Page 12 of Saint (Demons of Foxglove Grove #3)

“Are you listening?”

Not really.

Yejun smiled and nodded his head like the good son he’d been trained to be. “Of course, mother. You were saying the submissions this year are dreadful compared to last.”

She wasn’t wrong, but like hell was he going to agree with her. It would only drag the conversation on and he was already late. By this point, he was meant to be on the bus with West and the rest of the boxing team, but she’d called him here at the last minute claiming it was an emergency and their family reputation was on the line.

Blah.

Blah.

Blah.

Their reputation was always on the line in her mind. If it was up to his parents, their children would sit in glass cases and paint nonstop. They’d invite spectators to come see what “real artists” looked like in their natural habitat or some crazy shit like that. His sister had been smart to leave.

And all she’d had to do was marry the man their mother had chosen for her first.

“The hospital relies on this event,” Sayda Sang went on. “The funding it brings in helps a great deal. It’s important that everything goes off without a hitch.”

Harkens Hospital, which was owned and run by members of the club, was not lacking funding in the least, but he didn’t argue with her. His mother had always had an inflated sense of self-importance, perhaps brought on from her match with his father, who was of royal blood.

Technically, Sayda was now considered Royal as well, since she’d married Royal Insu, but that never seemed to be enough for her. Yejun understood and tried to humor her as best he could.

To be truthful, he didn’t hate his parents. It was just they were overbearing and smothered him. He wanted the freedom of choice. To choose his own path and his own future life partner, both things Insu and Sayda were highly against. Being able to put the title Royal before their names meant a certain level of responsibility—or so they believed.

“I brought the pieces you asked for,” Yejun said, the smile only partially slipping. He kept his hands clasped in front of him in a stance of respect, hoping to placate her to the point she’d let him leave. “Marget is taking care of them as we speak, so the gaps should be filled. Why don’t you take a break?”

“There’s no time for that,” she stated. “I’ve over a dozen things to do. I still can’t believe you and your father are both skipping out on this. At least he has a good enough reason with his concert happening an hour later, but you? A boxing match? Seriously, Yejun? When are you going to stop wasting your talents? If you’d just commit to your art you’d be—”

“Mother,” he stopped her, “I don’t want to fight. Can’t we just end things amicably for once?”

She tutted at him. “You make that sound like all I ever do is nag you!”

Sayda was a full two heads shorter than him, and wore her black hair in a tight bun, different from his slightly loose one. The mauve pencil dress she wore fit her like a second skin, and her jewelry was carefully curated so that it would both impress, yet appear elegant and worn casually.

When they’d still been alive, she and Lake’s parents had been close. His mother especially. The three of them had attended Foxglove together, and their mothers had been roommates their freshman year.

Yejun could still recall being younger and overhearing Lake’s mom tell his she should go easier on her children. He often wondered what life would have been like if they were still here. Would their influence eventually have gotten to Sayda?

“If that were the case,” she began, and it was clear he made a misstep and accidentally ended up on a landmine, “I would have brought up that humiliation of a showing you ruined last week.”

“That wasn’t my fault. Someone was messing with us. Besides, thanks to that, we were able to catch the hacker. Shouldn’t you be happy about that at least?”

“Happy?” she grunted. “Why should I be happy? Lake is the one in line for the throne, not you. Just because you and West like to pretend to be his family, that doesn’t make it true. I am your family. If you focused more on your responsibilities to the Sang name and less on Lake Zyair, something like the other day would never have happened. How did they manage to break into your studio and swap out the paintings anyway? Hmm? And what were you thinking, wasting your talents creating something so vulgar in the first place?”

“Mother.”

“It’s got to be that Monroe person. He’s clearly a bad influence. If Lake has decided to take him as a life partner, that’s his decision. Poor boy doesn’t have parents to help steer him in the right direction. But like hell will I sit back and allow some nobody from the backwoods part of the planet come in—”

“That is enough,” Yejun’s anger slipped past his defenses, causing his mom to sputter to a stop and stare at him. “You can shit-talk me all you like—even West and Lake are used to your judgmental nature—but I won’t allow you to speak ill about Nix. That’s where I draw the line, Mother.”

When she didn’t immediately respond, he continued.

“None of this is even his fault,” he said. “We dragged him into this and he was the one who ended up humiliated, not me. The Sang name?” He snorted. “No one cares that I painted my boyfriend in an indecent position except for Nix himself.”

Sayda’s palm struck him across the cheek, and Yejun clenched his fists tightly but didn’t react otherwise. She’d hit him before, and aside from a slight sting, the hit wouldn’t even leave a mark.

“I see we’ve given you far too much leeway,” her voice was like ice. “He’s your boyfriend now?”

