Chapter 10

CALIX

Calix had never seen so many beautiful robes in one place. He adored a fine robe — how the material swirled around his ankles, its slip against his skin. His robes were all at home, tucked away in their drawers like perfectly pressed squares of luxury waiting on his return. He should be there now, instead of standing before a massive granite and wood table while the attendant Basil stood off to the side, ready to assist.

He should be at home. Safe. Secure. Home, where he never had such conundrums arise. Home was quiet and easy, the very place where his anxieties about the world at large bled out into a state of calm.

But if he went home, would Lawton be there? How would he explain the book, Calix wondered. What excuses would his dearest friend make?

Questioning their friendship was part and parcel for being a passenger in Lawton’s life. Calix often wondered why he kept Lawton’s company after boarding school, after Cambridge. Surely he could find other friends, other connections. Edna, his guardian until his twenty-first birthday, had despised Lawton with gracefully concealed grimaces. She never spoke ill of him to Calix, but her disapproval wasn’t difficult to discern.

Lawton’s quick mind and silver tongue did him well in many situations. He was much more adept at navigating tricky social circles with their finicky politics and snide asides, so Calix benefited from that. And to Lawton’s credit, Calix had never heard any whisperings of his friend talking behind his back. Lawton had stuck by his side at countless parties and balls, had known when to usher Calix outside when the press of people and the heat of their bodies was too much.

But he was also…challenging. Particularly when they were alone. Lawton had a unique ability to make Calix feel like the center of the solar system. When Lawton focused his attentions on someone, they tended to glow. Calix had certainly felt that way many times.

“I’d recommend the peacock silk, sir. The blue would look fine against your hair.”

Calix suppressed his startle at Basil’s smooth voice interrupting his thoughts. “Ah, yes. I had been leaning that way myself but…” He traced the lace collar of a robe so black it seemed to defy the definition of color. Instead of robust velvet or slippery satin, this robe was delicate and sheer. It twisted something inside Calix’s gut, made him suck in a breath.

He knew he would look very good in this robe. So why shouldn’t he wear it?

Wasn’t he trying to attract their attention? What would it be like to sit with Aubrey and Ethaniel and discuss their plan for that cursed book and see if their gazes strayed? Why shouldn’t he tempt them to drink him in, to wonder if the fabric might be a little more sheer if Calix were to only pull it taut?

They were both incredibly attractive men. And had clearly been together at one point, and still longed for each other. But there was a simmering energy there when Aubrey looked at him; Calix had at first thought it was disapproval, but he soon realized that Aubrey was calculated. Ethaniel was all heart, molten to the core and as sweet as penny candy. He was gentle but mindful. Aubrey, on the other hand, was thrilling in a domineering sort of way.

Yes, this robe was the right one. Perhaps he was losing his mind thinking of more…intimate situations in which all three of them could partake, but it was also the only thing keeping him from worrying away the skin on his lower lip. A bad habit, for sure, but difficult to put aside when it felt like the weight of the world rested on him and that damn book.

“This one,” Calix said, rubbing the lace between his fingertips.

Basil nodded before coming around to Calix’s left and plucking the robe up with both hands. “I’ll be waiting for you after you change, sir.” He motioned to an area of red velvet-curtained stalls.

When Calix hesitated, Basil gave him a bright smile. It disarmed the thread of sudden nerves in him and Calix relaxed. “I assume this is your first time at a proper bathhouse?”

Calix nodded. “I’m afraid so.”

“It’s nothing to be concerned about, sir. Many of the people who come here are a bit hesitant before they understand the lay of the land.” Basil’s pretty smile evened out and he began to unfold the robe with easy movements. “The main floor is the bathing chamber. As you saw when you came in, it’s for lounging and bathing. Many who come to the Minotaur Baths prefer to stay there, soaking in the mineral waters and enjoying the company of other men and those who do not wish to categorize themselves.”

“But there are floors above?” Calix asked.

“There are.” With the robe unfolded, Calix could see delicate red embroidery along its hem and pockets, clearly done by a skilled hand. It wasn’t to the level of Ethaniel’s work, to be sure, but it was beautiful. “The second level has small private areas for conversation and entertainment. There is a staff waiting to take your order for anything from cocktails to cigarettes. It is the only floor that requires some form of coverage from the waist down.”

Calix tried not to goggle at that. “I’m sorry?”

Basil’s expression remained placid, but his eyes glittered. The man had a vulpine face, all sharp, narrow angles that seemed a tad…sinister. And Basil’s stare was thorough, as though he were taking stock of Calix inside and out.. “The springs are naturally clothing-optional. The second floor requires some form of dress from the waist down, so that no one is uncomfortable traversing there.” He leaned in as if sharing a secret. “The third floor is a bit…different.”

