Page 6 of Saint (Demons of Foxglove Grove #3)

“Juri has arrived,” Nix kept his tone even and his spine straight, not wanting to give away how unconflicted he currently was.

On the one hand, he didn’t give a shit who Yejun hooked up with, even more so now that they were on the outs.

But on the other…

Everyone kept telling him Yejun was sorry. That he felt horrible for what transpired between them and wanted to make amends. Maybe a secret part of Nix had really bought into that, had even been hoping there’d be real, tangible change. Something he could see with his own eyes that would help him get rid of this discomfort and mild fear he felt whenever in the Demon’s presence.

Yet here they were. Less than half an hour into the party, Yejun was already acting on his old playboy ways.

Maybe it was time for Nix to admit to himself that the Yejun he’d thought he knew, the one who’d treated him tenderly in his studio and helped ease him into things in the beginning, wasn’t real.

Whatever.

He didn’t want to forgive him anyway. Not really.

…Not much.

The panic attack he’d had in the car earlier came to mind and hardened his stance on the matter. Yeah, this was actually a good thing. Let Yejun clear any misunderstandings that Nix might have about how sorry he supposedly felt. The sooner those hopes were dashed, the better. He didn’t want to be tricked into trusting the other man again.

Why was he so fucking conflicted?

Why didn’t he know his own heart anymore?

West rested a hand on his shoulder, offering silent comfort, and then said to Yejun, “Let’s go. The ceremony has already begun. There was only one person who managed to make it into the King tier this year, and that’s Nix.”

“So the ceremony will be relatively short,” Yejun caught on. “At least there’s that.”

“Curb your excitement. It’s unclear if my father still intends for us to stay for dinner. But my guess is he won’t let us get off that easily.”

“We’re going to have to sit through a boring meal while everyone else scurries off and gets laid, that’s what you’re implying?” Yejun glanced at Nix and then cleared his throat. “That’s not what I meant…”

“Dude, it’s not like he isn’t already aware if you’re awake you’re most likely horny.” West rolled his eyes and then took Nix’s hand, linking their fingers loosely. “Come on. The ceremony has technically already begun, Lake sent us here to get you before it’s our turn.”

West had explained what was going to happen as soon as they’d run into Lake and found out what was really going on, though Nix was still somewhat confused by it all.

He’d always believed the Night of the Nightshade was exclusively an Enigma event, but apparently, that wasn’t true. He’d been warned to avert his gaze or pretend not to notice altogether if he caught someone in a sexual act—that the reason many of the Club members even bothered attending the ceremony at all was so they could take part in the festivities that happened after.

According to West, some years there were even multiple orgies.

Not high on Nix’s list. He already mentioned that if any of them tried anything funny with him in front of anyone he wouldn’t stand still. West had assured him none of them planned that and they’d respect him.

Respect him.

He’d almost laughed in the Demon’s face.

Nix spun on his heels and headed back the way they’d come, not wanting to give anyone a chance to keep the conversation going. Mostly, he was over how uncomfortable and uncertain Yejun made him. While there was a comfort with West, and he trusted that West would come to his defense even against Yejun, that didn’t help assuage his discomfort any more or less.

It wasn’t hard to figure out where to go. Pretty much everyone else was already congregating in the main living area at the center of the home, their backs turned toward Nix when he arrived on the edge.

West stepped up to his side when he slowed, taking his hand and tugging him through, pushing people out of the way before they seemed to realize who he was. The crowd started shifting on their own shortly after, moving aside for them. Some even went as far as bowing their heads slightly.

The living area had a high ceiling and a skylight, the clear night sky shining down upon them as dozens of light orbs drifted above. It created a mixed ambiance, one with a twinge of mystery and a dash of romance, as odd as that was. There was a hush in the room, and the closer they got to the front of the horde, the quieter it became, as though everyone was holding their breath in anticipation.

Nix frowned slightly when they finally pushed to the head of the crowd and he spotted Lake standing at the side of another stairwell, this one narrow and leading straight up. He briefly met Nix’s gaze, but gave nothing away with his stoic expression.

At the other side, a man Nix didn’t recognize stood, holding a halo-pad resting on both of his splayed palms. He was older than them, probably even older than West’s father, with silver hair and eyes that gleamed like tumbled onyx stones. His suit was the same dark shade, but he had on a blood red sash as well, something that made him stand out from the rest.

