Chapter 21
“Here.” Juri held out his holo-pad. “So you know I’m not lying to you.”
Nix snatched the device and peered down at the screen, watching a live feed of his cousin moving about a room that looked like it belonged in a rundown hotel somewhere. It certainly wasn’t a location nearby campus, or on campus for that matter. It didn’t look anything like Juri’s apartment either, which made sense.
That would be the first place Nix went looking, after all. Juri wasn’t stupid. He would have thought this through. He’d had plenty of time to plot against them, and right up close and personal thanks to Nix and his blind trust in the guy.
His own cousin had betrayed him.
Clearly he hadn’t learned his lesson.
Knowing Juri wasn’t going to tell him where this was, Nix didn’t bother asking. Instead, he tossed the device onto the bed and met his gaze head-on. “How exactly do you see this going down?”
“You mean how do I intend to take the throne?”
“ Steal the throne,” he corrected.
“I suppose that’s a fair assessment. Lake is older than me, and therefore would be first in the line of succession.”
“You need to get him out of the way to stand a chance.” As long as he could prove he shared the same father with Lake, he’d have a blood claim. That was much stronger than any claim Hendrix or Beck had. Juri would skip right over them and be next in line.
But how?
“I won’t hurt them.” Nix wasn’t sure how he’d pull it off, since he obviously wouldn’t let anything happen to Briant either, but he wouldn’t do it. “If your plan involves me getting close to them and sticking a knife in Lake’s back or something, that’s never going to happen.” He paused and then cocked his head. “And if you’re hoping I’ll slip something into their drinks—”
“I don’t need you to harm them physically,” Juri stated. “But you will need to do a few things for me. Think of Briant. He’s your cousin.”
“And they’re mine ,” Nix growled. “Lake, West, and Yejun. The three of them. They’re mine. You’re going to regret this.” He was going to make sure he regretted it if it was the last thing he did.
“I know.” Juri sighed. “I didn’t mean for it to go this way. I was counting on Hendrix to stop Lake for me, but then he had to go and shoot West like an idiot. Now that Demons Passing is here, and the only one who stood a chance at stalling Lake’s claim is missing…I have no choice.”
“You’re working with Hendrix?”
“Gods no. Everyone knows he’s been trying to kick Lake out, that’s no big secret. Why would I get my hands dirty if I didn’t have to? Why would I risk our friendship unless it was absolutely necessary? Friendship like yours is rare, Nix. Most people aren’t as genuine as you are. Sincerity is hard to come by.”
“Tell me about it,” he stated pointedly.
“I swear, at the start of all this, I only meant to get back at them for what they did to Joel and my family. I just wanted to give the Demons a taste of their own medicine.”
He claimed he wasn’t in cahoots with Hendrix but…
“Did you do it?” Nix asked. “Did you try and poison West? Did you use Branwen as a pawn?”
“Yes and no,” he divulged. “I never meant for things to end up with her the way they did.”
Nix dropped down onto the bed and hung his head, processing that information. This whole time, had he been befriending his cousin’s tormenter after all? Was Juri the King he’d been after this whole time?
“Why’d you do it?” he whispered, needing to know but also wishing he could pretend not to.
“You know why. The same reason I’m doing this.”
If West died and Yejun was framed for it, Lake would lose his backing and become an easier target. Juri wanted him weakened.
“You were willing to commit murder to get what you want.” That was scary because it didn’t align at all with the person he’d believed Juri to be. It was one thing to learn he’d been lied to and manipulated by a guy with a chip on his shoulder.
But another entirely to discover that guy was also prepared to become a killer to achieve his goals.
To say he was conflicted would be an understatement. Nix knew he should turn on his heels and get the hell out of there, no matter what types of threats Juri spewed. He wanted to believe he wouldn’t really hurt Briant, even though it was clear from the video on the holo-pad that his cousin was agitated.
That, paired with the fact his multi-slate was here, it was seeming a lot like Briant was being held somewhere against his will.
By a man both he and Nix had trusted.
By a man confessing that he’d tried to take a life before and had simply failed.
“You only need to do two things for me,” Juri told him. “Do them, and I’ll set both you and Briant free. You can return to the safe life you had before all of this began. As soon as I’m set to be emperor, I’ll order the best plastic surgeons to reverse the damage done to your neck. You can erase all traces of them from your body, Nix. As for your mind, I already have a doctor on standby. She’s a fantastic psychiatrist. She’ll be able to help you readjust, I swear.”
He was super fixated on this idea that Nix was being controlled against his will. It was becoming more and more clear that nothing Nix could do or say would be able to break Juri from this notion. He’d already painted Nix as someone in distress who needed saving. It didn’t matter to him how many times Nix argued that wasn’t the case.
Juri wasn’t listening.
That was the most dangerous part of all this.
That, and the fact that he’d just confessed to using Branwen. The urge to snap the guy's neck was strong, but Nix banked it down for Briant’s sake.
