Chapter 8
8
D avian left with a huff and sweeping up his scattered honor while he stamped toward Jaro. His cousin’s eyes flared Camren’s way, but he just sent him a blowing kiss. He chuckled when the other guy scowled even more.
“What?” Camren mouthed.
Jaro growled at him. Yeah, he was looking for trouble. Flipping him off Davian when he tried to grab his cousin by the shoulders, no doubt to cool him down, Jaro stalked his way instead. Squaring his shoulders, Camren made himself comfortable against the bar and raised his glass for another drink, dark eyes taking in every movement Jaro made.
The barman had impeccable timing, finishing his top-up at the very moment Davian’s cousin reached within earshot.
“And? Did you put a wish on any of those lovely red balloons?” Camren tipped his glass to the ceiling, where they hung cluttered together like a wasp’s nest.
Jaro didn’t look up but grabbed Camren by his shoulder instead. “Just let him go.”
Camren’s gaze lowered to where Jaro’s fingers touched his blazer. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
Jaro reluctantly let go, but the moment his hand pulled back, Camren’s fingers snapped around his neck and he pushed him into the bar, looming over him. Jaro’s back arched as he prevented his head from landing into the shot glasses, and wheezed for breath, face reddening. “L-let him go!”
Giving him a cool once-over, Camren tipped his drink back before leaning in. Their foreheads touched.
“Oh no, you’re misinformed. I’m not letting him go.” He grinned when Jaro’s fingers scratched on his hold in a silent plea to be released. “You know, I’ve been wanting a fight this entire night. And now you’re here. Isn’t that just a beautiful coincidence?” Cocking his head, his grin turned into a full-blown smile.
“Wow, dude,” a voice broke the spell.
“ What .” Camren cast his gaze aside. “How are you not enjoying your own party?”
“Because yours seems more entertaining,” His brother Emeryx grinned, eyes going from Jaro back to Camren. “I’ll have whatever he’s having,” he told the barman.
The clawing became more urgent and Camren gave Jaro more space, watching as the other guy took in a few desperate breaths. “Fuckhead,” he wheezed. “Just let him the fuck go.”
“Is that the second time I’ve heard him begging?” Emeryx frowned over the rim of his glass.
“Someone has been eavesdropping. But yeah, he’s not very clever.” Camren turned back to Jaro and increased the grip on his throat.
“Just—” The rest of Jaro’s words were muffled as his oxygen was once more cut off.
“Uhm, we’re getting quite the audience,” Emeryx remarked. He was right. Around them, students gasped as they took in the show. “If you don’t want to kill him, I suggest you let him go.”
Camren pulled back with a sigh and took the offered glass, watching as Jaro struggled to get away from the bar and the awkward position he still was in, caught with his back between the bar and between Cam’s spread thighs. He finally succeeded by dropping and crawling through Camren’s legs, but he wasn’t fast enough. Camren kicked him in his fleeing ass that made him sprawl right onto the floor. Everywhere, students laughed.
“You’re an asshole, Cam,” Jaro let out.
“And you’d better not forget that.” Planting his boot on Jaro’s back, he pulled the other guy from the ground, inhaling his pained growl. “How long has he been sleeping at your place?”
Jaro regained his grip on a bar stool and slowly got up. “Go and fuck yourself,” he growled.
Emeryx whistled. “Dude’s got character.”
“He’s stupid, you mean.” Camren pulled his boot back.
“That too.”
Jaro huffed as he placed his back against a bar stool, facing Camren. He was panting. “You can literally have anyone else here. Why my cousin?”
Because he was mine before.
“Go and hunt a willing prey down.”
And he's mine again.
Camren’s fist shot out to Jaro, halting right before the other guy’s cheek. He chuckled when Jaro flinched. “Fuck, you are no fun.” Pulling back, Jaro took that occasion to scramble away, crawling away through the crowd like a goddamn coward. “Hey, hey, come back you.” He followed him through the crowd, Emeryx hot on his tail. The fucker was just there for the juice.
“Why are you still here?” He asked his friend. “How about you chasing down your own prey?”
“Why would I do that?” Emeryx chuckled. “You know, I’ve always wondered what went sour back then between the both of you.” Like Camren, he wore a black shirt beneath his crimson blazer. They strolled behind Jaro, and Camren regretted not having brought his drink. From the way Emeryx booted him down on all fours every time his cousin tried to get up, this was going to take a while.
“Enough!” Someone shouted. Davian .
Maybe not.
The crowd gasped.
“Uh oh.” Emeryx’s chuckle flared to an obnoxious laugh, revealing the psychopath that lived rent-free in his mind. “Someone’s going to be in trouble.” He was loving every second of this.
Camren shrugged. “Yeah? Well, this is where the fun ends for you. Go and bother your own person. And don’t forget—” He patted his friend on the shoulder, throwing Emeryx a wolfish grin, “you owe me, brother. You bet I’ll have a ticket on the first row when you get your cherry popped.”
Emeryx flipped him off, making his disappearance through the crowd, but Camren didn’t miss the mischievous glimmer in his brother’s eyes.
Meanwhile, Davian walked through the crowd, until he stood facing the both of them. “When did you become such a bully, Cam?” He held up his chin in defiance, looking sexy as fuck. And angry. Oh, so fucking angry. “You used to be caring, and sweet.”
“To you, yes.” Camren wiped off the invisible dust from his suit and threw him a casual shrug. “But you were always blind to how I treated the rest of the world. Why was that, Davian?”
“You know why,” Davian replied, but his eyes darted between him and the rest of the world, who was curious, and amused. He was nervous.
Camren’s lips twitched. “Don’t say you were afraid of me.”
