Chapter 6

“You’re scaring the other cadets,” Kelevra drawled as the two of them passed down the main hallway of the Archer building, located in the furthest ring from the center of the school. The Academy on planet Vitality was designed that way, with most of the general buildings, like student aid and medical, located there.

Madden hummed but didn’t reply, barely noticing as a group of freshmen practically sealed themselves against the window to avoid being in his way as he walked by.

Kind of like how he’d had Berga up against one only a few days ago.

Fuck.

That now all too familiar irritation he’d been saddled with swept through him, and he bit the inside of his cheek. He’d rather be biting the Butcher.

The Butcher who’d been ignoring his calls.

Another detail driving him further into a state of absolute, all-consuming annoyance.

Fucking him again was meant to help, but instead it’d made everything worse. Now, instead of merely thinking about the other man, Madden found himself wanking off to thoughts of him in the shower.

And in bed.

And in the car.

There were things that needed his attention far more important than how it’d felt to pummel the Butcher. How tight he’d wrapped around his cock…How solid the weight of his body had felt beneath him…His smell…

Maybe there was something to that. Maybe the Butcher took something to turn his scent into an aphrodisiac itself. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d smelled anything that good, and he had a hefty collection of perfumes and colognes back home that should have put whatever Berga had been wearing to shame.

“You have dinner with your parents this weekend,” Kelevra said then. “Whatever is going on with you, I suggest you snap out of it before then. Your mother won’t take kindly to your distraction.”

No, his mother would view it as slacking off and then Madden wouldn’t hear the last of it. But then, the old hag was a control freak like that. The only reason Madden hadn’t been dragged back to the Odell mansion at blaster point was due to his friendship with the Imperial Prince. Kelevra was the only reason he was allowed any freedom from his family.

Otherwise, he might have ended up like Rebecca. In a job he hated, married to further their Royal bloodline.

Yeah. Not going to happen.

It wasn’t like Madden was holding out for something as ridiculous as love. It was more that he disliked his mom’s controlling nature, and refusing to marry the person she selected for him was the best middle finger he could think of giving her.

But dreading the upcoming monthly family dinners wasn’t anything new, meaning if even Kelevra was picking up on the change in Madden…He really did need to get his head out of his ass.

Or, off of Berga’s, as it were.

Off his perfectly round, incredibly tight and fuckable ass.

Damn it.

Madden had always loved sex. He’d sleep with groupies of the Devils of Vitality, bed fans from the Docks, pick up a stray fling in a bar or club when he felt any inkling of interest in doing so…He wasn’t a stranger to one-night stands or waking up in the mo rning having forgotten the name of the person he was just balls deep inside of. And, unlike all of those other occasions, he hadn’t chosen Berga.

If anything, he should want to destroy the Butcher for setting them on this path in the first place. Instead, he felt like there was something sticking to his insides, junking him up, and no matter how many times he tried to sort through it and pull that knotted mess apart, it snapped back into place, heavy in his gut.

“Yo,” he tapped Kelevra’s arm even though he already had the Imperial’s attention, “you and Rin got together after you drugged him, right?”

“I wouldn’t put it that way,” Kelevra stated dryly, “but I’m curious where you’re going with this, so yeah. Why?”

Rin Varun was Kelevra’s Royal Consort, his betrothed. He was also a cadet at the Academy, but a sophomore, so they didn’t have any classes together and rarely saw each other on campus.

“Why’d you pursue him after that?” Madden asked. “What was so special about him you wanted to fuck him again?”

“It was more than wanting to sleep with him,” Kelevra corrected. “I just…wanted him.”

“Right.” That wasn’t helpful at all.

“Who are you thinking about?” Kelevra smirked. “I should have realized it was a person. Rumors are going around that you were discovered getting it on at the boathouse last week. Is that who’s got you questioning things? ”

“Maybe.”

“Then go for it.”

Madden shook his head. “It’s not that simple.”

“I don’t see how that can be true. You’re a Devil and a member of my Retinue. If you want someone, take them. Sounds pretty simple to me.”

Yes, well, it wasn’t when Berga’s status as a Devil and a member of the Satellite were factored in. It could be argued that even with Madden’s Royal title, he and Berga stood on a level playing field in terms of positions within the organizations that kept this planet running.

He could possibly complain that Berga had broken the rules first and taken him against his will, but it would be a weak argument. Most of the night was fuzzy, but those first couple of times were crystal clear. He’d fucked Berga brutally, almost cruelly. If it’d been anyone else, there was little doubt in Madden’s mind he’d be dealing with a lawsuit and hush money.

