Page 4 of Saint (Demons of Foxglove Grove #3)

Nix wasn’t exactly nervous…but he wasn’t exactly not nervous either.

He wrung his hands as he peered out the window of the hovercar, trying not to breathe too deeply. West had opted to drive to his father’s house for the birthday celebration, forcing both Lake and Yejun into the back seat and Nix in the passenger one. Honestly, he was grateful for it because the tiny car already felt cramped enough, and that was with them behind him.

Whatever cologne they’d put on, it’d almost immediately filled the car, a mixture of woodiness and lemon tickling at Nix’s nose. He’d catch a whiff of one, and then the other a second later, almost as though the scents were battling it out for dominance.

Any other occasion and he would have laughed at that thought, but now…

West reached over and dropped an open palm over Nix’s left thigh, but when Nix glanced over, the Demon had his gaze straight ahead on the road.

It was still difficult for him to comprehend how they’d gotten to this place. When they’d first met, West was the one Nix had feared the most. Now he was an odd comfort in a house that felt equal parts like a prison and a psych ward.

If he listed all the horrible things that had been done to him since his arrival at Foxglove University, he was certain he’d have enough for a lawsuit. Of course, that would be the case on most other planets, but since this was Tulniri, and he was dealing with the Demons, he’d be laughed straight back into one of their beds before finishing up the paperwork if he tried.

But that wasn’t the problem.

The problem was that Nix didn’t even want to try. He hadn’t considered ways to work against them or escape in…a while—much longer than he should have. Hell, running should have been his first matter of business, especially now that he knew who Branwen really was, and yet he was doing the exact opposite. He was settling.

Was he settling for the abuse, though?

Or giving into his feelings for the three men currently responsible for making the drive to the Corleone residence stifling and practically unbearable?

Feelings he most definitely shouldn’t have, but ones even Briant couldn’t convince him to shake. His cousin was going to be released from the hospital soon, and Nix was already preparing himself for the argument, knowing that the older guy was going to want him to return home with him. That wasn’t going to happen, but Nix needed to come up with a way to explain why without admitting he’d fallen for his captors.

Something told him Briant wouldn’t settle for Stockholm syndrome being a good enough reason to leave Nix behind. Despite where he currently was and the state his sister had been in before she’d ended things, Briant actually took mental health rather seriously. That was why he’d taken it so hard when Branwen had died. He’d blamed himself for missing signs there was no possible way he could have seen.

The two of them might not have been close, at least, in the sense they’d never really been friends, but Nix cared for and respected his older cousin, and he hated seeing him so torn up.

Hated it even more now, knowing why Branwen had done what she’d done, and how she’d chosen to spend her last moments.

Hated thinking about how she’d almost murdered West and framed Yejun for the death of his best friend, all because some asshole who’d never really loved her had asked it of her.

Nix placed his hand over West’s and squeezed once, back to staring out the window as the Demon drove the car deeper into a forested area and further from the city. He’d been a bit surprised when he’d found out where the Corleone residence was located since he’d anticipated a huge mansion in the very center of the hustle and bustle. But no. Apparently, Demitrious had a penchant for nature, and so he’d built the family home on the outskirts of Ripley forest. The forest itself spanned close to one hundred and fifty acres and was said to be entirely owned by the Corleone’s.

He supposed the location didn’t really matter anyway. The reason he was nervous was because this was the first time he was going to be meeting West’s father, and after all of the shitty things he’d heard about the man, he wasn’t exactly looking forward to it.

At least he was doing it now at a small gathering meant to celebrate Lake’s birthday. Since his only other surviving family was Hendrix and Beck—and there was no way Lake was going to be wished a happy birthday from the first—Demitrious had been hosting a dinner since he’d taken Lake in. They’d all reassured Nix that it would be a quiet evening, and that they’d shield him from the worst of Demitrious’s scrutiny.

