Chapter 5 #2
“Ares,” he insisted. “I’m four years younger than you.”
His eyes narrowed. “Is that really important right now?”
“You don’t think so?” Ares beamed. “It’s good you’re into younger guys. Or do you believe age is just a number?” He hummed. “As long as everyone’s legal, why not, right?”
“I’m going to be honest here. I’m pissed off, freaked out, and I really want to punch you. Again. So just tell me what the hell you’re doing here. Did you come to kill me?”
“Kill you? Don’t be absurd.” Ares finished with his hand and then grabbed a clean swab and stood, intent on working on the man’s face next. “Would I be patching you up if I wanted to kill you?”
“You didn’t come here to take my life then?”
“Of course I did.” Ares pressed the swab to the corner of Eden’s mouth, clicking his tongue when the voice actor snapped and pulled away as far as he could. “Behave.”
“You just said you were going to kill me!”
“I distinctly stated the opposite, actually.”
Eden shook his head. “My life—”
“Oh. I didn’t mean like that. Don’t worry, you aren’t allowed to die, Eden Baldur.”
Eden glanced around the room frantically, searching shadowy corners before setting his sights on the front door.
“It’s just us,” Ares said, knowing exactly what he was thinking. “Multi-player games aren’t my style. I much prefer one-on-one. I mean, if you really want to bring in someone else, I won’t be opposed, but we’ve got to vet them first. I don’t play with just anyone.”
“Is that what this is to you? A game?”
“What else?” He finished and pulled back, pleased that he’d gotten most of the blood off. Now he just needed to apply the ointment for the bruising.
“This isn’t a game to me, this is real life.”
“Is it?” Ares shrugged. “Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
This wasn’t working. They wouldn’t get anywhere if Ares didn’t take control of the conversation and lead Eden where he needed them to go. This reaction was to be expected, however. Anyone would freak out and get angry if someone surprised them with a break-in and a fistfight.
“Where’d you learn those moves?” Ares asked. “You got me good a couple of times.”
Seemingly realizing resistance was futile, Eden finally stopped struggling and stilled in the chair, though his glower remained firmly in place. “I was captain of the boxing team in high school.”
“Really?” Impressive. “Look at you. Is that why Yarrow made Ransom the best at hand-to-hand combat out of the four LI’s?”
“Did he?”
“You didn’t know?”
“I don’t play the game, and I only pay attention to the scripts and enough to casually discuss things at events.”
That was slightly disappointing, but Ares had to remind himself that Vanity was a job for Eden and the others.
More of his fantasies, dashed. So much for long, intimate conversations about the game extending well into the night.
“Too bad Yarrow looks the way he does,” he said to himself absently. “He’d probably make a better choice. But I can’t bring myself to look at him for too long. His face gets blurry like all the others.”
“Yarrow is cute,” Eden argued, and when Ares quirked a brow, he rolled his blue eyes. “I mean, objectively, all right? I’m not into him, but you’re making it sound like he’s ugly or something.”
“Do you think I’m cute?” he couldn’t help but ask. “Objectively or otherwise?”
Did it matter? Ares was going to continue with this game no matter what Eden’s response ended up being, but…It would be nice to be wanted back, even a little bit. To be thought of. Living in someone’s mind was a form of existence, wasn’t it? A form of reality.
Eden would create a version of who he perceived Ares to be, and that version would exist in his mind forever.
How closely related were the versions of Eden in his head and the real one?
Admittedly, he’d kept his stalking to the basics, not wanting to overstep or dig too deep and ruin the fun.
Discovery, uncovering the truths and the lies, was half the enjoyment of a game, and since he intended to play this one for a while, he’d needed to keep himself as spoiler-free as possible.
“Is that a joke?” Eden surprised him by saying in a clipped tone. “You have looked in a mirror at least once before, haven’t you?”
“Beauty is subjective,” Ares explained. “I know how I see myself. I’m curious how you see me.”
“Oh, I don’t know, as a psychopath?”
“I’m not. I was tested, don’t worry.”
“Well then,” Eden drawled, sarcasm impossible to miss, “I’ll get right on that not worrying train now that you’ve told me to.”
“I won’t hurt you.” When the voice actor shook his body to indicate his injuries, Ares winced. “I won’t hurt you anymore. This is nothing anyway.” He was also bleeding at the corner of his mouth from one of Eden’s punches.
Eden sighed. “What are you doing here, Ares? What is this really about?”
“You’re taking all of this rather well. I knew you’d be a good opponent.
I told you. I’m here to play a game. I really like games.
That rush whenever I win? Makes me feel alive.
Not much does anymore, so it’s special. I’ve been playing Vanity since its release.
You could say I’m obsessed. Can you guess who my favorite character is? ”
He was quiet for a moment and then said, “It’s Ransom.”
“That’s right, it’s you.”
“I’m not Ransom, Ares. You’re deluded.” Eden remained still as Ares carefully rubbed ointment on the bruise on his left cheek.
“Is that what this is really about? Did you come here to fulfill a twisted sexual fantasy?” He tugged on his bound wrists once, shaking the chair, giving Ares pause.
“Untie me. If that was all you wanted, you should have just said so. Hell, if you’d made the moves at dinner, we might have skipped all this shitty foreplay and gone straight to bed. ”
This was…unexpected.
Ares straightened and pursed his lips, weighing his options.
Weighing realities.
What was the likelihood Eden was telling the truth?
“You’re lying.” He was sure of it. “You haven’t dated anyone in years.”
And Ares wasn’t in this for an encounter. This was 1v1, and if he had his way?
The game would never end.
“Who said anything about dating? You want to fuck, let’s fuck. I’ll even let you wrestle me down to the ground and pretend to force yourself on me if you’d like,” Eden offered.
“Why would I like that?” Ares capped the ointment.
Eden looked embarrassed. “Fine, whatever. If you won’t do it, someone else will. In fact, he’s on his way right now, so you better untie me and get lost. If you don’t, I’ll tell him to call the cops and—”
“It’s interesting that you can still hold faith in the police, even after everything you’ve gone through.” Ares thought it was na?ve, but he kept that to himself. “Pan isn’t coming.”
Eden blinked at him. “How—”
“He never even saw your messages.”
“But he responded to them…?”
“That was me.”
“…How?”
“I hacked his account, obviously.”
“Obviously.” Eden didn’t sound like he agreed.
“I thought this was the game you wanted to play.” Ares tossed the ointment back into the box. “My mistake.”
“And what happened with Galen?” Eden swallowed. “Was that just another game?”
“Everything is a game.” He didn’t want to lie. “But that one’s different. We haven’t finished it yet. Have you thought about my offer?”