Calix couldn’t possibly flush any more but oh, no…yes, that burning in his cheeks was, in fact, intensifying. Wonderful. “Different, how?”

“Ah, well, it requires reservation, for one. And it’s quite popular, so typically the wait is at least two to three months. And that floor plays host to more sensual sights.” Basil gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m afraid I cannot divulge more. But Mr. Lavigne may have some knowledge he wishes to share.”

Calix swallowed against a dry throat. “He does?”

“I cannot confirm that, sir, but you may wish to ask him, as he is a member of our establishment.”

Basil was quick to move Calix into a curtained stall after that, but before he flicked the heavy velvet curtain closed, he gave Calix a keen look. “And please excuse me for the forwardness, sir, but if you ever find yourself curious about the third floor but want to be more discreet, I am available for private tours. Now, once you’ve changed to your level of comfort, please leave your clothes and shoes inside the stall and I’ll retrieve them. They will be cleaned and pressed while you’re in the bathhouse, and returned to you once you’ve partaken in all you wish.”

The curtain fell from Basil’s fingers and Calix was left to stand in the stall, robe in hand, wondering what in the hells he’d gotten himself into.

Carefully, he undressed and folded his clothes, resting them atop his shoes. The choice to leave his undergarments on made him freeze up. Could he truly be so bold as to wear nothing underneath a sheer robe? What would Ethaniel and Aubrey think? Would they see him as too forward, too assuming? What if…well, what if neither of them desired him in the same way?

Was he fooling himself?

Sighing, Calix picked up the robe to give it another look. He could stand here all day and waffle about, or he could be the person Lawton said he was.

Brave, sweet, tempting Calix, with your honey hair and chocolate eyes. Gorgeous in every way, but especially your soft heart. What a darling, what a treat you are.

Calix shucked the last stitch of clothing, slipped on the robe and tied it tight. A glance in the standing mirror revealed the robe’s clever design; the embroidery around the pockets was patterned to serve as a kind of opaque shield around the groin area. Calix turned this way and that, trying to make the robe reveal any part of his intimate areas, but it didn’t work. A silent sigh of relief escaped him and he finally felt confident enough to be seen by others. When he emerged from the stall, Basil was folding more robes, his back turned to Calix.

“Do I pass muster?” Calix asked.

Basil’s expression upon turning to Calix was worth its weight in gold. The man set aside the deep plum robe he’d been folding, not noticing or not caring when it fell to the floor, and walked to Calix. Calix stepped back as Basil’s taller, broader form towered over him.

Calix found he liked it. This strange man, in this strange, wonderful, freeing place, was staring at Calix as though he hung the moon. Basil looked besotted.

Lawton used to look at him like that.

“You are some fey creature come to tempt all who see you, I think,” Basil said. His tone was warm, almost casual, but an undercurrent of darkness rattled something loose in Calix. “I think your friends will be unable to look away.” Basil swallowed hard, leaving Calix to track the movement. There was the tiniest bit of stubble under Basil’s chin, likely a miss with a tricky straight razor. The sight left Calix feeling itchy for contact. Even a single touch.

“I’ve not known them so long,” Calix replied, staring up into Basil’s eyes. He really did have beautiful ones, all emerald green with a touch of brown near the irises.

“If I might be so bold…” And Basil reached out to touch Calix’s collar. When Calix didn’t object, Basil leaned in more, angling his head until his lips were at Calix’s ear. “If they do not treat you the way you deserve, come and find me.”

Then Basil stepped back, walked over to the counter, and resumed his folding.

“You….you utter tease,” Calix sputtered, unable to wipe the grin from his face.

Basil smiled back, as placid as a lake on a summer morning. “Room 4 on the first level is where your companions will be. If you need guidance there, I’d be happy to take you.”

Calix shook his head. “Thank you anyways.”

He left Basil to his folding, amused and not a small bit excited for what lay ahead. Yes, the book was priority; no number of teasing smirks and knowing glances could distract entirely from such a serious problem. But this place was, in Calix’s opinion, a minor miracle. Even the time with Basil had felt like proper flirtation, instead of perverse exchange. Basil had appreciated Calix, and hadn’t seemed the least bit concerned it had been untoward. Calix had never felt as though Basil wouldn’t adhere to his wishes, whether on robe choice or the flirting. It was…remarkable.

Gay and queer masculine people proudly presenting themselves authentically, with no fear of scrutiny or repercussion? It boggled the mind, and even more so now that he knew this was a place Aubrey frequented.