Davian’s cheeks flushed and his eyes shot daggers. “No.”
“Then what, baby? What made you so blind to see the obvious?” Without waiting for an answer that wouldn’t come, Camren looked around and shouted, “Ladies and gentlemen of Cor Night. Who agrees that I’m an absolute asshole?”
No one answered.
He raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “No one? Oh, come on. Really?” He winked at a student who stood close by. “See? I’m a good guy.”
Still no answer.
“So you were blind,” he drawled, dragging his attention back to Davian. “And you know what I want, don’t you? I want no fucking room for ambiguity. Tell me exactly why you threw me out of your life.”
“You know why,” Davian snarled.
“I’m gonna need you to spell it out for me, Davian, baby, I told you this. Because one moment we were playing video games and chilling, and the next you threw me out. What happened there?”
“Asshole,” Davian snarled through his teeth. “I’m not doing this.” His blush had leaked down his collar, and when he swallowed, the tender skin of his Adam’s apple bobbed.
Fucking beautiful.
“That’s not exactly what you said when I tried to kiss you,” Camren smirked, proud of those words being shared with the whole damn campus. “You said, and I quote, ‘don’t. I can’t have you control every part of my life.’”
“Cam…” Davian warned, shaking his head.
Camren cocked his head. Rage licked his insides, stirring a fire. “But you were wrong, weren’t you?” His voice had dropped, the words a mere scrape through the silence. Even the music had stopped. Camren took a step forward. “Because you couldn’t stay away. You threw me out, then angled me right back in, like a fish on a hook. You fucked up, so I could fix it for you. And I have baby, I’ve fucking fixed everything for you. I always would have and I always will. But you know what I want in return, right?”
Davian’s gaze floundered and he blinked, body sluggish when he stepped back.
“No? You’re not going to give me what I want? Oh, come on now. What’s it going to be…toy or boyfriend?”
Davian glared, only looking away when Jaro threw him his coat.
“Here. Let’s leave.”
“Oh no. No no no.” With one flick of Camren’s finger, Andry plucked the coat out of Davian’s hand. “You’re not going anywhere. You can enjoy the party, drink some more, and have fun with your friends—I’m generous. But you’re leaving with me. And you, little man, you still didn’t answer me. For how long has he slept on your couch?”
“For three weeks,” Jaro admitted.
Camren whistled. “No wonder why you’re so wound up. My poor baby hasn’t had a decent bed for way too long.” He turned back to the student who cracked a hesitant joke, “Seems like you’ve got that part covered,” he said.
“True,’ Camren hummed. “Though from the looks of it, I might need a leash to take my man away.” When Davian balked, he burst out laughing. “What do you think, friend?”
This time the student didn’t reply.
Yeah, Camren wanted to yank Davian by his collar and force him down onto his fucking knees, fill his mouth with cock, and let him drink it all down. But he wouldn’t. And despite his show of supremacy—because that’s what it was in the end, a show—he needed to give Davian space. Whatever process his former best friend was going through, was his. All he could do was promise him the stars and protect him with his life. Davian was his.
Turning around, he slowly made his way back to the bar through the space the crowd had created. “We’re leaving in an hour, baby. Don’t worry—we’ll find you and take you where you need to be. Now, come Andry, let’s get a drink.”
They polished off another round of jagx.
“So, how’s everyone else enjoying their Praeda?”
“Everyone’s doing just fine.”
“Hmm.” Camren winked at Emeryx, who had found his way back to the bar. His eyes darted around, taking in everything and everyone. “Got to admit, that man of yours is sexy as fuck and a good hand of trouble. Just how I like them.”
Camren let it slip with a good-hearted chuckle. Coming from Emeryx, the words weren’t a surprise. He was batshit crazy like that. Emeryx’s eyes peered into the crowd and he froze. He hummed, then fisted his glass, blindly gulping it down in one go. He cleaned his mouth with the sleeve of his blazer, then hopped off his chair, eyes never leaving his target. “Alright, I’m off.”
And just like that, he was gone.
Camren shook his head, knowing that whoever his brother had found, was in deep fucking trouble. Tonight was a good party. He hadn’t lied though. He wanted to leave. Wanted to fuck Davian’s fine ass into their future together, wanted to have Davian naked and spread on their new bed. The bed he once fled from.
After their kiss, after their sudden rupture, Camren had concluded that Davian hadn’t wanted his advances. Hadn’t wanted him in his bed, despite the intimacy they frequently sought. Camren had been furious when Davian just disappeared like that. Yes, he could have barged into Mink’s utility shop and demanded to speak to Davian, but he hadn’t lied before—Camren didn’t beg. And though his feelings had been crushed, that was a bridge he couldn’t cross. He’d trusted that one day, Davian would be back.
“Where the fuck is he?” He muttered to himself, peering into the darkness and right at the flickering, red hearts. Which one was his baby?
Davian was either extremely proud or extremely afraid, Camren wasn’t sure. The embodiment of a good boy. He studied hard, played sports, and treated others kindly. He’d created the perfect image, nicely tucked in the shadows of the top performers—The Black Harts. He was good, but not remarkable. He was a solid reason for a solid future.
Camren’s eyes fluttered at the thought of Davian’s body, trembling against his in the darkness. The recollection of Davian’s hoarse moans licked fire at his insides, already driving him to the brim of desire. Davian’s hot, tight ass, clenched around his cock. Camren had made him fall apart twice tonight, and had destroyed his defenses. There was no way he’d make it home without sinking his fat dick into that tight hole one more time.
Davian had been afraid and miserable. He had missed Camren. Now it was time for the full truth to be revealed.