But because it’d been Berga, the Butcher had merely flipped him over and returned tit for tat.

Madden wasn’t opposed to bottoming for someone, but he definitely preferred top, and topping Berga had been…His cock twitched in his black military pants and he bit the inside of his cheek hard enough to settle it back down.

He’d been surprised that Berga had allowed him to do it again in his lab. Had thought for sure he was going to have to threaten him with more than just the video to get back inside of him, but nope. The Butcher hadn’t even argued against their positions, had taken it like a champ.

All that amicability had come to an end the second he’d raced from the room it seemed.

“He’s refusing to take my calls,” Madden growled. “And all of my texts have gone unanswered.” Because, like an idiot, he’d contacted Berga. All of the members of the Retinue had the contact details for those in the Satellite, but he’d never reached out to the Butcher before.

The first day, he’d wondered if perhaps Berga hadn’t bothered to save his info, so he’d shot off a text letting him know who it was and telling him to pick up the next time he rang or to call him back.

Berga had done neither.

It’d weirdly pissed Madden off.

He’d never been rejected by anyone before, and he chalked it up to that. To ego and pride. But really…

“I don’t think I’m willing to give up just yet,” he said.

“So don’t.” Kelevra shrugged and then tipped his head, catching sight of something down the long hallway. “I forgot that was today.”

“What?” Madden asked, checking himself and almost missing a step when he spotted fellow Retinue member Zane Solace entering the nurse's wing.

With Berga at his side.

“Vail sent over some of their senior med students as part of their training,” Kelevra answered, either not having noticed Madden’s slip or not caring enough to point it out. “They’re supposed to provide medical services to any injured cadets for the rest of the week and will be graded on their skills.”

“Dislocate my left shoulder,” Madden stopped and ordered before he could think better of it.

Kelevra quirked a dark brow. “Excuse me?”

“Do it.” It was crazy and extra as hell, but… “He’ll be able to tell if I go in with a fake injury.” That would be way more embarrassing than Madden sticking to his side like glue until he agreed to sleep with him again.

“You want me to—”

“Yeah.” Madden was still staring down at the spot where Berga had disappeared, already trying to figure out which medical room he’d be in. There were only five in the med-wing, but—He cursed as suddenly Kelevra was on him and his arm was wrenched painfully away from his body. “Mother fucker!”

“Happy?” Kel dropped his arm and slipped his hands into his pockets. “Anything else while I’m here?”

Madden gritted his teeth and grabbed the side of his arm protectively, shaking his head. “No, this is good enough. Thanks.”

“All right. Then I’ll see you later. I’m meeting Rin for lunch.” Kelevra turned and walked off without another word, clearly not caring even a little bit about why he’d been asked to hurt his best friend.

It didn’t take Madden long to enter the right wing, and he got busy seeking out his target. The first three rooms were either empty or occupied by nobodies, but he found Berga in the fourth on the left and braced himself for confrontation just before stepping in.

There was a nurse there instructing the three med students from Vail, and already one other cadet who looked like they’d rolled their ankle. A student Madden didn’t recognize was helping out there, which left both Berga and Zane free, the latter of which spotted him first.

“What did you do?” Zane asked, stepping over. He reached up to touch his shoulder, but Madden pulled away, ignoring the frown he received for that.

“I want Berga to do it,” he explained, loud enough the other occupants could all hear.

“I’m not responsible for Retinue,” Berga stated plainly, eyes down on a medical file he’d been flipping through since Madden had entered. He hadn’t looked up once, as though completely undisturbed by the fact he was technically in Retinue territory and should, therefore, be on his best behavior.

“You’re responsible for Academy cadets,” Madden said, sending a pointed look to the nurse so she would back him up.

He may just be a student, but there was no mistaking who was truly in charge at this school.

The nurse cleared her throat and gave a slight bow to Berga, even though the guy still hadn’t lifted his gaze from the file. “If you could please help Cadet Odell out, Mr. Obsidian. I’ll be sure to pass you for the day. You can even leave early, if you wish.”

“Wow.” Zane clicked his tongue and the nurse’s eyes went wide with obvious panic.

“Of course, I’ll offer you the same treatment, Mr. Zamir!”

“I came here to work, thanks,” Zane stated, shaking his head at Madden in an obvious move to dismiss the quaking woman. “That’s your shooting arm. What happened?”