A bell chimed somewhere as Yejun and West settled at either side of Nix, and as Nix shifted closer to the latter, the single door at the top of the steps opened.

A young man stepped out and slowly made his way down the stairs, the gold of his mask glittering in the orb light. It wasn’t until he was halfway there that Nix registered his gaze on him and placed his identity.

Juri Ferd.

The Demons sacrifice.

When they’d first met, Juri had been quiet and Nix hadn’t been able to get a good read on him. He’d seemed nice, the kind of dependable person he didn’t know he needed in his life. Back then, Nix had still foolishly believed he could go it alone. Now he knew better. It was crazy what a few months could do. How they could change you.

He knew the Demons still didn’t fully trust Juri’s loyalty, and he couldn’t blame them. After what they’d gone through recently with Branwen, Nix couldn’t fault them for their trust issues. But Juri had proven himself to Nix in more ways than one, had been there for him when he’d felt all alone. Hell, he’d even volunteered to be here tonight, to take on the role of sacrifice just so Nix wouldn’t have to enter Club Essential without any allies.

Yejun thought that was too good to be true, that no one would self-sacrifice for a person they hardly knew. Nix would have agreed if not for the fact he’d heard Juri’s story. Juri had lost people to this club too, a club he’d been born into and had once been a part of.

If things had gone the way of tradition, Juri would be living in the Roost right now as well. He’d be another Demon, though Nix doubted the two of them would have shared anything more than a friendly relationship even with that altered status. The only reason Lake and the others were all right sharing him was because it was solely between the three of them. Their friendship was unlike any other Nix had heard of or witnessed.

They’d sooner murder Juri than allow him to touch Nix.

That knowledge would have scared him before.

Now it sent a thrill shooting down his spine all the way to his toes, a reaction he tried to hide as Juri made it the bottom of the landing and bowed first to Lake before turning to face the older man.

“He needs to swear a new oath,” West leaned in then and whispered into Nix’s ear, so quietly he almost couldn’t make the words out even with his lips pressed against his lobe. “When he refused to be a Demon, he turned his back on the club and was stricken from the records. He returns as a new member, which means he has to go through all of the steps a new member would need to.”

Nix twisted his head and asked in the same low tone, “Will I need to?”

They’d already discussed how he couldn’t escape becoming a member of the club. Being an Essential meant an extra layer of protection, and it meant the Demons could keep him close even when they entered the Club House. As things were, they were forced to leave him at the Roost unattended every time there was an official event, summons, or meeting, and none of them were comfortable with that.

Not even Nix. Not after everything.

Grady had placed a fake dead animal in his bag to try and scare him.

Dew had shoved him into a waif stall and left him there locked up. Then he’d switched Yejun’s paintings at the gallery showing in order to humiliate him.

Both of these people were his friends, but they’d managed to scare him. At least he knew Grady’s antics came from a good place. He’d never get the chance to learn Dew’s reasoning. Clearly, Nix had done something close to the gallery showing that had pissed the other man off. But what? What had he done to earn such a harsh punishment?

“Yes,” West answered his question, pulling Nix back to the present. “But don’t worry. We’ve already made a deal with the Order. Your initiation will be handled by the three of us and no one else. We won’t parade you in front of an audience like this.”

That was why he wasn’t up there as well. He’d heard that all of the students who’d managed to make it into the King tier were meant to attend the Night of the Nightshade and be read into the Club, yet no one had asked Nix to do anything other than accompany West. Sure, he’d been getting looks all night, people obviously knew who he was, but not a single person had dared to approach and ask if he was going to participate.

Had West and Lake taken care of that was well? When had they found the opportunity to talk to the Order about all of this?

Admittedly, Nix didn’t really get it. Sure, the thought of everyone’s eyes on him like they currently were on Juri made him uncomfortable, but that discomfort was pretty low on the list at this point. They’d been through worse, after all. Had put him through worse. Why go through the trouble of talking to the Order about doing it privately?

Juri made it to the landing and bowed to Lake before turning to face the older man. He clasped his hands in front of him and kept his gaze lowered to the ground, only moving once he was ordered to place his left hand flat on the holo-pad.