“He’s been my boyfriend for months, Mom,” he corrected. “You’ve just been too self-absorbed to notice. But then again, what’s new?” Yejun took a single step back and bowed to her. “I’ll take my leave now.”

“Yejun Sang don’t you dare walk away from me.”

“It’s either that or we cause a scene,” he replied. “I doubt you want that?”

She seemed to recall they were standing in one of the open areas of the hospital in broad daylight. “This discussion isn’t over.”

“I’ll see you at Demons Passing.” Yejun turned on his heels, coming up short when his eyes immediately landed on Nix standing at the end of a hallway only twenty or so feet away. He looked over his shoulder, but his mother was fortunately already storming off in the opposite direction and hadn’t noticed their audience.

“That seemed…intense.” Nix was standing in front of him when he spun back around, though he was careful to keep some distance.

That cut Yejun to the core. He’d hoped there’d been progress after what he’d done with Lake, but apparently it hadn’t been enough. Logically, he’d known it wouldn’t be, but a guy could foolishly hope, right?

“My mother is a personality, that’s for sure.” Yejun glanced past Nix, noting he was alone. “I thought you were seeing your cousin off?”

The cousin Yejun had terrified and beaten to the point he’d ended up in the hospital.

“I didn’t follow you here,” he added, worried Nix would get the wrong idea. “My mother insisted I bring some of my work after one of the volunteer artists dropped out of the event she’s hosting.”

“Juri is taking my cousin to the bus station,” Nix replied. “Weren’t you supposed to be with West? Did you skip out on the match because your mom’s request?”

He chuckled humorlessly. “Request. Right. I wouldn’t call it that, personally. I’m still going to the match, I’ll just have to drive myself. Figured so long as I leave within an hour, I’ll make it in time. What about you? Decide you want to come after all?”

“No. I have other plans.” Nix didn’t offer what those plans were, and Yejun didn’t ask.

Even though he really, really wanted to.

It wasn’t hard to guess it had something to do with Lake though.

“Do you want to grab a coffee quick?” Yejun pointed toward the elevator that headed down to the first level. “The cafeteria here is actually pretty good.”

Nix hesitated but then nodded. However, he motioned toward the stairs instead. “Let’s go this way.”

Yejun fell into step at his side, quiet for a moment before he couldn’t keep it in any longer. “How are you? Has…what happened in the car on the way to Demitrious’s happened again?”

Nix shook his head.

“That was because of me, wasn’t it?”

“We don’t have to talk about this.”

“Yes, I think we do.” Yejun reached out and gently touched Nix’s arm, pulling back and holding up both hands when Nix jerked away as though electrocuted. “Sorry. Sorry, I…Firebird, I meant what I said the other day at the office. I’ll do whatever you want me to do. Whatever you need. I just…want to make this right between us.”

“I told you I’d forgive you that day.”

“We both know that’s not how forgiveness works.” Yejun started walking again, figuring it would be better if they had this conversation sitting down. “Let me buy you coffee first. Then let’s talk. Okay?”

He still kept his distance, but at least Nix agreed and followed after him.

* * *

“Is your mom always that fierce?” Nix asked ten minutes later once they’d gotten their coffees and a single slice of cake. He sipped at his hot drink, seeming pleased with it, but ignored the food Yejun had bought specifically for him.

“So you saw her slap me?” Yejun laughed it off. “It’s no big deal. Sometimes she gets like that, that’s all.”

“Is that where your anger issues come from?”

“I don’t—” He blew out a breath. “Probably.”

“What made her so mad?” Nix sipped his coffee and stared at Yejun across the table, giving him his full attention.

For the first time in weeks.

He cleared his throat. “Lots of things. It mostly just boils down to her thinking I’m abusing my talent as an artist. If she had her way, I’d be locked in the studio twenty-four-seven, constantly creating with no breaks in between.”

Nix’s brow furrowed slightly. “I thought Lake said you and your parents get along?”

“We do.” He started picking at the black plastic lid of his cup absently. “At least, better than West does with his dad. I don’t hate my parents. They’re just a lot, that’s all.”

“I heard…” Nix hesitated, clearly unsure if he should admit what he wanted to say or not, but then ended up doing so. “I heard my name mentioned. I swear I wasn’t eavesdropping, and I couldn’t make out anything else that was said.”

He was afraid Yejun was going to get angry at him for listening.

June’s shoulders caved in. “Firebird, look at me.”

Nix did.

“Nothing like that will ever happen again, you have my word. I will never take my emotions out on you like that in the future. I get it’ll take time for me to prove it, and I will.”

The younger guy didn’t respond, but he didn’t drop his gaze again either, so that was progress.

