Chapter 2
“When are you coming back?” Ryker’s deep voice came through the speaker of Ares’ multi-slate where he’d set it on the windowsill. His annoyance was palpable.
“Soon,” Ares responded, crossing his arms as he gazed down at the city. It was late, and the lights were sparkling. Not many people were out wandering, but there were a few, all bundled up, shoulders hunched to protect themselves from the cold as they braved the flurries. “It’s snowing.”
“Not here.” The sound of a curtain being drawn came, as though his friend wanted to double-check, which was ironic, considering that out of the eight of them, Ryker was the one most likely to lie in any given situation.
He was so good at lying to himself that it could almost be considered an art form, and Ares knew all about art.
“You sound good at least,” Ryker said. “Present.”
“I am present.” Ares pressed his forehead to the chilled glass and sighed. “What do you need, Ryk?”
“You caught a plane to the other side of the planet with no notice at all. Can’t I just be curious about what you’re doing?”
They’d been friends since childhood, but that didn’t make them the type to call just to check in. Especially not when only a couple of days had passed since the last time they’d seen one another.
“If that’s really all it is, I’m hanging up.
” Ares wasn’t about to explain he’d come here to stalk a voice actor who happened to look like his favorite character in his favorite game.
That would sound crazy, and even though Ryker was already well aware that Ares was, in fact, mental, that didn’t mean he needed the reminder.
“Fine,” Ryker growled. “I need xi-gyu links.”
“Ask Zar.”
“No way.”
Ares straightened, a flicker of worry igniting in his chest. “Why?”
There was a stretch of silence and then, “He’s not as present as you are at the moment.”
Oh.
“I’ll be back soon,” Ares repeated, but his friend merely snorted.
“It’s not like you can control him any better than the rest of us. Anyway, he’s been locked up in his rooms, brooding or whatever, for days now. Nyoka made the mistake of knocking yesterday to see if he wanted breakfast and almost lost his nose for it. Pass.”
“You do quite enjoy your face as is.”
“Ditto, douchebag.”
Ares picked up his device and tapped the screen, remotely accessing his security system at their shared lodging. “There. I’ve unlocked the door. You can find what you’re looking for in the second bedroom, third shelf on the left of the metal desk. The metal one, not the wooden one.”
“Got it, thanks.” Ryker’s footsteps echoed, indicating he was taking the spiral staircase at Castle Black, where they all resided.
The Black Harts each had their own floor, and though there were only eight of them this year, there was a total of fifteen stories to the building. Because of this, most of them used the elevator. Ryker was the major exception, but he tended to only do it to blow off steam.
“Who pissed you off this time?” Ares asked, though he had a good idea.
Ryker’s dad had recently remarried, and he’d gained a stepbrother through the merger.
A stepbrother he loathed.
Supposedly.
“It’s not important,” Ryker said.
“Sure, that’s why you’re asking for xi-qyu links.” Nyoka must not have had any. Typically, when one of the others wanted tech, they came to either him or Ares.
It was a well-known fact that this bunch of Black Harts were…different. Damaged goods, in a sense, though no one would dare say as much aloud. The older generations weren’t necessarily better, but Ares felt they cared more about hiding, whereas he and his friends couldn’t be bothered.
Ryker had anger management issues that stemmed from a spoiled upbringing and a constant feeling of inadequacy.
Nyoka was a sociopath—though, admittedly, that was less obvious to those outside their immediate social circle.
Zar was a psychopath—
“What are you doing?” Ryker’s voice pulled Ares from his thoughts. “Where’d you go? Focus up, buttercup, I’m talking to you here.”
“You went quiet first,” he reminded, but otherwise didn’t argue. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“Professor Rain, if you must know.”
“What’d he do this time?”
“Gave me an A- on that term paper.”
Ares chuckled. “Illya will flip out if he discovers you plan to attack a professor over something like that.”
“So don’t tell him.” The sound of a door unlocking and a beep came, indicating he’d reached Ares’ floor. “Then he’ll never know.”
“Can I make a suggestion?”
“What’s that?”
“Use redwood spice instead. I’ve got a vial in my nightstand. Rain always takes a coffee break in the east cafeteria between his ten-thirty and eleven-thirty classes on Fridays.”
“Ew, why are you on a first-name basis with that prick?” Despite his comment, Ryker could be heard opening and rummaging through a drawer, having clearly taken his advice.
