meant. Just calm down for a second.”

Gunho let him go, unable to hide the flash of sadness from his face. “You want away from me that badly? Badly enough you’d trust a stranger and ingest a random drug?”

“Be’tessi—”

“There is no antidote,” he stated, “because there doesn’t need to be.

The effects will wear off naturally within three months.

This week is going to be your last heat.

I was planning on sitting you down and explaining.

I was going to beg for your forgiveness and give you a choice this time…

but I see now that I was being foolishly optimistic.

Of course you don’t want to be with me. It was all the drug, and I—”

Brennon did the only thing he could think of to finally get the guy to shut up.

He shot forward and sealed his mouth over his.

His tongue darted past his parted lips when Gunho gasped in surprise, and Brennon pressed in even closer, hands going to the alpha’s waist to pull him in and keep him close.

The sparks between them were instant and electrifying, even now. Even with things so messed up.

“I didn’t take anything from Salz,” Brennon pulled back just enough to say, heart already racing from just the kiss.

“You didn’t?” Gunho sounded so hopeful, it made Brennon feel even worse for allowing the misunderstanding.

“Of course not. I’m not an idiot. You told me all about how manipulative your grandfather is. There was no way I was going to blindly accept anything from him.” Though, he sort of wanted to know what that drug was, if it wasn’t an antidote. Had the emperor intended to kill him like Gunho feared?

Guess using his connection with Rin to threaten them had been the smart play after all.

“But, I’m sure he made you promises…?” Gunho frowned.

“Oh, he wants to throw you in prison. Actually, I can think up a few ways you can thank me for refusing to testify against you,” he made his tone teasing, hoping to clear the air, but his alpha still seemed too shaken to fall for it.

Brennon sighed. “Be’tessi. Let’s go back to the living room and sit down, yeah? ”

He hesitated, but then gave a firm nod, allowing Brennon to take his hand and lead him back the way they’d come. As soon as the alpha was seated, Brennon went to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water.

He peeked into the bowl on his way out, smiling when he saw Gunho had been in the process of making cookies.

“Were you going to have those delivered?” he asked as he returned, uncapping the bottle and holding it out to the alpha. He motioned over his shoulder with his chin toward the bowl. “That’s my favorite kind.”

“I told you. This was going to be your last heat cycle.”

“Ah, so you planned on buttering me up and winning me over with your skills in the kitchen.” Brennon sat down next to him. “You can’t be mad at me for what just happened. We both know you deserved it. After everything you put me through, a few minutes of panic is nothing in comparison.”

Gunho hung his head, but didn’t disagree.

“Be’tessi,” he licked his lips and corrected himself. “Alpha, relax. I’m not going anywhere.”

He glanced over at him. “Really? If you’re just saying that, but you’ve planned some elaborate escape with Salz, just tell me now, Brennon. I promise I won’t hold you back. I’ll let you go if that’s what you want, just…give me a heads up. Please.”

“I’m guessing the drug only lasts for three months because the creators hoped that was enough time to get the subject addicted to crazy alpha sex,” Brennon surmised, and when Gunho didn’t correct him, got his answer.

“While I agree it was shitty of you to use those types of tactics on me, there’s a reason that sort of conditioning is suggested. It works.”

“I don’t know whether to feel happy or guilty.”

“Do you regret it?”

Gunho looked away. “No.”

“Good, because here’s the thing.” Brennon took his hand and squeezed.

“You aren’t the only selfish one in this relationship.

I still don’t know if I’ll ever be able to give you what you really want.

I don’t know if one day we’ll wake up and somehow be the family you’ve always dreamed of having.

I don’t even know if I’m capable of falling in love with you.

But I refuse to give you up either. I’m not letting go.

You’re stuck with me, alpha, whether you like it or not.

Whether you regret it now or later. You’re mine. ”

What Brennon felt for him was stronger than anything he’d ever felt for another person, but that didn’t mean it was true love. He didn’t know what that was like, or if he’d ever be able to give that to Gunho, no matter how desperately the alpha wanted it from him.

But he’d always been stubborn and selfish.

Why change now?

“I can sort of see where you were coming from,” he admitted. “Because if our roles were reversed, and you tried to leave me…I can’t say with absolute certainty I wouldn’t drug you if it meant keeping you.”

“Do you mean that?” Gunho asked.

Brennon chuckled darkly. “We’re both seriously fucked up, aren’t we?”

“We’re perfect for each other,” he said, wrapping a hand around Brennon’s nape to lean him forward. He rested his forehead against his. “My perfect, pretty Vital lover.”

A thought occurred to him, and Brennon pulled away. “Hold on. If this is going to be my last heat, does that mean we can’t have sex until the symptoms kick in?”

If he slept with the alpha beforehand, the heat supposedly wouldn’t happen. That’s what he’d been told, though they’d never put it to practice.

“Disappointed?” Gunho purred knowingly.

“Do you have any more of the drug?” Brennon asked.

“Are you going to miss the heats that much? I seem to recall you hating them.”

“Hate is a strong word.”

He clicked his tongue chidingly. “I won’t allow you to drug yourself.”

“That’s kind of hypocritical, don’t you think?”

“Don’t worry. My rut is coming.”

Had it really already been three months since they’d first met? Brennon almost couldn’t believe it.

“I’m torn,” he found himself saying. “On the one hand, I don’t want to give up my last heat.

It feels…special, somehow. But on the other, I really want you to fuck me right now.

How about this?” He turned and then straddled Gunho’s lap.

“You do a throwback to when we first met,” his mouth lowered, “and take the choice out of my hands.”

Gunho kissed him, but it was over too soon, and he laughed when Brennon growled. “How fortunate we are that we’re already on a couch.”

“It is our favorite fuckable surface.”

“I don’t think that’s correct phrasing.”

“I don’t care. Just hurry up already.”

“Remember, pretty lover,” Gunho turned and dropped Brennon onto the cushions, “If you’re rough with me, I’ll be twice as rough with you.”

That was exactly what Brennon wanted.