Yejun sighed. “As for my mother, she has this idea of what my future is going to look like, and nothing I say to her can get her to alter that perception. You don’t have to worry though. I’m in this, with you. It doesn’t matter what she thinks.”

“Ah,” he hummed in understanding. “She doesn’t like me.”

“She doesn’t really like anyone. I could sleep around as much as I wanted because it was nothing serious, but being in a relationship with someone makes her uncomfortable. I think she’s finally realizing I’m not a kid anymore and I won’t blindly follow her orders.”

He used to talk about this stuff with Iris. After her betrayal, he’d sworn to himself he’d never trust anyone outside of West and Lake again. Putting himself in a vulnerable position was bad for all of them, but Nix wasn’t just anyone, and in reality…Yejun had wronged him more.

“Your cousin saw my mom hit me once too,” he confessed, and this time he was the one who couldn’t make eye contact. “She was pretty upset by it. I remember thinking it was sweet, how bent out of shape she got on my behalf. We bonded over our strict parents. Hers never wanted her to enroll at Foxglove.”

“Our families stay out of club business as much as possible,” Nix said softly.

“She mentioned that. Even joked how much they’d hate it if they found out we were friends. I really believed it, you know? That we were friends. She had me convinced…” He pursed his lips. “Someone had to have given her pointers beforehand, that’s the only explanation I can think of. She always said all the right things, would appear in all the right places…” Like that day she’d walked in on him arguing with his mom.

Now that he could look at it from a different perspective, it made no sense for Iris to have been there when she was. He’d been fighting with Sayda by the gym, a part of campus Iris was typically never even near.

“I really liked her.” It was hard to say, but he forced himself to admit it. “I haven’t been able to make any real friends, not since I was a child. Everyone who approaches me either wants to fuck me or use me for my name. Iris acted like she was different. She never asked me for anything, even rejected a couple of offers when she needed expensive new art supplies for class she couldn’t afford. That’s why when I found out the two of you were related and that you’d lied to me about it…”

He'd lost his mind. It’d felt like the rug was being ripped out from underneath him all over again, only this time, he could do something about it. The whole time he’d interrogated Iris, he’d been unable to bring himself to physically harm her, despite how she’d almost killed West.

A part of him had always felt guilty about that. Like he’d failed his best friend somehow. Like he hadn’t been loyal enough to hurt the person who’d tried to murder him.

“I was terrified it was happening again,” he told Nix. “That you were using me, us, and you were going to try and—”

Nix reached across the table and rested a hand over Yejun’s, instantly silencing him. “I won’t hurt you, June. I’m not my cousin. I care about you, for real. Even after what you did to me, I haven’t stopped caring. I just…needed some time and some space.”

“I scared you,” he repeated.

“Yeah.”

“You don’t have to force yourself to forgive me all at once,” Yejun said. “Knowing you’re willing to try at all already means a lot to me. I’m trying not to be greedy. I don’t want to force you, not again. Not like that day.”

Thank gods Lake was there because if he hadn’t been, there was no telling how far Yejun would have actually gone. He’d been so caught up in his own emotions, he’d ignored all of the signs that Nix was telling the truth. That Nix hadn’t used or tricked him like Iris had.

“Understanding why you acted the way you did is one thing,” Nix replied tentatively, easing his hand away and settling back into his seat. “But that doesn’t erase the damage you’ve done. It doesn’t magically make the way you made me feel vanish. Sometimes, it’s hard being around you, Yejun.”

“Will you come back to the studio?” It was probably too soon to ask, but he wanted Nix to know how he was feeling. Didn’t want to hide behind bravado anymore. “I’ll leave the door open, you don’t have to be sealed in alone with me. I miss those quiet moments. I miss you keeping me company while I work.”

Nix quirked a brow. “And the sex?”

“I miss that too,” he said without skipping a beat. “But I know better than to ask for that. I just want to be with you again—in a nonsexual way, I mean. Will you come?”

He thought about it, and just when Yejun felt for sure his heart was going to explode from his chest from the wait, Nix picked up the small gold fork and took a bite of the cake. “Maybe. I mean, a deal is a deal, and you did make Lake.”

Yejun frowned.

“Come, I mean,” Nix added with a grin.

“At least you’re joking with me again.” That was a good sign. “Do you want anything else aside from the cake?”

“A burger and fries.”

“You got it.” Yejun stood but before he could take more than one step away, Nix’s voice stopped him.

“If your mom ever hits you like that again,” he said quietly. “Call me.”

He cocked his head. “Why, Firebird? What are you going to do, light her on fire?”

The corner of Nix’s mouth tipped up, but the look in his eyes was steely. “Something like that.”

West had been right the other day.

Nix fit right in.