Nix was trying to look at it like a sort of trial run. Even though Juri had agreed to be the Demon’s sacrifice for the Night of the Nightshade, Nix had been informed his presence was still required at the ceremony. Better to meet West’s imposing dad now and get it out of the way so he could focus more tomorrow when—

West swore next to him, hand tightening on Nix’s thigh reflexively before he pulled away and replaced it on the steering wheel.

Someone poked their head between the seats, and when Nix realized it was Yejun, he practically recoiled, pressing his shoulder tightly to the passenger door as he tried not to pay that particular Demon any mind. Instead, he stared ahead at what had caught West’s attention.

And then blanched.

“What the actual fuck,” Yejun growled, dropping back into his seat.

That renewed the slight distance between them, and Nix exhaled in mild relief, even though his heart was still thumping wildly in his chest as he took in the sight of over three dozen cars.

They lined the long driveway that led from the road into the forest, and no doubt to the Corleone manor. There were far too many to trick himself into believing the vehicles belonged to the cooking or cleaning staff, which meant…

“That absolute bastard,” West cursed. “What the hell is he trying to pull?”

“It’s a statement,” Lake didn’t sound any more pleased than the other two.

“To us,” Yejun asked, pointing forward as a large fountain settled in the center of the driveway, which circled around it, “or them?”

People were getting out of their cars and heading toward the steps that led up to the towering white and gold building set before them. There appeared to be at least four levels to the monstrous home, all with shuttered windows that were open and had glowing orbs dancing behind the panes of glass.

Lights had also been left out to decorate the lawn, creating pathways that led to the entrance, like little beacons in the darkening evening. The place was clearly set up for a party, and from what he could see, everyone was dressed for one as well.

Nix stared down at his black dress pants and the maroon button-up he was in. He’d forgone a tie because West had assured him this dinner was always semi-formal. At least he’d had the good sense to put on dress shoes instead of sneakers, but still…he felt incredibly out of place now that he was spotting full ball gowns and three-piece suits everywhere.

“Relax, babe,” West reassured him, gentling his voice as he pulled the car onto the circular driveway. “I have clothes you can change into if you really want.”

“I do.” He didn’t bother asking how West had items that would fit him, considering their sizes were vastly different. It didn’t really matter since he’d pretty much put on anything at this point.

“Good thing I left one of my suits in your closet,” Yejun said from the back. “Can’t believe your dad pulled this on us. Bastard.”

“We should sneak in through the back entrance,” Lake suggested.

“Yeah,” West agreed. “Let’s not give these assholes the satisfaction of seeing us underdressed for your own damn party. Fuck Demitrious. What a prick.”

“Why do you think he did this?” Nix asked as West drove off the pavement and onto the grass, heading straight for a cropping of trees. Before he could become worried they’d hit one, the car pivoted and slipped between the front line, suddenly shielded from view by thick tree trunks and bushy branches. “Secret path?”

“Even all the way out here, it’s good to have some extra privacy.” West winked at him. “This leads to the pool house. We can park there and use the tunnel to get to the mud room on the main level. The servants’ entrance won’t be visible to the party.”

“Of course you have a servants’ entrance.”

“Hey, my dad built the place. I only lived there.”

“Demitrious either wanted to throw us off guard and remind us who’s in charge,” Lake answered Nix’s earlier question, “or he’s trying to remind the rest of the club. We won’t know which it is until we’re inside and speak with him. How he approaches us will tell us everything we need to know.”

West nodded. “We can evaluate how to act from there.”

“Act?” Nix frowned.

“Do we need to go on the offensive,” he elaborated, “or defensive.”

“I would rather just go home,” Yejun said. “Pop some popcorn, put on a movie, snuggle under a thick blanket…”

“You’d be snuggling alone,” Nix muttered before he could help it, freezing almost as soon as the words left his mouth.

Everyone went quiet, the mood in the car tensing even more than it’d already been. He held his breath, waiting for a rebuttal, but it never came. Instead, Yejun remained silent in the backseat, and neither West nor Lake came to his defense.

It felt…

Weird.

