Chapter 18Ivan

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Ivan

I van resisted the urge to press his fingers against his forehead yet again in an effort to counteract the tension headache that had been steadily forming the last half of the day.

Whether the brutal ache was caused by the residual stress from the encounter with Cooper's wayward summoning or the tangle of logistics Ivan was dealing with, it was hard to tell.

At least they had Sergei stowed away safely, and Nix had—perhaps wisely—denied Ivan any further conversation with him. ("He'll have nothing useful to tell you, and it'll only make you crabby," he'd insisted.)

Nix hadn't exactly been wrong that any conversation with Sergei would have left Ivan on edge. Or more on edge than he was already. But they also both knew by now that Nix would have been able to soothe away the sting afterward.

They both knew Ivan was putty in Nix's hands.

Was it folly to rely on one person so much? Undoubtedly. This…dependence was a situation Ivan had worked his entire ad ult life to avoid. Whether that person be family, minion, or lover, he'd never opened up, never thawed, never lowered his walls even once.

Because then what did one do when that person inevitably disappointed? When they disappeared? What would Ivan do when Nix returned to the Void he'd sprung from?

But of course, Nix claimed he didn't have to go anywhere. That he and Ivan could tie themselves together permanently by way of a demon bond. He'd offered Ivan a path to ensuring he stayed forever. Tied to Ivan forever.

It was a thousand times worse than a marriage, wasn't it? A demonic matrimony that had, as far as Ivan knew, no divorce clause. The thought should have been fucking horrific.

It wasn't.

Even if the demon in question was currently sprawled on his back on Ivan's office rug in some sort of dramatic demonstration of his boredom.

Nix had at least been silent for the past hour or so, but he registered Ivan's attention immediately, lolling his head back and forth and whining, "What exactly is there even for you to do at this point?"

Ivan pressed his fingers to his forehead after all, hard enough to hurt. "I may lose half my men tomorrow, either to defection or…otherwise, and I need to make sure things can run smoothly in the meantime. Until they can all be adequately replaced."

Still, he shut his laptop, conceding that he may have reached the limit on what he could prepare ahead of time.

Nix rolled onto his stomach and propped himself up onto his elbows, his legs swinging in the air behind him as he watched Ivan. "How many men will be there tomorrow?"

"Thirty, give or take a few. I have five main lieutenants below Sergei in my operations. Jace you've already met, plus four others, and they're each bringing their most trusted soldiers." Ivan stretched his neck from side to side, wincing at the ache. "There are more men in the organization, but they're grunts, easy to replace at the drop of a hat. They don't need to be there."

Nix nodded absently, fingers tracing the abstract design on Ivan's rug. "Can I ask you something without you biting my head off?"

"Probably not."

Nix grinned at him cheekily, clearly not taking the threat seriously. And he was obviously correct not to, what with Ivan's weakness toward him.

If any other bastard had pulled off the major fuckup of that chaos demon being summoned, they'd be dead to Ivan, most likely literally. And yet the only chastisement Ivan had been able to summon for Nix at this point had been a scowl and about five minutes of a surly mood.

Even now, it took everything in Ivan not to shudder at the memory of that creature standing in front of him in Cooper's apartment. The brutal violence he'd been able to feel roiling under the surface, only waiting for an excuse to come out.

He was deadly, that one. And Ivan's only hope to harness any of that power was for Cooper to talk him into aiding him at the meeting tomorrow.

Assuming the chaos demon didn't decide to set Ivan on fire instead.

"In the shows and movies, mob bosses are always surrounded by men," Nix said, bringing Ivan's attention back to him. "At the very least a few key players. And yet you're always alone, except for when Oleg drives you."

"Ah." Ivan leaned his head against the back of his chair, staring up at the ceiling. "It used to be more like that here. The way it was with my father. But then Alexei left, and I…lost my temper, you could say." Ivan ignored Nix's wry chuckle at his phrasing. "And then with Sergei's betrayal…." Ivan shrugged. "I've kept the men at a distance. The whole business is probably fucked at this point."

