Chapter Three

There was something very off about this place. Unfortunately, Charon had to stay. He had finally found Paine. It had taken longer than he ever believed. Only a few months ago, Charon had learned Paine was still alive. Two years ago, while in Prague, he had seen a ghost. Charon had tried chasing him. But Paine had disappeared as quickly and quietly as he appeared, leaving Charon wondering if it had been a hallucination. He had kept his ear to the ground, but the trail went cold. The next time, he had caught sight of him in New York. From there, Charon had to admit it hadn’t been a dream. Paine was still alive. He hadn’t stopped hunting since. Charon never dreamed one person could be so hard to find.

Now Charon understood. Paine had become nameless. Charon rubbed his chest. Two months ago, Paine had written him a letter, warning Charon he might not like what he found. Charon hadn’t expected to find this. He stared at the dark ceiling and plotted. All he had to do was get his hands on Paine and they could be out of here. They could disappear. Charon could fix what he broke.

He knew Paine was there, watching him in the dark. Charon felt him. His movements were silent, but Charon had never forgotten the way Paine sounded as he sneaked through the darkness, coming to Charon. Charon drew a ragged breath. It sounded loud in the otherwise silent room. He thought his chest might cave. His eyes stung. Charon had so many things to say. More times than he could count, Charon had practiced speeches. He thought he knew exactly what he wanted to convey. Instead, his heart needed one burning question answered.

“Why didn’t you pretend to break? I begged you to just pretend. Why didn’t you?”

Silence met his words, making him question his sanity. Sometimes, Charon thought he would die just from the memories. Now Paine was alive, and that feeling never left him.

“They would’ve killed you.”

Charon nearly jumped out of his skin when Paine’s voice sounded beneath the bed. Tears filled his eyes. He rolled, just wanting to be an inch closer. “That would’ve been okay, as long as you lived.” Charon draped his arm over the edge of bed, letting it hang there. He hoped to lure Paine closer—like a wild animal. Paine bit him. Charon didn’t flinch. Instead, he stole the opportunity to stroke Paine’s face before he got away. Paine’s bite turned into a lick, but he moved away too quickly for Charon’s heart.

“Why do you call yourself Charon? That’s what Reed calls you.”

Charon stopped breathing. “How do you know that about Reed?”

“You sound so concerned. Are you that worried about your puppy? I watched you kiss him.”

Charon’s eyes fell closed. He had done that, but it wasn’t what Paine thought. Reed had been hurting. He had been doing a favor for his friend. “It didn’t mean anything.”

“You didn’t answer me. Why, Charon?”

“You know why.” Because it was the first conversation they ever had. Paine compared the pronunciation of Aron to Charon, a fat dragon from a card game. Except Charon wasn’t the dragon. He was the scientist, but Paine never believed him about that. Charon had to hang on to some part of Paine. He had to remember why he couldn’t give up. Charon deserved the punishment of living. The Acheron had to wait until Charon atoned. He couldn’t undo the past, but he could fix this. Charon had to. He loved Paine too much to quit.

Paine waited until Aron’s breathing changed. Then he waited even longer. He couldn’t risk Aron waking. Once he was certain Aron was out cold, he made his way out from beneath the bed. Paine easily slipped into bed with Aron without disturbing him. His specialty had always been his ability to stay high, quiet, and invisible.

Up close, Aron was even bigger. His wide shoulders looked firm. Back in hell, they had been starved. Even then, Aron had been the biggest of the bunch. Now he was immaculate. Paine tugged the covers down, moving like a ghost. He slid beneath them, stealing Aron’s warmth. Paine couldn’t stay long. He couldn’t risk falling asleep. The only place he felt safe enough to sleep was his bed in the rafters. Without a ladder, no one could get to him there. They didn’t have his skills.

While Quentin had been nothing but kind, Paine never felt truly safe. No such mental space existed. Everyone became an enemy eventually. Everyone hurt him. It was better to be a cat: aloof and unbothered, unless he wanted affection. That wasn’t very often. He had seen what humans could do.

The room they had given Aron was Paine’s room. He never used the bed. Adam kept it fresh, just in case. But the closet, dressers, and bathroom were unmistakably his. Paine didn’t doubt Quentin had chosen this on purpose. He just hadn’t decided what that purpose was yet.

Paine inched closer to Aron. He was incapable of resisting. Paine leaned in and sniffed his skin. He didn’t smell the same, yet he did. There was something about him that was achingly familiar. Paine’s chest hurt. There was no one else. No matter the mental and physical scars Aron had given him, Paine had only ever loved one person. He couldn’t stop. It wasn’t possible for him to stop. God knew he had been tested. But love didn’t always win, and Paine had lost oh-so much. They would always be a painful memory that wouldn’t die.

Still, Paine couldn’t stop himself. He pressed his lips to the spot between Aron’s shoulder blades where the many scars held the memory of how Aron had suffered too. Aron jerked and then went completely still. Paine kissed him again. He licked the spot he kissed, wanting to memorize Aron’s flavor. Aron’s muscles tensed and Paine knew their moment was over. He leapt from the bed as Aron rolled his way. In a flash, he hit the corner of the room, bouncing easily from wall to wall until he was safely out of reach.

Aron stayed on his back, staring at the ceiling. Even though he knew Aron couldn’t see him, he still felt the heat of Aron’s stare. Paine watched his chest heave. He stared at the delicious tent in the sheets. Paine settled down to simply watch him from afar again. That was his favorite pastime.

“You’ll be Charon from now on.” He whispered the words, trying not to break the mood.

“You can still call me Aron. You’re the only one who knows that name.”

A smile tugged at Paine’s lips. Aron had whispered too, as if he also didn’t want to lose their connection. “No. You chose Charon for me. That’s who you’ll be from this moment on, my sexy fat dragon.”

“It’s still the scientist.”

Paine’s smile grew. “Not in my world.” Paine slinked away to his hideaway before either of them ruined things. Charon still wanted him. He could live with that.