Chapter 4

Computers were easy. Simple. Dependable.

Numbers didn’t lie, and so long as he hit the nifty little save button, West could feel confident in knowing the second he turned his machine back on, everything he expected to be there would be. There was no guesswork.

West barely bothered with the clock to his left as he worked well into the night, like he did every night. The clacking of his keyboard keys and the notes of classical beiska music filled his room with comforting sounds. It was almost like white noise to him at this point, background audio to keep him focused and on task.

And there many, many tasks to get through.

Yejun and Lake had no clue all the work that went into hunting down their hacker. He was in forums, running deep searches, and even scouring the dark web for any sign of their enemy. So far, no one knew anything about this person or their signature. It was almost as if they didn’t exist.

“I’ll find you,” he promised under his breath, eyes scanning one of the five large holo-screens that took up the length of his desk. It took up the center of the room, with his bed behind him and the doors to both the bathroom and the hallway across from him, where he could keep it in sight in case anyone ever walked in on him.

Lake had that nasty habit, mostly because he didn’t respect anyone. Yejun did it on occasion because he was always too caught up in his own thoughts to remember common courtesy was a thing.

“Fuckers.” He grunted but smiled. There wasn’t anyone else alive who’d put up with their particular mixture of bullshit.

His mind turned to Nix, and for a second, his fingers faltered over the keys. A fresh wave of annoyance toward Lake and that thing he’d permanently put on Nix’s neck hit him and he ground his teeth against it. Anger never solved anything, and it’d been a lifelong battle of wills and personal growth to control West’s temper. He wouldn’t lose his cool now over something like this.

What’s done was done, after all.

Only…

It irked him, of course. For multiple reasons. Top of the list was the fact Lake hadn’t been back for even half a year yet, and already he was taking matters into his own hands, not consulting them before like he should be. They were meant to be a team. It was the three of them against the universe, as it always had been.

Had he forgotten? Had their bond weakened after Lake’s trip to the planet Vitality after all?

West groaned and leaned back in his chair, the creaking of the hinges pulling him the rest of the way off his work.

His father wasn’t going to like this. Lake’s bite meant a public claiming, and while no one would fight with the future emperor if he decided later down the line to take a second mate, that wouldn’t change the fact he and Nix’s fates were sealed.

They were tied for life. And if the two of them were tied…

He tilted his head when his cock twitched at that thought.

Sure, he liked Nix, wanted him in his bed and wrapped around his dick, but that didn’t mean he’d be satisfied with having him forever . Not like Lake apparently was. To the point, the idiot had made a colossal mistake by marking him. What kind of moron would take damaged bait?

This person they were after was no idiot. Now that Nix was sporting a claiming mark, their chances of this plan working had decreased exponentially. West was going to have to come up with something else, find a way to do some damage control before they completely scared off this hacker.

They were so close to the finish line, to achieving actual freedom.

He couldn’t believe Lake would risk all of that on a piece of ass. Even ass as lush as Nix Monroe’s.

Over all the noise—in the room and in his head—it was a wonder West’s ears could pick up on the sound of his bedroom door creaking, but he did and his head snapped up just as Nix peeked his head through the crack.

The other man froze when their eyes met, clearly struggling with what he should do, and since he’d been through enough for one day, West opted to take pity on him.

“Come on in, Nixie,” he waved at him. “I promise I won’t bite.”

Nix flinched but stepped into the room.

“Too soon?” West hummed. “Shut the door.” He waited until his order was followed before asking, “What are you doing lurking about at night?”

“Lake didn’t come to bed,” Nix explained.

West grunted. “Don’t try to tell me you were worried about him?”

“No,” he shook his head. “More like…curious. I was going to go find him but then I heard the music.” He glanced at the large speakers hovering in the four corners of the room. “I didn’t take you for the classical type.”

“Ironic, coming from someone like you.”

“Someone…like me?”

Upon first glance, Nix seemed straightforward and predictable. He looked studious, quiet and maybe a little arrogant at first glance. His hair was a little unkempt, a sandy blond shade that didn’t stand out at all, and brown eyes. He was a bit on the lanky side, thin enough he could easily be mistaken for being too skinny.

But that was just surface-level appearance.

Perfect straight-A student Phoenix Monroe was a skilled hacker who spent his free time breaking into other people's programs for fun. He gave a phenomenal blowjob and moaned like a porn star when his prostate was rubbed just right. And his body? Beneath the baggy sweatshirt and pants he was currently wearing, West could picture all that toned muscle.

“What sport did you play again?” He’d read Nix’s school records when they’d researched him, thinking he was their hacker, but at the time, West hadn’t been invested enough to commit all those details to memory.

“I used to swim competitively,” Nix replied after a moment of hesitation, almost as though he hadn’t wanted to tell West.

He couldn’t help but wonder if he’d do the same if it’d been Yejun who’d asked.

He’d fallen behind.

He hated that.

“Come here.” West clicked his tongue when there was more hesitation, smirking when eventually Nix heaved a sigh of annoyance and conceded.

