Chapter 25
“You sure this is where you want to do it?” West didn’t frequently hang out at Hunters Cross, so he was even more lost than the rest of them when they entered the art building. “Gotta leave it to the artists. This is…impressive.”
They’d turned the entire place into a forest, some of it even living.
Greenery stretched across the walls, vines trailed up the banisters, and foliage draped over railings.
Trees, some potted, others made of crafting materials, dotted around, a few even creating mini forests.
There were flowers as well, but nothing one might see in a sunny field.
These were dark, mysterious blooms with glowing features.
A fog machine was set up somewhere, casting the floor in a haze, and light orbs set to their dimmest setting bobbed and weaved like iridescent bubbles.
There were noises coming from hidden speakers, the sounds of the forest at night, and a trickle of a brook somewhere off in the distance.
Every now and again, they caught the sound of laughter from other partygoers, but there were only two staff members at the entrance to monitor things.
Dinner had wrapped up half an hour ago, not that Lake or Nix had bothered to make it for the first six courses. They’d left June and him to fend off the vultures at the center table at the head of the room, while they’d clearly gotten nasty in the bathroom.
Ahead of schedule.
Not fair.
But it was fine. West was going to get his turn next.
A dark blue flower the size of his hand doused him in mist when he stepped too close to it, and West cursed.
“It’s an open studio policy,” Yejun announced, proudly gazing up at what his fellow students had created. “Unless the door is locked, no place is off limits.”
“Not even yours?” Nix asked, and West imagined a knowing look would have passed between him and June if not for the masks still obscuring their faces.
West knew all about how the two of them liked to fuck in Yejun’s studio.
“All right, if this is the playing ground, then let’s get things moving.” He rested a hand on Nix’s lower back. “You know the rules of the Haunt, babe?”
“There aren’t any rules,” he scoffed. “The Haunt was created to emulate wronged spirits hunting down the ones who hurt them and making them pay. We chase each other around and—”
“Wrong,” Yejun interrupted. “ We chase you around. The and at the end is us fucking you. Wherever and whenever we end up catching you.”
“He knows that,” Lake said. “He’s messing with us.”
“Nixie being a brat?” West clicked his tongue. “What’s new?”
“We keeping the masks on for this?” Nix asked.
“It doesn’t really matter.”
“Let’s start with them on,” June suggested.
“You just don’t want all your hard work going to waste.”
“I spent a really long time creating these, asshole.”
“I have a rule,” Nix interrupted their banter. “No public sex. At least with me. I don’t care what you three get up to on your own, but—”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” West held up a hand, “I need some more clarification.”
West knew him better than to think Nix was giving them free rein to sleep with whoever they wanted. He also knew that wasn’t something any of them would ever do, even if he did. There was only one person here tonight who they were interested in.
“I’m just saying, when you can’t find me and inevitably get frustrated, feel free to help each other out.” Nix didn’t bother hiding the fact that he was egging them on.
“Someone’s gotten cocky.”
“It’s your fault,” Lake said. “You spoil him.”
“Me?” West pointed at himself and opened his mouth to argue, then thought it over. “Well. Shit. That’s true, isn’t it? What do you think, Nixie? Ditch these losers tonight and run to me. I’ll spoil you so good we’ll make this whole place jealous.”
“No public fornication,” Nix emphasized, then turned to Lake. “I’m serious.”
“He’s the one who made that comment just now, not me,” the Imperial pointed out, though there was a thread of humor in his tone that gave him away.
“He’s not the one who fucked me in a tiny changing room so the entire staff would hear us,” Nix argued.
“Hate to break it to you, Firebird,” Yejun whistled, “they mostly just heard you.”
“You were being pretty loud,” Lake confirmed.
Nix sighed and then tilted his head in West’s direction. “That offer still on the table? Because actually—”
“All right, all right.” Yejun shooed Nix toward the stairwell. “We get it. Once we catch you, we’ll haul you off to a secluded corner somewhere and fuck you in the dark, happy? Enough talking. Get moving.”
“Ten minutes,” Nix demanded.
“Seriously?” West groaned. “That’s a lifetime.”
“Nine minutes then.”
“You’re mean.”
“Take it or leave it.”
“What does leaving it even look like?”