“Dislocation,” Berga chirped, scanning one last page before he finally placed the file onto the table he was sitting on and set his crimson gaze on Madden.

“How do you know that?” he asked. “You didn’t even look at me yet.”

Berga motioned him over with two fingers and stood, swiveling to leave the spot on the table empty for Madden to take. He adjusted his gloves while he waited. “It’s fairly obvious.”

Madden walked over but turned to Zane. “Is it?”

Zane merely shrugged and moved off, clearly not interested in hovering now that he knew Berga was going to take over and fix the problem.

“Hurry up,” Berga said, reaching out to feel at his shoulder and arm almost as soon as Madden’s butt landed on the examination table.

“You still aren’t looking at me,” Madden noted .

“I’m doing that right now,” Berga corrected, inspecting him.

“You’re avoiding eye contact.” He tipped his head. “Don’t tell me…Are you feeling shy, Butcher?”

Berga scowled, then quickly corrected his expression, resetting his features into a blank mask. “Don’t flatter yourself, Mad King.”

“Look at me then.”

Berga did not.

“Yes, definitely dislocated,” he said instead, tone ever the professional. “You should visit the hospital and have it reset there. You’re a born Vital, so the heal time should only be a day or two at most, and—”

Madden ran out of patience.

Swatting Berga’s hands away, he grabbed onto the back of his shoulder and pulled. A sharp rush of pain coursed through him as his humerus locked back into place in his socket, but he was Vital, and his body instantly began repairing the injury. It would take less than a day to fully heal, but he didn’t bother correcting the Butcher’s diagnosis. That wasn’t important here anyway.

Berga was looking at him now, only he was glaring and clearly pissed off enough that had he been holding something, he’d probably hit him with it.

“Absolutely ridiculous,” Zane mumbled, loud enough for them all to hear, but left it at that.

“What?” Madden played dumb. “I’ve had worse happen on the track. ”

“If you were just going to foolishly treat yourself,” Berga said, “you could have saved me the trouble altogether.”

“But then we wouldn’t be together.”

“We are not.” Berga bent so that they were at eye level. “And we never will be.”

“Again,” Madden added. Grinning when that had Berga noticeably bristling. “I’m willing to bet you’re wrong though. Are you?”

Berga rolled his eyes and straightened, turning to send his question to Zane in a move that had to be intended to drive Madden crazy. “What is with all of you Retinue and your preposterous egos?”

Zane considered, then replied cooly, “Perhaps it’s a causal effect of having grown up told we’re better than everyone else?”

“Ah. That does make sense.”

“Yes,” Zane nodded. “I agree.”

Madden’s gaze pinged between the two of them, an unsettling tightness in his gut suddenly making him want to pull his blaster from its holster. “I didn’t realize the two of you were this close.”

“We’re not,” they both said at the exact same time.

Which was…suspicious.

Slowly, Madden got down from the table, taking the time to control that twisting sensation since he knew he didn’t have a right or reason for it. “I haven’t noticed before how alike the two of you are.”

“We’re not,” they repeated. Again, in tandem .

Madden clenched his fists, his left one causing a wave of pain to course through his arm and shoulder. The pain was grounding, and he eased his stance some. How unlike him, to lose his cool. Unlike many of the other Devils, Madden was known for his laid-back nature when he wasn’t at an official function or acting as Royal Madden Odell. Temper tantrums and fits of jealousy were better left to Kelevra.

And yet…

“How much time do you two spend together, exactly?” They were both seniors and medical majors at Vitality. They must have spent at least a good amount of their schooling in the same classes. Did they eat lunch together?

Why did Madden care?

Damn it.

This all-consuming curiosity was going to be the end of him, and even knowing that, he couldn’t seem to get a handle on it.

Zane was the first to note the odd edge to his voice, setting down the file he’d been viewing to lift a brow Madden’s way. He didn’t say anything, but his look was enough to get his point across.

The two of them had known one another practically their whole lives—but Berga could say the same. Even if the Butcher hadn’t ever been all that close to either of them. As far as Madden knew, in any case.

What if they were closer than he’d thought?

Berga opened his mouth, no doubt to chide him, but before he could get a word out another cadet rushed into the room, slightly out of breath.

His gaze swept around until it landed on the head nurse. “There’s been an accident in the main hall!”

“What happened?” The nurse shot forward, and both Zane and Berga followed.

Seeing no reason not to do that same, Madden did as well.

“She slipped and fell down the stairs,” the cadet explained as he led them out into the corridor. “There’s a lot of blood!”