It was his first time admitting that out loud. That maybe he'd damaged things beyond repair. That maybe Sergei had been right to doubt his leadership.

"Well, we'll fix that," Nix said easily. "I'm great with people."

"Because you're staying." Ivan refused to phrase it as a question.

"Yes, I'm staying," Nix answered anyway. He rose from the floor, gliding over and hopping onto Ivan's desk, bracketing Ivan with his legs. "So tell me why the thought of that makes you grumpy. You should be delighted to have me. I'm delightful."

Ivan was too tired to hedge his words. "Kai told me you'd want to stay no matter what." He arched a brow. "He told me you're using me."

Nix scoffed. "And I told you both things can be true—wanting to be here and wanting you."

Ivan scowled at him, something bitter churning in his gut. "And that pisses me off."

"You don't like when my desires conflict with yours, and now you don't like that they align?" Nix asked, making it clear how idiotic he found the concept. "I want to stay in the human realm, yes. I also want to stay with you."

"You should want me more," Ivan told him, aware that the demand made him sound like a child. "You should want me most ."

It might not have been logical or healthy or sane, but there it was. Ivan didn't like to hear that Nix had other reasons besides himself to stay. It was that horrible, controlling, possessive part of him that needed Nix to covet him exactly as much as Ivan had grown to covet the demon.

Nix let out a frustrated breath, kicking gently at Ivan's chair. "Do you want me to tell you if it was a choice of here without you or the Void with you, I'd choose you? Fine. I would." He narrowed his eyes. "But then we'd both be miserable because the Void is boring as fuck and there'd be no one for you to boss around but me."

Ivan snaked a hand around Nix's ankle, tugging him to the edge of the desk. "And that's all I would need."

A flash of something crossed Nix's face—some bit of true surprise, maybe. Despite his irritation, Ivan was almost pleased to have managed it. The demon was hard to shock.

Until Nix spoke.

"Vanya," he asked, his voice a silken purr. "Do you love me?"

It was Ivan's turn to scoff. He didn't know anything about love, except as a poison that weakened a person beyond repair. The very word made him want to tear something to shreds. "I need you," he corrected. "Here. With me."

That much he could admit.

Nix grabbed his tie, tugging until he'd drawn Ivan up from his chair and he was standing between Nix's legs. His eyes searched Ivan's face, but Ivan kept his expression blank.

"Demons don't talk about love, you know," Nix said after a moment. "It's all about mating, or soul bonds. But as much as a demon can love, I love you." He cocked his head. "How does that make you feel?"

"Ill," Ivan admitted.

Nix grinned, all sharp teeth. "Of course it does." He pulled Ivan in for a chaste kiss, then swiped his tongue along Ivan's lips. "I'm sorry I make you sick."

He didn't sound sorry at all.

Ivan dropped his head onto Nix's shoulder with a groan, his hands grabbing at Nix's hips. "You're like a disease. You've infected me, and now there's no getting you out."

Nix scratched his fingers into Ivan's hair. "Why, that's the most romantic thing you've ever said to me."

"Enough," Ivan growled, half demand, half plea .

It was enough talking. Enough emotions. Enough laying bare his weaknesses for all to see. He certainly couldn't handle any more teasing. He dug his fingers into Nix's hips. "Take the clothes off," he ordered.

Nix huffed a laugh, but he complied, his clothes disappearing in an instant.

But of course he complied. He always knew exactly what to do. Exactly what Ivan needed from him.

And what Ivan needed was this—all that lush lavender skin laid on a platter before him.

Except what was covered by the lace fucking panties Nix refused to get rid of.

Red again.

And—because while Nix always knew what to do, he still loved to torment Ivan anyway—this pair had an opening in them. A very convenient one.

Nix caught him eyeing it and spread his legs wider.