He leaned back in his chair at the other man’s approach, not bothering to hide his holo-monitors from view. When Nix’s gaze latched onto the screens, he quietly waited, allowing him to take it all in.

This was something they had in common, after all. Maybe the only thing.

“You’re looking for traces of the hacker?” Nix planted a palm on the surface of West’s white desk and leaned in, the glow from the screens reflecting in his eyes.

Maybe they weren’t such a plain shade of brown after all. There was a glimmer of something attractive in them at the moment, a familiar spark of excitement that had West’s heart thumping in response.

Lake and Yejun had never had any interest in computers or tech. They’d left West to his own devices, supporting him from the sidelines when he needed it, but otherwise indifferent. It was fine. Whenever he needed someone to talk about it with, he’d find one of his other classmates, but still…Having Nix here now, it occurred to West that maybe he’d been a bit…lonely in this aspect of his life after all.

“You’re even searching Deep Space?” Nix pressed two fingers to his pursed lips, scanning the third screen before pointing to a dialog box. “You have access to this?”

“I have access to everything.” West sat up and clicked out the correct reply on his computer, waiting for the window to change and allow them into the site. “There’s been no luck so far. No matter where I search, nothing turns up. It’s almost as though this hacker doesn’t exist anywhere but on Enigma.”

“Maybe they don’t,” Nix said.

“It’s more than anything else lacking his signature,” West explained. “His code was unique. Something should have appeared.”

Nix hummed. “Unless he knew you’d come looking and deleted all traces ahead of time.”

“That’s what I fear.”

“Want me to ask around?”

West quirked a brow in surprise.

Nix shrugged a single shoulder. “What? I made a few acquaintances in Deep Space myself over the years. We don’t know each other's real identities, so it’s safe. I know you’ve probably covered all the angles, but it can’t hurt.”

West considered the offer. “Could be this hacker knows me well enough to hide from me specifically. He might not see you coming. Sure, Nixie. Why not? Give it a go.” He waved at his computers and then stood, chuckling when Nix’s eyes widened.

“Right now?”

“Why? Sleepy?”

In response, Nix dropped down into the vacated seat and pulled it forward so he could set his arms against the edge of the table. His fingers started dancing over the keys, lost in his head long enough it didn’t seem like he noticed when West moved to stand directly behind him and placed his hands on his shoulders.

Nix was warm to the touch, and West found himself massaging him, lightly at first, until his hands moved closer to his neck and his pointer finger pressed against the bandaged spot at his throat.

“That hurts.” Nix jolted but didn’t try to pull away, several windows opening and closing on the main screen as he worked.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t lie,” he murmured, the words so softly spoken West almost missed them.

“What was that?” He bent his head down closer.

“You never lie to me,” Nix said. “It’s pretty much the only quality of yours I appreciate.”

West pressed against the wound a second time. “Not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not, babe. Surely there are other parts of me you can…appreciate.”

He was reminded of the comment Lake had Nix make earlier in the week, about how he tasted better. West had been determined to prove otherwise, but then Nix had been threatened and they’d gotten distracted.

Their multi-faceted Phoenix was safe now though, here, in their home.

Maybe there were joint perks to Lake’s bite after all.

West slid his hand lower, over Nix’s shoulder and down his chest, stopping when the other guy spoke up.

“And if I say no?”

West quirked a brow. “What? Do you think I’ll bite the other side?” His mood soured. “Did Lake suggest I would?”

Nix was quiet for a moment and then said, “I didn’t imagine there’d be competition between you.”

“Why? Because we’re besties?” He snorted. “Come on, Nixie. No one ever gets along one hundred percent with no issues. Take you and your cousin. There had to be something she’s done that you didn’t like or agree with.”

Nix glanced away, but not before West caught a flash of hurt in his gaze.

And something else.

Was he angry?

“You’ve been acting weird all day,” he stated. “I figured it was because of the claiming mark, but…” This was out of his purview. He did not have to comfort or care about this man’s feelings in the slightest. Nix had been brought in against his will, and though he’d done his best to play along to the terms Lake had set, that didn’t mean West was interested in furthering things between them.

And yet…

West sighed. “Yejun is a lot of things, but a good listener isn’t one of them. Not sure if you’ve noticed, but he’s kind of self absorbed.” He searched Nix’s face for agreement, but his expression blanked. “Maybe he’s hid that from you so far. You’ll see eventually. Anyway, Lake—”

“Does whatever the fuck he pleases?” This time there was another flash of anger, clearly aimed Lake’s way.

That was better. West preferred it when the people around him emoted. It made them seem more alive and real.

Made him feel less shitty about himself and his often chaotic feelings.

“I was going to say, he struggles to comprehend things,” West corrected. “There’s a disconnect between his head and his heart—He does have a heart,” he added when that made Nix snort derisively. “If he didn’t, he would never have done that to you.” West pointed to the gauze bandage.

“So you think he had a good reason?” Nix obviously didn’t agree.

“I believe he thinks he had a good reason,” West drawled. “That’s not why I started this conversation. What I’m trying to say is, out of the three of us, I’m the only one who’d willingly and effectively lend you an ear. So, let’s hear it. What’s upset you—other than the gaping wound in your neck?”