The dynamics between the four of them felt off. Had felt that way ever since Yejun had splayed Nix over the coffee table and punished him for being related to Branwen.

Since he’d choked him repeatedly by crushing him beneath his weight, even as he continued to pound his hard cock deep into Nix’s sensitive hole.

“Pull over.” He was going to be sick. It hit him suddenly and without explanation—much like everything else he’d experienced in this city—and Nix grappled with the door handle, unable to open it due to the automatic locks.

“We’re almost there,” West replied, but Nix wasn’t having it.

“Stop the damn car now!” He almost never raised his voice at West. In the beginning, that was because of fear, but lately it’d been more because there hadn’t been a reason to. Even when they argued, neither of them ever yelled.

It was enough to shock the Demon into complying. He slammed onto the brakes and almost as soon as he had, Nix managed to force the door open.

He forgot his seat belt at first, and was yanked back in before he could exit. He slammed a finger against it and freed himself, then sprang out of the car, making it only a few steps before he fell to his knees at the side of a tree and hurled his guts out.

Nerves had kept him from eating much all day, but that only meant that a good portion of what came out of him was stomach bile that burned on its way up. He hacked and spat it all out, heaving as he tried to shake the image of Yejun’s furious face hovering above him, winking in and out of existence as Nix gained and lost consciousness.

Everything had been moving so quickly, he hadn’t realized how bad it was. West had ushered him to safety and he’d woken being cared for. Then he’d discovered Branwen’s true treachery, and what that meant for not only him but the Demons. Why they all hated the girl they called Iris so much.

Nix had started hating her as well, both for them and himself, and that had taken up a lot of mental energy. He’d also been able to throw himself into solving the mystery of the faux hacker and his and West’s plan to draw the perpetrators out of hiding.

But that was done now.

Dew was dead, and they were no closer to unmasking the mastermind behind it all. If anything, his death set them back, since now there was no one they could even interrogate for answers. A thought that Nix had instantly felt guilty for having. Maybe their friendship hadn’t been real, but he’d liked Dew, and despite it all, he didn’t believe the guy deserved the ending he’d gotten.

The point was, he’d managed to find any and all excuses on why not to think about what had happened between him and Yejun, at least, not in great detail. Only now…

Someone touched his shoulder, and Nix yelped and twisted around, sliding backward in the dirt to escape. As soon as he processed it was West, he stilled, but the thrumming panic coursing throughout his entire body didn’t abate.

It wasn’t even really panic, per se. Nix wasn’t afraid of Yejun, at least, not the Yejun he’d gotten to know over the past couple of months. That guy he’d met that day? He was terrified of him , but logically, Nix knew nothing like that would ever happen again, if only because there was no way West or Lake would ever allow it to.

He wasn’t even necessarily worried about being alone with Yejun without the other guys there to protect him. Just knowing they wouldn’t approve should be enough to keep Yejun from doing anything. That and the fact he wanted to try and make amends.

If he was to be believed, of course.

Nix was honestly still a bit on the fence.

The two of them had yet to speak, really, aside from a few passing comments made around the others that typically Nix pretended not to hear or just outright ignored. Either he wasn’t ready, he was feeling spiteful, or both.

“What’s wrong?” West crouched before him but didn’t make any attempts to touch him again. “Why’d you get sick all of a sudden?”

He shook his head and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Maybe something I ate.”

“I made you breakfast and lunch,” West reminded, “and you picked at both so I ended up eating yours and mine. I’m fine.”

“Your stomach must be better.”

“Nixie.”

“It’s nothing.” He pushed himself onto his feet and brushed off his pants. “Let’s just go.”

Lake was standing outside of the car watching, but Yejun had remained inside. Nix avoided eye contact as he trudged back to the vehicle, going through the motions as West helped him inside and then shut his door.

“I’m sorry,” Yejun said in the brief moment the two of them were alone, almost too quiet for Nix to even hear.

Then Lake and West got in and the silence from earlier proceeded.