Ivan ran his hands up those spread thighs, fingers dipping toward the swell of Nix's ass. "All I can think about, at any given time, is touching you," he murmured, unable to stop himself from confessing his own lunacy. "Touching you. Tasting you. Fucking you. My entire empire could fall apart tomorrow, and all I can think about is you."

"It won't fall apart," Nix told him, the words ending in a gasp as Ivan's thumb dipped into his hole. "It'll—it'll grow stronger."

Ivan hummed his skepticism, but his focus was already centered on what his thumb was doing. The convenient wetness it found. He dipped it in and out, pressing and circling, listening to Nix's breathy sighs until he couldn't take it anymore.

He unbuttoned his pants and lowered them enough to pull his hardened cock out, hitching his hands under Nix's thighs and sliding him until his ass was half off the desk. He wrapped an arm around Nix's waist and lined his cock up .

"Yes, Ivan," Nix purred, arching into his touch, his tail wrapping around Ivan's forearm. "Yes, yes, yes."

Ivan pushed in, groaning in relief as he was encased in that infernal heat.

This was what he needed.

What he always needed.

He fucked Nix on his desk in hard, steady strokes. His free hand wandered, grasping Nix's chin, his cheek, his hair. He felt fevered and strange, torn constantly between claiming Nix's mouth and lowering his head to watch the obscene sight of his glistening cock leaving Nix's body, the way Nix's leaking cock peeked out of his panties.

It was harsh and brutal and rushed, and Nix keened his encouragement, wrapping his legs around Ivan's waist and pressing into every thrust.

Ivan's orgasm was quick and vicious, an earthquake from deep within him, and he didn't pull out when he was done. He was too busy biting at Nix's neck, mouthing at the silken skin while Nix stroked himself to completion, his talons digging into Ivan's scalp and his legs still wrapped around Ivan's hips.

He fed his cum to Ivan afterward, and Ivan took it without question, licking at his fingers and savoring the sweet, smoky taste.

"We'll bond after the meeting," Nix told him after swiping his tongue one last time over Ivan's lips, catching the drops of his release Ivan hadn't swallowed. "It's not safe to do it before, not when there's no telling how the bonding ceremony will take it out of you."

"Are you commanding?" Ivan asked idly, stroking his hand along Nix's side, his back, down to the velvety-smooth furred skin of tail. He was all too aware Nix didn't have to command him to do anything. He'd meant what he'd said about needing the demon.

He'd been weak for him from the very first moment, but Nix's fate had been sealed the night before, when Ivan had left that basement raw and open. Nix could have done anything with him, and Ivan wouldn't have had the defenses to do much about it. Nix could have taken advantage and demanded a bond right that moment, if he were really so eager to use Ivan. He could read Ivan well enough that he must have sensed the opening.

But instead Nix had…cared for him. He'd soothed and coddled in a manner that was all Nix—with his body, with his touch, with his surrender to whatever Ivan needed of him.

Ivan had never had that. He'd never had any of what Nix gave him. The care. The snark. The constant provocation.

Ivan wanted to keep it all. Every bit of it.

"I am commanding, I'm afraid," Nix told him, tucking sweaty strands of Ivan's hair back into place. "Because while I can't say I've ever been likened to a disease, you're right about one thing, Vanya darling. There's no getting rid of me."

Ivan drove them to the meeting spot the next day, forgoing a driver altogether.

He'd already assigned Oleg to drive Jace and Tag—they were carting Sergei with them, and had been instructed to bring him in when the time was right.

Nix was slumped in the passenger seat of Ivan's car, chin in hand, frowning out the window.

Ivan squeezed his knee. "Why are you pouting?"

"I'm not pouting," Nix told him with a little pout. "But I thought Oleg would be driving us."

"You'd prefer that?" Ivan didn't quite manage to hide his surprise. He hadn't realized his incubus was so fond of his driver. He wasn't sure if he liked that at all.

Maybe he needed to fire Oleg .

Nix heaved a sigh. "I was just really hoping you'd finger me in the back of the town car one of these days."

Provoking. Always provoking.