“Enough.” Lake shoved Nix playfully. “He’s stalling, West. Are you scared, Songbird?”
“Just racking up the anticipation,” Nix corrected. He moved to the stairs on his own this time. “Nine minutes. I mean it.”
“Understood.” Lake watched him go, chuckling when Nix made it halfway up the first flight before picking up speed.
“He’s excited,” West concluded.
“He’s looking forward to figuring out what this is without having to worry about poisoners or hackers or looking over our shoulders,” Lake said. “No more secrets or pretending. He just wants for us to find some normalcy where we can.”
“He tell you all that?” Last night, the two of them had spent some alone time in Lake’s room, so it would make sense if Nix had.
“Jealous?”
“Not really.” West shrugged. “What I have with him and what you have with him are different.” He didn’t need to compete with Lake, not where Nix was concerned. It was…nice. “I’ve never felt so secure in my life.”
Yejun clapped him on the back. “I’m still going to beat you to him.”
“Not a chance.” West wanted the same things Nix did.
Stability, reassurance. He was as eager to discover what they could be together, all four of them, and what that would look like in their daily lives.
Now that they knew who their poisoner really was, all that was left was making sure Hendrix paid for the things he’d done.
They’d been through so much this past year, and they were due some downtime.
But a little friendly competition never hurt anybody.
“We’ve all made mistakes,” Lake began, “some of us more than others.”
“I’m working on it,” Yejun said, since the comment was clearly meant for him.
“I want to be sure we’re all on the same page.”
“Nix comes first,” West nodded.
“Agreed,” Yejun replied.
“We dragged him into this,” Lake exhaled, and corrected, “I dragged him into this. I don’t regret it, and I wouldn’t do things differently if given the chance. But there’s a lot I know I have to make up for. For the longest time, I only had you two to think of.”
“Nix is your Royal Consort.” West rested his hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “We get it.”
“We’re with you,” Yejun affirmed. “And we love him, too.”
“Remember how pissed he was when you sprung Nixie on us?” West leaned into Lake and asked with a laugh. “I thought he was going to break something.”
“Coming from the guy who forced him to blow him at the first meeting,” Yejun retaliated. “I was nice to him before either of you, I’ll have you both remember.”
Fair.
West had been a total ass to Nix in the beginning. At the time, he’d believed Nix to be another passing plaything, something for Lake to use and discard. He’d had no idea his best friend would actually fall for him, let alone that all three of them would.
He’d personally never felt this way about anyone before. Nix was his whole world.
Which was why, this time, he was going to get to him first.
“Later, suckers!” West took off before either of them could stop him, taking the stairs two at a time. He had no clue if nine minutes had already passed or what, but it didn’t really matter.
He’d give Nix what he actually wanted.
After he caught him.
* * *
He was playing hard to get.
Fifteen minutes into searching, West still hadn’t seen any sign of him. It didn’t help that he kept tripping over mounds of fake moss or being misled by the sound machines. Whoever had designed this place knew what they were doing.
A few times, he ran into other students, but they barely paid him any mind, too focused on seeking out their own targets. Everyone who was participating in the Haunt had a game plan, it seemed, and West had been so certain he’d been onto Nix’s, but now…he wasn’t as sure.
He’d skipped the floor Yejun’s studio was on entirely, knowing that was the first place Lake and June would go. West was positive Nix had brought it up to lead them astray. He’d felt so clever, thinking he understood Nix’s mind best.
Not so much now.
“Shit.” He cursed as another flower sprayed him with sugar water and almost kicked the damn thing. Ruining someone else’s work and destroying the place wouldn’t get him anywhere, though, and if Nix saw, he’d get an earful, so he controlled himself. Barely.
Just as he was about to give up and turn around, he caught sight of a flash of red and gold darting out from behind a large fake oak.
West took off after Nix, a rush of adrenaline spurring him on. He caught sight of him again at the end of the next hallway, but just as he was about to reach the turn, an arm shot out of an open doorway and caught him off guard.
He was spun on his heels, momentarily losing balance, and before his mind could process what was happening and he could even think to fight back, a foul-smelling cloth was pressed over his mouth and nose.
West slammed his elbow backward, connecting with his attacker's ribs, but it was too late.
As soon as the person holding him let go, he dropped to his knees.
The world swam and then went completely dark.