The older man started to talk about the history of Club Essential, rattling off dates and important founding members. Nix was interested—mostly just because he wanted to be prepared—but he only caught the first couple of sentences before it became a struggle to process the words coming out of the man’s mouth.

Yejun had shifted closer to him, angled his body ever so slightly. It was a move meant to keep the person next to him, a woman, from taking peeks at Nix, which she’d been doing for a while now.

The problem was, Nix felt a rush of panic not dissimilar from the one he’d felt in the car, and this so wasn’t the place for vomiting or losing his cool. They needed to provide a united front. Even if there were cracks in their relationship, no one outside of their circle could know that. It would put them all at risk.

Something told Nix, if he puked because of Yejun’s nearness, it would give things away.

He tried to focus on West’s arm pressed against his on the other side, of the heat wafting off him and the comfort of his familiar scent.

And he tried to recall how things had been with Yejun before. The Demon had been careful with him, caring. While Nix now understood there were two very different versions of him, he needed to remember the “good” one. Not because he wanted to forgive Yejun because he deserved it—he didn’t, even though Nix understood his reaction—but because they all needed to survive.

If Nix was going to spend the rest of his life with these three, he couldn’t fixate on the negative. But he also couldn’t allow anything like that to ever happen again. West had asked him once if he wanted a relationship with turmoil and animosity. He did not.

He’d never thought very much about his future mate, but Nix had always imagined they’d get along if nothing else.

Digging his nails into his palms, he slowly inhaled through his nose and exhaled through his mouth, concentrating on leveling his breathing and calming his anxious nerves. Logically, he knew Yejun wouldn’t hurt him—especially not here—he just needed to convince his subconscious to chill and take that information in.

“I won’t touch you,” Yejun’s voice in Nix’s ear came then.

Nix felt his warm breath waft against the side of his neck and he shivered involuntarily.

“I’m sorry,” he sounded every bit as wounded as Nix felt. “Forgive me, Firebird. I’ll never put you through anything like that again, I swear it.”

Nix risked a glance at him, gaze darkening as a swirl of anger spun through him. “Don’t make me promises you can’t keep. You lost yourself, Yejun. Who’s to say that won’t happen again in the heat of the moment?”

“It won’t,” he insisted. “Please, Nix. I’ll do anything. Anything to make this right. To bring you back to me. I…” he licked his lips and confessed, “I miss you. I’ve never missed anyone before.”

“Lucky me.” It was cruel, but Nix turned away just as Yejun flinched.

Okay, so maybe he didn’t want to be petty and spiteful, but giving back a little bit of what he’d been given was his right, right?

West placed a hand at the back of Nix’s neck, a silent reassurance that he was there. It also meant that he’d most likely heard everything that was just said between him and Yejun, despite the whispers.

And a reminder of where they were. If West could hear, there was always the chance someone else could as well. Nix wasn’t na?ve enough to believe that there wasn’t a single person around them curious about the Demons and their fourth. They’d suck this information up and spin it into something it wasn’t, the same way that rumor had started that Nix had cheated on them when his cousin had shown up unannounced.

“Will you be completing the initiation?” the old man asked Lake, drawing Nix’s attention back to the ceremony.

Was it almost over? Had he really just missed the whole thing?

“No,” Lake motioned toward Nix. “I’m mated.”

The old man leading things nodded. “Yes, yes. One of the other Demons then? This is your sacrifice.”

“They’ve also taken to our fourth,” Lake said without skipping a beat. “Juri Ferd is our sacrifice, but that’s where our responsibility ends. We won’t be taking part in the final test.”

“The final test?” Nix frowned up at West. “What’s that?”

“Is there a member you have in mind then, new recruit?” the man asked Juri before West had a chance to answer Nix’s question.

Juri looked at the crowd, but it was obvious he was only pretending to be thinking. When his eyes locked with Nix’s they lingered, but West’s hand shifted on Nix’s neck, pulling him closer to his side. Ultimately, Juri ended up shaking his head.

“There isn’t,” he replied.

“A volunteer then,” the man’s voice rose up so that everyone packed into the room could hear.

“It’ll be more difficult for him to find someone,” Yejun said to Nix in a hushed tone, even though Nix still didn’t entirely understand what was going on. “Since he grew up in the Club and was Essential up until a couple years ago, not many will risk pissing off his parents or involving themselves in this.”