“My cousin killed herself because of you,” he accused darkly, but if that deterred Juri at all, he gave no indication. “How can you expect me not to hate you and want revenge?”
“If I could turn back time and do things differently, do things in a way that wouldn’t end in you hating me, I would. Unfortunately, I didn’t know you back then, and I worked with what I had. I’ll make it up to you.”
“You can’t.” He felt like he was going to be sick. “You can’t bring someone back from the dead.”
“No,” he agreed, “but I can ensure you don’t lose another cousin any time soon. You’ve never wanted any of this. I’m offering you everything you have wanted. I’ll liberate you from the Demons and their control. All of this can just be a bad dream a year from now. Think about it.” Juri sounded like he one hundred percent believed every word coming out of his mouth. “They can’t give you what you need, Nix. I can.”
“And,” Nix summoned a calm he did not feel, “what is it that you need?”
He wasn’t going to make it out of this unscathed, but he could do his very best to ensure everyone else took the least amount of hits possible. Which meant playing along and convincing Juri he had him where he wanted him.
There were still too many gaps, too many questions, but if Nix took the time to focus on Branwen, he’d never get out of here, and then Briant would be the one who suffered.
Juri had been so nice to his cousin, tricking them into thinking he cared. Had he pulled that exact same trick on Branwen? He had to have, right? In her letter and in the messages she’d written through the Enigma app, she’d clearly been in love. Had Juri always planned on using Briant?
On using Nix? If so, where’d he get the foresight? When they first met, Nix wasn’t as publicly involved with Lake and the others. He came off more like a plaything for them than a real love interest. There’d been nothing to make Juri believe Nix would end up a good tool to use against them.
Their first heart-to-heart about Branwen had also happened before Lake had given Nix the mating mark. If Juri had really wanted to help him, he would have told him the truth then. Instead, he’d lied and pretended not to know anything.
Fool him once, shame on him.
Fool him twice…
Nix couldn’t trust a single thing Juri was saying. Hell, he still didn’t fully believe the guy was actually capable of harming Briant. But then again, if Juri was behind the poisoning, that meant he was far more vicious than Nix gave him credit for.
He couldn’t risk being wrong.
“Two things,” Juri repeated. “That’s all. You have my word I won’t ask for anything more.”
“And those things are?”
“You aren’t going to like them.”
“I didn’t think I would.”
Juri held up his multi-slate. “I’m going to take a photo of the two of us and send it to the Order.”
His eyes narrowed and he felt himself physically go on the defensive again despite his thoughts to pretend to cooperate.
“This is the language the club knows best,” Juri continued after seeing his reaction. “I need to weaponize you against Lake. This is the fastest and most efficient way to do that.”
“Fuck off.”
“I know what you’re thinking, but that’s not what I mean. We don’t have to take things too far. A simple kiss should suffice.”
There was literally nothing simple about any of this, and the fact he was downplaying a kiss knowing Nix was with the Demons was further proof that Juri had fully gone off his rocker. Simple?
“That simple act could get us both killed,” he sneered. “Take your pick by who.”
“By the time the Demons know about it, it’ll be too late for them to do anything. We’ll have the protection of the Order. We’re both still members of the club, remember. They’ll keep us safe from Lake and the rest.”
“And why would they do that?”
“Because we’re going to follow up that photo by lodging a petition to remove Lake from the line of succession. The picture will get us through the door, your testimony against him will be the final blow needed to ensure he’s taken down and I’m installed in his place.”
“You want me to meet with the Order and tell them lies about Lake?”
“Not lies,” Juri insisted. “The truth. That he forced the mating bite on you against your will.”
Yeah, that was sort of what the word forced meant, but okay.
“And that he made you sleep with his best friends even when you didn’t want to. That he had you engage in sexual acts in front of me.”
Nix had done that one hundred percent of his own volition, and Juri was well aware of that fact. But again. Okay.
“Finally, that he plans on overthrowing Demitrious and the many other members of the Order once he’s crowned. The second they hear they can’t trust his false promises, they’ll turn against him. They’d rather that than risk we’re telling the truth. It’s a foolproof plan, Nix.”
“Right.” Bitch was crazy. “And you just expect the Demons to stay away long enough for us to go to the Club House and call this meeting without them?” Little did he know, Nix couldn’t even step foot outside this room without West detecting his movement and following him with the security cameras.
They wouldn’t even make it to the lobby without the Demons knowing, let alone all the way to the Club House.
“The photo will help us with that as well,” Juri said.
“How?”
“I think I’ve explained enough. Are you going to willingly do this with me or not?”
“It’s not willing if you’re blackmailing someone into it, Juri. Taking away my choice like this? You’re no better than the rest of them.”
“I will be,” he said. “Once this is done.”
“You mean once you’ve achieved your goals and have no further use for me?” He clicked his tongue. “Justifying how and when you take advantage of people doesn’t make you right.”
Juri had lost his patience, it was clear in the way his spine straightened. When he moved closer to Nix, some of his irritation slipped from behind the mask of friendship he’d been desperately clinging to. “Are you going to do it or not, Nix?”