“There’s loads to be upset about,” Nix replied. “My cousin is dead, if you recall. That’s definitely top of the list.”

“Still in the anger stage of grief?”

“I’m not sure.”

“But you are angry with her. I can tell. Why?”

“I…” His fingers slowed on the keyboard but quickly regained speed and he cleared his throat. “I found out she’d been lying to me about something important when she was still alive.”

“Something big?”

“Yes.”

West could understand. He didn’t like when people kept things from him either. “That must have left you with a lot of questions.”

“Exactly.” Nix stopped and swiveled in the chair to face him. “Now there’s a whole list of things I have to ask that I didn’t before, and no possible way of finding any answers! I’m just stuck like this. And the worst part?”

“It gets worse?”

“I realized she used her final words to me to trick me into coming here!”

He frowned. “Why would she do that?”

A few weeks ago, when this all began, Nix had admitted to them he’d enrolled in Foxglove because of his cousin's dying wishes. He’d made it sound like it’d come from a place of caring, like she’d wanted him to step out of his shell and live a more fulfilling life. It’d been believable enough, West hadn’t’ questioned it.

“Branwen always loved it here,” Nix surprised him by admitting.

“She was a student?” He hadn’t known. “I’ve never heard of her.”

“Yeah, well.” He shrugged.

“Have you tried to find her friends on campus?” West shook his head before Nix could answer. “Never mind. Of course you have. Is that it? Is that really why you came here? For her? For closure?”

He nodded and grew silent.

West had never lost someone important to him before—through death or other means. There’d only ever been a handful of people who had ever mattered. The last time he’d comforted someone who was grieving, he’d been a child. He didn’t even know if he’d been helpful toward Lake during that period. He had no clue how to reenact anything he’d done if even he had been.

“Should I distract you?” he asked, grabbing onto the arm of the chair and turning it the rest of the way. “Would that help?”

Wasn’t a distraction always the best solution? Whenever there was a particularly hard problem, he stepped away from it from a bit and came back to it later once he’d calmed down and the frustration had abated.

Nix’s expression morphed into one of suspicion. “West…”

“You said you prefer it when I’m honest,” he reminded, coming to a decision for the both of them then and there. “I’m going to continue to be so. I’m not a soft lover. I won’t be soft with you tonight.”

“Wait, West, I don’t—”

He lifted him up and turned, carrying Nix to the other side of the room. Every time the man struggled in his hold, he whacked him across the ass, laughing when that turned Nix spitting mad in less than ten seconds.

Yeah, this was good. This would do the trick. He’d distract Nixie from whatever his cousin had done to upset him, even if he had to turn his ire his way. It’d be fun. Electric.

West tossed him down onto the bed and grabbed his pants, tearing him off of Nix’s body even as the other man kicked and hissed at him. Then he climbed on and pinned Nix’s thighs beneath him, hooking his fingers in the band of his boxers. He stripped him down quickly, knowing the faster they got this part over, the better.

“Want to take that off yourself?” He motioned to the shirt as he dropped the boxers to the ground and stood at the end of the bed. “I’m afraid I’ll hurt you if I do it.”

Nix was fuming, glaring at him with bright red cheeks. He sat up on the bed and grabbed fistfuls of the comforter, but he was smart enough to know it’d be a waste of energy to try to make a run for the door. “No you aren’t. You don’t give a shit if you hurt me!”

West clicked his tongue and brought a finger up to his lips. “Shh, are you trying to wake the others? What’s wrong? Is having me here not good enough for you? Need Yejun and Lake here to join in on the fun for it to be worthwhile?”

He blanched and seemed to recall they weren’t alone in the house. “No.”

“You sure? Because I can always…” West took a step toward the door and Nix practically scrambled after him, latching onto his wrist.

“No,” he wet his lips, “please.”

“Begging?” West shook his hold loose and scowled. “Already? That’s no fun, Nixie. They’re not even here, by the way. Lake and Yejun are at the Club House. There’s a meeting and I was supposed to go with them, but someone couldn’t be trusted on their own, so here we are.”

Nix licked his lips. “West, please. I’m tired and my neck hurts. I just want to—”

“Now who’s the liar? If you wanted to sleep, you wouldn’t have left Lake’s room. You came here to snoop, babe.”

“No!” He shook his head vehemently. “I—”

“Relax, I’m not mad about it. You said you heard the music and got curious? Can’t blame you. I wouldn’t expect to hear classical music in this place either. This,” he pointed over at one of the floating speakers hovering above them, “is the beiska playing now. Do you like it?”

“I don’t know very much about instruments,” he admitted.

“That’s okay. I can teach you.” West made an upward motion toward him. “Your shirt, Nixie. I won’t tell you again.”

Slowly, as though he actually believed he could change West’s mind if he prolonged things long enough, Nix pulled his shirt up and over his head.

But he couldn’t hide the resignation on his face, even if he was complying.

That wouldn’t do.

He’d already formed attachments to the others?

West was going to have to step up his game and teach their stubborn Phoenix why it’d be beneficial to have him in his corner.