“What happens if he can’t find someone?” Nix asked, because even if he didn’t get it, it was obvious whatever was happening was important.

“He’ll be rejected as the sacrifice,” West jumped into the conversation,” and denied membership.”

Nix didn’t know much about Juri’s family aside from what he’d been told about Juri and his brother wanting nothing to do with the Club. His brother Joal had apparently been a Demon at the Roost when Lake and the others were Freshman, and the experience had been less than stellar for him. That’s what kicked off Juri denying his rights as a Legacy and, ultimately, being booted from the club in the first place.

He’d told Nix he was relieved to be free of it, yet here he was, throwing himself back to the wolves all to help Nix.

“Stop.” West gripped his neck when Nix made to take a step forward, the warning low but firm.

There was no way Nix was going to leave Juri hanging after his friend willingly put himself through this, and he opened his mouth to say as much, but then a deep voice came from the crowd.

“I’ll do it.” There were mild gasps and whispers when Hendrix stepped forward. The man was old enough to be Juri’s father, and from the smug expression he aimed Lake’s way, it was clear he was only doing this in an attempt to irritate his nephew.

Unfortunately for him—and Juri—Lake didn’t give two shits about the sacrifice he’d just presented.

Juri seemed uncomfortable though, shifting on his feet, some of the bravado he’d been displaying up until now slipping. He paled some, though he held his ground and didn’t speak out against Hendrix’s offer.

Whatever this final test was, it had to be more complicated than placing your hand on a holo-pad and swearing allegiance in front of a crowd. Nix rattled his brain, collecting all the information he had on Essential and the things they stood for, but he couldn’t for the life of him guess what Hendrix and Juri were meant to do.

“Shit,” West swore.

“Doesn’t look like anyone is going to save him,” Yejun whispered, agreeing with West’s sentiment. “Poor bastard.”

West stared down at Nix, waiting until Nix tipped his head in silent question, and then swore again. His hand dropped from the back of his neck and he squared his shoulders.

“Dude,” Yejun’s tone was warning, but West was already stepping forward.

“Wait,” Beck’s voice rang from the crowd and everyone turned his way as he pushed past the throngs to the front, passing West’s other side. He stopped a few feet away from Juri. “I’ll do it.”

“I spoke first, son,” Hendrix said, but it was hard to tell if he was annoyed or ambivalent.

“Two offers,” the man running the ceremony announced. “Which will you choose, new recruit?”

Juri didn’t appear happy with either option, but he didn’t hesitate to point out Beck. “Him.”

Hendrix laughed and moved over to Beck, patting him on the back before leaning in. He whispered something that Nix couldn’t make out, something that had Beck bristling. The reaction only caused Hendrix to chuckle a second time, then he pulled away and winked at his son.

“The final test will take place now,” the older man stated, flinging an arm toward the stairwell Juri had descended earlier. “The test must be submitted by no later than noon tomorrow.”

“Understood,” Beck said, bowing his head once before he walked to Juri’s side and cautiously settled a hand on his elbow. “Are you ready?”

Juri’s lips pressed into a thin line and he didn’t say anything, instead heading for the steps. He took them with the same grace he had on the way down, Beck right behind him. No one spoke as they walked up, the silence deafening until the door at the top landing shut behind them, apparently putting an end to the ceremony.

There was a round of applause which left Nix feeling perplexed. He looked around at the cheering faces hidden behind their glittering masks and wondered what the actual fuck he’d gotten himself into.

This was more like the chaotic nonsense he’d always imagined the upper elite to take part in. The mindless excess and pointless gatherings. Members stopped clapping in waves, turning to each other to start making out right then and there.

“Let’s go.” Suddenly Lake was at his side, stepping between him and Yejun. He placed a hand to Nix’s narrow back and guided him off to the side toward a small opening in the room. It led to a narrow hallway that looped around and deposited them into a small dining area.

The table was already set and just as Nix realized he hadn’t asked any of the questions he had, Demitrious entered from an opposite doorway and grinned at them.

“Welcome,” he waved his arms and stopped at the head of the table. “Phoenix Monroe. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Nix was ashamed to admit it, but his worry for Juri was quickly overshadowed by worry for himself.