Head held high, Calix strode out of the changing chamber and into the bathhouse proper. And like with his interaction with Basil, Calix was aware of attention cast his way. But even when he met the stares of other men, from their rocky perches in the mineral waters or as they walked past him, their steps silent on the stone floors, he never once felt ogled. And he didn’t mind the little smiles and handful of winks tossed his way.

There was nothing wrong with being appreciated, and here, deep underground, far removed from the anxieties of the world above, Calix understood acceptance. He understood admiration. And he felt appreciated in a way he’d never before experienced.

Up ahead, the natural stone walls created several hollow spaces which the bathhouse had turned into private rooms for small groups. Numbers were painted in black on the walls; Calix found number 4 but neither of his companions. The space was surprisingly plush, given it was a literal room made of rock, but the hard slab seats were covered in cushions and pillows. The room could seat around four people comfortably, but the sharp curve in the wall would force inhabitants to budge together.

Calix started to lean toward number 3 when a voice behind him said, “We needed to get Ethaniel a robe. Apologies, Calix.”

Aubrey’s voice sent a shiver down Calix’s spine. He had a lovely voice meant for candlelit dinners and smokey libraries; for lounging in dressing robes while sipping fine whiskey or port. Soothing, vibrant, and deep.

Slowly, Calix turned and found Ethaniel and Aubrey standing rather close behind him. The intrinsic intimacy of the lack of space was thrilling. But even better was how the two men looked in their robes: Aubrey, properly imperious like a pampered king in oxblood red, his glass-colored eyes softer in the flickering lantern light; and Ethaniel swaddled in deep gold with navy trim, his very profile arresting like an artist’s subject to which no paint or brush could do justice.

But for all their beauty, all their appeal to Calix, what he found most intriguing — and most titillating — was how they stared at him. Aubrey disguised it better, but Ethaniel’s open appreciation was shockingly forthright. Something in Calix itched to drop the robe and let them look at him. Let them see the muscle he earned in fencing classes, the trail of dark blonde hair down his stomach, and even the old scars from childhood accidents.

He was certain they’d see him in a way Lawton never did.

“Shall we?” Aubrey said, motioning to room 4.

Calix followed him and Ethaniel inside and watched, fascinated, as Aubrey pulled a small lever tucked down by the bottom of the rock bench.

“For privacy,” Aubrey said as something snapped into place over the room’s entrance. It was magic, it had to be, from the way it fizzled and popped under Calix’s skin.

“I’m surprised they allow that,” Ethaniel said as he settled in the room’s hairpin-like curve. Immediately, Ethaniel hugged a bright yellow pillow to his lap, learning forward slightly. “Seems an excuse for the authorities to claim ignorance of crimes.”

“I was just thinking it seemed a good way to disguise criminal activities,” Calix mused. “But in a place like this…I see your point.” He sat down, his worry suddenly triple what it had been when they’d arrived.

“It’s not a privilege one can simply buy here,” Aubrey said delicately, sitting to Ethaniel’s right, leaving the left seat open. “And we don’t have it for long before they will need to recollect the shielding ward.”

As Aubrey turned his focus onto him, Calix couldn’t help but see the way Aubrey and Ethaniel seemed to curl into each other. He narrowed his eyes.

Wait. Something’s different. They look…they look…

Calix shook off the sudden revelation. Of course they looked more intimate, even though their hands were in their laps — Aubrey’s in the robe’s deep pockets, Ethaniel’s fussing with the tasseled tie about his waist.

Something had certainly shifted.

Calix sank into the pillows at his back, closed his eyes, and dug his fists into his eye sockets. “I’ve been trying to summarize all of this in my mind. It’s not easy.” When Aubrey hummed in thought and Ethaniel nodded, Calix continued. “The book was in the lot Lawton won at auction, which he won with money a dark-haired woman gave him. The auction was the one he beat Aubrey out for. The next day, Lawton asked me to accompany him to a man named Tomas, who seemed to be some sort of smuggler. Tomas was not Lawton’s buyer for the book I’m going to call…” Blearily, he opened one eye and looked at the others. “Any suggestions?”

“I uh…hmmm.” Aubrey tapped his finger against his lips. “Well, certainly not its real name.”

Ethaniel began to chuckle. “You two have absolutely no imagination. And I feel as though I’d been hit on the head with a baton even suggesting this, but what about Pandora?”

Aubrey nodded. “That’ll do nicely, I think.”

“All right, so…Pandora wasn’t being sold to Tomas, but to the person we were to see next.”

“Do you know where that was?” Ethaniel asked.