And in spite of himself, something hot ran through Ivan's lower belly, an image of exactly that flashing through his mind. Nix, writhing in his lap, three of Ivan's fingers working him into a puddle while Oleg drove them steadily on.

Jesus.

He pinched Nix's thigh. "Don't distract me, demon."

"Would that I could." Nix clucked his tongue. "I've never seen you this tense, and I've seen you plenty rigid, Vanya, darling."

Well, who the fuck could blame him? The only backup Ivan was 100 percent certain would be arriving for this little tête-à-tête with his men was Kai and Sascha. Which would mean a total of two demons to intimidate thirty violent men. He was hoping Wolfe and Eric would show as well, for the novelty if nothing else, but Ivan had no idea about Cooper and his chaos demon.

Alexei he could count right the fuck out, bitter as the thought made him.

Ivan had learned long ago not to depend on his middle brother.

So they'd make do with what they had. Kai in his demon form was enough to make most men piss themselves, and Nix was definitely…inhuman. Just because Ivan had come to associate his demon form with sex and seduction didn't mean his men would.

And speaking of seduction…

Ivan had the Book tucked into his jacket pocket, ready to be used to bond the moment business was done with. No matter what else, the demon was staying at his side.

"Where are we?" Nix asked as they pulled into the back parking lot, peering out at the brick building.

"A restaurant my father favored for business," Ivan told him. " It's under our protection still." He paused, then added, "We held his wake here."

"And now we'll bury him for good," Nix said with satisfaction.

Ivan hummed his agreement, even if a final "fuck you" to his father wasn't really the point of the whole thing. He'd come to enjoy how much his demon hated him, even though the man was long dead and gone.

They entered through the back. Sascha and Kai were already holed up in one of the booths, as expected. Ivan had asked them to come early so Kai could ensure no trap had been laid for him. Something unclenched within Ivan when he saw Wolfe and Eric with them.

The vampires had shown.

Sascha gave a poor semblance of a smile as Ivan and Nix approached. "I haven't been here since…"

Ivan cleared his throat. "I'm aware."

The restaurant hadn't changed a bit since their father had passed. Not since their childhood, really. It was still owned by the same family, kept as a time capsule of a different era.

Sascha swallowed hard before getting a hold of himself. "So where's the staff?" he asked much more brightly.

"Paid off for the night."

The side door Ivan and Nix had entered through opened again, and Ivan had his gun drawn and pointed in an instant.

But it was only Cooper poking his head through, nodding when he saw them all, unfazed by Ivan's gun pointed in his direction. He led his chaos demon by the hand. The creature was still in his human form, his hair and eyes back to brown. He hissed at Ivan's weapon, and Ivan lowered it immediately.

Kai growled, turning on Nix immediately. "What did you do, incubus?"

Nix's eyes widened in faux innocence. "Me? "

The chaos demon grinned, an innocuous-looking dimple flashing in his left cheek. "Hello, Kaisyir."

Kai swore softly, tugging Sascha closer in the booth.

Ivan could barely contain his smile. That was three demons and two vampires on their side. Much better odds than he'd hoped for.

Introductions were made to those who hadn't met before, and the chaos creature remained surprisingly docile after Ivan had stowed his gun. He seemed unconcerned by Kai's wariness, or his bitter mumblings.

Maybe he was shoring up his bloodthirsty ways for what was to come.

Ivan could only hope.

He took the remaining time to discuss what would come next, once the men arrived. By the time he was finished, Jace, Tag, and Oleg were coming through the door to the kitchens, signaling to Ivan that things were ready on their end.

Something hot ran through Ivan's veins, anticipation setting his skin buzzing. It was time. No going back. Changes would be made today, bloody and permanent.

The front door opened, the first of the men arriving earlier than anticipated.

But it wasn't one of Ivan's men who came through the door. Or at least not one still loyal to him.

It was Alexei, tall and broad and stern-faced as ever, with a small dark-haired man at his side. His vampire.

Two years after his betrayal, Ivan's wayward brother had come home.