That wasn’t surprising. Ryker was haughty, bitter, and quick to infuriate, but he was also impatient and didn’t like wasting his time—or brain power—on trivial matters. To him, punishing a professor for a poor grade he’d most likely earned was about as trivial as it got.
“Rain’s not so bad,” Ares said.
“Sure, that’s why you’re helping me poison him.”
He shrugged, even knowing his friend couldn’t see the movement. “You’d do it with or without my help. Besides, since when has a personal connection ever held me back?”
“You’re terrifying, Ares. Beautiful, but absolutely terrifying.”
“Beautiful but deadly.” That’s what the students on campus whispered about all of the Black Harts, though it was more commonly spoken whenever Ares and Zar were present.
In that case though, Ares was the beautiful, and Zar was the deadly.
He recalled how he’d shot a man just the other night and vaguely wondered what people would think if they knew. Perhaps they’d stop calling him God of Creation on campus, and would instead choose something more doom and gloom, like Angel of Destruction, or—
“Aren’t we all,” Ryker chuckled, words putting an end to Ares’ spiraling thoughts. “Some of us more than others.”
He bristled, waiting for the dig against Zar, but then relaxed when Ryker went another direction.
Ares made a note to call Zar later, though it probably wouldn’t make a difference. Ryker was right, no one was capable of getting through to their friend whenever he fell into one of his episodes.
“Ellery has such a baby face. Hard to believe he gets laid at all.” Ryker was moving through the room now, having gotten what he’d come for. There was the sound of the locks clicking back into place, and then a moment later, the ding of the elevator arriving.
He must be in a better mood.
“Make sure not to use too much,” Ares warned.
“Relax, I’ll get the dosage right.”
“Ask Nyoka for help.” He had a pill maker. That could be useful in this situation and ensure Ryker stayed in line.
A bit of harmless fun was one thing, but causing lasting damage to a professor, or worse, killing one, was a serious offence. There were limits to Ryker’s reach, especially since his dear old dad cared more about appearances than anything else.
“Yeah, yeah. I got it. Not like this is my first rodeo.” Ryker hung up without another word.
Moving to the ivory couch, Ares dropped down and then activated his laptop, which he’d left on the coffee table. The holographic screen flickered to life, the rectangular projection already showing the live feed from Eden’s home.
He’d hidden the cameras before their run-in the other night and had been observing him for about a week, but Ares’ breath caught in his throat when the screens switched to the footage of Eden’s bedroom, and he got a clear view of what his target was up to.
Eden was kneeling at the foot of the bed, facing away from the camera.
His thighs were spread, hips tilted back.
A metal contraption whirred as it thrust powerfully in and out of his body.
He was completely naked, a sheen of sweat glistening on his skin, pooling in the divots just above the curve of his ass.
His hands twisted in the thin material of his comforter, and his rough moans and panting could be heard mixed in with the sounds of the machine making good work of his rear.
Ares had never seen that model before, and he quickly typed out a search on his multi-slate, glancing between the smaller device and his laptop screen so as not to miss anything.
“The Pumper 3000,” he read aloud as soon as he found an exact match. It had received almost all five-star ratings and claimed to be the best fucking machine on the market, with seven different speeds, five vibration settings, and three different attachable dildos to choose from.
Leaning forward, he hit a button, zooming in on where the machine stretched open Eden’s body, and caught sight of a hint of neon green.
That was the largest attachment available.
“Likes it big and deep,” he mumbled, taking mental notes as he added the sex toy to his cart and hit purchase. He wasn’t above providing the means for Eden to play on his own, so having this particular machine at his home was a smart move.
Not that he’d set that part of his plan into motion yet. Ares was admittedly getting ahead of himself, but after the other night, he felt like he’d gained a foothold.
Luring Eden out to the boathouse had been easy enough. Unlike Ares, it was clear Eden’s relationship with his now deceased parents had been a good one. Very good, if the fact that he’d spent the past three years of his life hunting for their killers was any indication.
It’d been a simple matter for Ares to discover exactly who it was Eden was after.
A surface-level dig into Galen Stone’s devices had revealed everything he’d needed to know to put the pieces together.
The only reason he hadn’t brought Zonnie Dephik to Eden already was purely because the man wasn’t in town at the moment.
But he would be.