“If I do, you’ll tell me where you’re keeping Briant?”
He nodded. “He can’t get out himself, so he’ll need you to go and get him. If everything goes to plan, we’ll be done with this by midnight at the latest.”
So he wanted to do all of this within a handful of hours.
“If we draw this out, we risk the Demons catching on. I’m sure they’re already sitting by their multi-slates waiting to hear from you, the possessive fuckers that they are. Did they give you a time limit? Tell you to check in with them if you spent too long with me?”
“No,” Nix said, but then added to avoid looking suspicious, “I’m just not allowed to leave the building.”
“How would they know?”
“I’m supposed to call Yejun when I’m ready.”
“That’s it?”
He made a face. “Are you asking if I’ve got a tracker on my person or something?”
Juri gave him a once over, as though the thought had only just occurred to him. “Do you?”
“Dude, really?”
“Just to be safe…” He held out his hand. “Multi-slate.”
“You want me to give you my—”
“Just do it, Nix. This has already taken so long. We need to get moving if we’re going to get Briant out of that shitty room today. Did I mention there’s no heating system? The weather forecast says it’s supposed to be a cold one.”
Nix gapped at him. “Have you been torturing my cousin?!”
“I’ve only done enough to prove to you I’m serious. I left him with enough packaged food to last a few days, so long as he rationed it. Briant is smart, so he figured that out rather early on and has been limiting himself to one pastry a day. Same with the water bottles.”
Nix snatched the discarded holo-pad off of the bed once more. Briant was seen tucked into a corner of the room, his legs drawn up and his face hidden against his knees. There was a mini fridge nearby, and an empty desk. The floors looked like they were bare, and there were obvious black stains on the walls. In the corner of the footage, Nix could make out the end of a bed, but that was all.
His earlier assumption that this was a hotel room held firm. Maybe an abandoned one? Were there any such places in the city?
“You’ll never find him on your own,” Juri warned. “And if you’re thinking of leaving and getting the Demons to help, I’ll make it to him before you do.”
“And what? Commit murder?”
“If you turn on me, I’m screwed either way. I may as well get something out of it and prove to you I keep my word.”
If Nix didn’t help him and instead walked out, he’d tell Lake what Juri planned, how he was somehow behind the poisoning. That’s what he meant. There’d be no escaping their fury. He probably also assumed Lake would want to do away with any potential competition he had for the throne.
Juri no doubt believed his life was on the line here. That explained his hasty actions, and why he was so willing to hurt others to get his way. He’d been scared of Lake before discovering they were related and he posed a serious threat to everything Lake considered his. Of course he’d be freaking out now.
“It’s not too late to change your mind,” Nix tried, but he wasn’t able to get very far.
“Save it. I am not my brother. I won’t run from my responsibilities to save myself. I have a real chance here to do some good and spare the planet from tyrannical rule.”
“You’ve been using me this whole time.”
“I haven’t. I tried to convince you to leave them before, don’t you recall? I wanted to help you, but it was already too late. They’d already hooked their claws into you.”
That expression was too close to the one he’d used with Yejun the other day.
Which made him think about how angry June had gotten when he’d mistaken Briant for someone hitting on him.
How mad would he be if he saw a picture of Juri and Nix kissing?
Would he—
No. He shut those traitorous thoughts down. He and Yejun had talked it out and the Demon had promised him he would never react that way again.
Nix was safe with him.
With all of them.
Maybe it was foolish of him to put his faith in a bunch of guys who’d used and abused him in more ways than one, especially so soon after discovering that yet another person he’d trusted had used that trust against him. But Nix had to believe in them.
That was the only way he and Briant were going to make it out of this.
The only way they all were.
Trust.
It was time to test it. His for them.
And theirs for him.
“All right.” Nix motioned to the multi-slate in Juri’s hand. “Let’s get this over with. Kiss me.”
Juri lifted the device and switched on the camera feature before bending down so they were at eye level. He hesitated for a moment, seemingly wanting to say something else, maybe give another bullshit apology, but then he sighed and pressed his mouth to Nix’s.
It wasn’t really a kiss, he held their lips together and took a couple of photos, but the entire time his breath kept fanning against Nix’s cheeks intimately, and his body heat radiated out to engulf him in the way a lover’s heat was meant to. After a few seconds, Juri grew bolder and tilted his head to change the angle, snapping more pics all the while.
If there’d been any lingering doubts that Juri was right and Nix’s body had simply been programmed to react to external stimuli, they were disproven now. This was nothing like the contact he shared with the Demons. There was no electricity, no lust or ache. His dick was practically dead between his legs, and when he grabbed fistfuls of the bedsheets beneath him, it wasn’t out of passion.
Even though Juri was keeping his word and making this as PG-rated as he possibly could, all Nix could think of the entire time was one thing.
Cutting out Juri Ferd’s tongue and force-feeding it back to him until the guy choked.