Calix racked his memory. “Babylon Boulevard, then Bleeker. No, there was something else there.” He let his eyes drift shut once more, trying to recall. Everything had been such a blur, feeling as though days had passed when it had only been a few dozen hours. “Ah! 3rd Avenue! That was the spot between. I know it wasn’t Bleeker because Lawton said he’d gotten us reservations at the White Lotus, which is on Bleeker.”

“Very good.” Aubrey’s low voice rumbled, resonating off the small chamber’s walls. It was like adrenaline in Calix’s heart. “And Tomas is the one who got aggressive, which is why Lawton had you run?”

“Tomas was trying to take Lawton’s bag. He seemed the sort to strong-arm someone. Then Lawton shoved the bag at me and told me to run.” Calix flicked a smile up at Ethaniel. Ethaniel’s fussing with the belt stopped and he smiled back. “I ran into Ethaniel, and he helped me hide.”

Ethaniel’s smile widened. “I wouldn’t turn away anyone seeking help.”

Silence lay heavy on them, broken only by the sound of Aubrey drumming his fingers on the rock beside him. After a long moment, Aubrey leaned in, gaze gone sharp. Calix felt the weight of that scrutiny, heavier than any silence.

“The book talked to you.”

Memory was an insistent tug on Calix’s mind now, letting him drift deeper into those moments. They’d been painful and terrifying, but the messages had always been clear.

I know you hear me

You heard me the first time

You hear me now

I understand you better now

“‘Like the voice of a god’, you said,” Ethaniel whispered. One of Ethaniel’s beautiful hands balled into a fist amongst the voluminous fabric of his goldenrod robe. “That’s…horrifying.”

“Any psychic feedback? Headache, nausea?” Aubrey asked, his voice soft once more. When Calix nodded, Aubrey’s mouth turned into a mue of pity and sympathy. “When it lashed out at me, my head felt as though it was on fire. And then I fainted.”

“Did it speak?” Calix asked.

“‘Something new is here.’ And then it asked me who I was, because I’d been able to ‘break through’. But I wasn’t ‘the other one’.” Aubrey was back to tapping his chin with his finger, the expression pensive and pinched. “The book has an affinity to you, Calix. It didn’t fight me when I locked it away, but I expect it may not be pleased when we return.”

“We?” Ethaniel asked, just as Calix said, “Return?”

“We have to. That book cannot stay in the Collectio’s vault without formal record. I’m letting it slide now due to safety concerns, but we need to go back tomorrow.”

“I need to return home to check in with my valet,” Calix replied quickly. “I can also find out if Lawton’s been around.”

Ethaniel nodded. “And I need to go back to my uncle tonight. Perhaps you should stay with me, Calix? I can go with you to your home, and then we can meet Aubrey together in the morning?”

“I think that’s the best course of action.” Aubrey’s eyes glittered in the low light. “I have some research to do tonight once we depart from here.”

“Aubrey has the finest research library,” Ethaniel said as he now curved toward Calix. Calix swore he could feel the other man’s warmth, even though there was space between them on the bench. “He’s a sight handy with books, but he’s even better with magical items.”

Aubrey shifted slightly, frowned, then reached behind him to pull out a dark blue pillow. “Bloody thing was poking me in the back,” he grumbled before replying. “My abilities rest in healing, but not people. My family is from a long line of Cunning Folk, as far back as the 15th century. They were rather well-known and held for a few centuries, and then the church got involved. It’s a long story, but suffice to say my family is very well-steeped in healing magics and that turned out to not be my path.”

Calix was intrigued. “So you heal objects?”

Aubrey gave a shrug. “In a way. Magical objects present the most challenge, but are the most rewarding.”

“But you can mend things, like a broken chair?”

Aubrey nodded. “Easy enough.”

A glimmer of a thought sparked in Calix’s mind, like a flashbulb behind his eyes. “Do you work on privately held objects?”

That got him a narrowed gaze and to his right, Ethaniel shifted as if uncomfortable. Well, there was no stopping a runaway train. No sense in backtracking now. Stars, he was starting to sound like Lawton.

“Perhaps, though my work for the Collectio, and now the mystery of this book, hold the bulk of my attention.”

Calix smiled. A man like Aubrey wouldn’t be able to resist his mother’s collection. “What about an entire collection of dead magical objects?”

One dark eyebrow slowly raised. Calix saw Ethaniel bite his lip, then their gazes locked. Ethaniel was curious, that much was certain, but there was a coyness to the look he gave Calix, as if to say, Ah, good. You’ve found one of Aubrey’s buttons. Well done.

“My mother was a collector in her own right. But she was adamant that anything she collected be dead before crossing the threshold of the house.” Calix smiled softly. “She was sensitive, particularly to magic, but she loved sitting at her big drafting desk and staring through a set of magnifying lenses, admiring all the details on every object that came into her hands. She had reliquary chambers, wax death masks, something a buyer told her was a copy of a ‘utopian machine’, which turned out to be bunk. But she loved every item equally, said they showed love and devotion and madness in equal measure.”

Aubrey looked as if someone had struck him across the face with a glove. “Every object is non-functional?”

Calix nodded, then because Aubrey and Ethaniel were both staring at him, he rubbed his palm across his jaw. Ethaniel made some kind of noise, something that could be mistaken for a muted groan.

Calix kept his expression gentle, even though he so badly wanted to grin. “Are you all right, Ethaniel?”

Ethaniel’s eyes shot wide. “Oh, I…yes. Yes. I’m fine. Just rather warm. Seems I picked the wrong robe.” He plucked up part of the collar and held the neck of the robe open slightly.

A yearning took hold of Calix then, sweet and lovely, and he wanted to help peel Ethaniel’s robe off and revel in the glistening skin below it. All this magical talk, all this threat of danger and the fog of confusion, was making Calix antsy. The energy inside him felt bottled up, looking for release. It was as though his body didn’t understand the difference between the tensions warring in him.

After a deep breath, Calix eyed the magical shield ward over the opening to the nook. “How long do we have, Aubrey?”

“Just a few minutes.”

Feeling brazen, Calix laid a hand on Ethaniel’s arm and said, “As neither of us wants darling Ethaniel to overheat, let’s simply plan for tonight and tomorrow morning.”

“I’m going with you,” Ethaniel said immediately.

“All right, then we will meet up with Aubrey afterwards?” Calix looked down at his hands and sighed. “This is all some horrible mess. I wish I could just pay Lawton for the book and leave it in your capable hands, Aubrey.”

Aubrey seemed slightly chuffed by that, a smile playing about his face. That smile made fine lines appear around his mouth and Calix was utterly charmed. “As far as plans go, it’s not a bad one. But I’m going to guess your friend is in deep with whoever that dark-haired woman is connected to or works for. He may ask for a lot, or for something else entirely.”

“Lawton’s always asking for something else,” Calix muttered. Twin looks of surprise got his attention. “Apologies. I’ve known him for so long, and he can be wonderful one day, and terrible the next. I’ve only ever seen him be truly kind to me, and even then I knew he was using me. I’ve not been strong enough to break away.”

“You are, though,” Ethaniel replied as he put his hand on Calix’s knee and squeezed. “You’ve already stood up for yourself.”

“That’s kind of you, Ethaniel, but I think it’s going to take more than one instance of me doing that to get through to him.” Calix huffed out a humorless laugh. “And that would involve more than me running away from some Babylon Boulevard thug.”

To Calix’s utter shock, Aubrey swiftly leaned over Ethaniel, coming so close to Calix that he could smell Aubrey’s cologne or soap. The sweet, slightly bitter scent of lemongrass cut with heady, dark jasmine made him breathe in deeply. And Aubrey noticed.

“Don’t cut yourself short, Calix,” Aubrey said as he carefully placed his hand on top of Ethaniel’s, so both rested on Calix’s knee. “You’ve done several very brave, very forward-thinking things to date, and we haven’t known each other that long. Don’t cheapen your intelligence, or your skills. Lawton might want that from you, but we don’t.”

Calix found himself trapped — he wanted so badly to wedge himself between them, so he might trace Ethaniel’s square jaw or Aubrey’s cheek with his fingertips. The kindness called to him as much as their physicality did, and Calix felt as if he were floating.

“Thank you,” he whispered, leaning so far forward his robe gaped.

Two sets of eyes darted to where a bit of his chest was exposed.

“Perhaps,” Ethaniel said, “we should partake in the mineral baths. Since we’re here anyways. And we can talk about things that aren’t as frightening as a sentient book.”

“I would love that,” Calix said, daring to lean forward a tad more. He almost smiled at the way Aubrey stared. It seemed the man had a few human weaknesses after all. “I just need a moment alone, to sort my thoughts out.”

And in truth he did. The appeal of these two men, the question of Lawton’s loyalties, the Damocles’ sword of the book…it made his head spin. Calix wanted to enjoy the baths with a clearer head.

At his nod and smile, Ethaniel and Aubrey got to their feet and slowly made their way out, leaving Calix alone in the room to breathe in the fragrant air and wonder how in the world this had all happened.