Chapter 20

Lake very rarely, if ever, lost his cool, but he came very close to slamming his fist into the wall when West hung up on him. It'd been days since the last time he'd properly seen Nix, and he'd finally been able to carve out some time in his schedule only for West to cock block him.

Not that he'd been planning on fucking Nix, necessarily. A part of him still didn't trust the other guy, no matter how badly he was also fascinated by him.

And Lake was fascinated. He was drawn to the Songbird in an inexplicable way he couldn't describe and had never experienced before. Back on Vitality, he'd witnessed Kelevra fall seemingly head over heels for another person and found the whole process absolutely ridiculous.

By making Nix their sacrifice, he'd secured a good enough reason to keep him around, but not just because Lake was attracted to him.

There was something he was hiding. He was certain of it. Normal people didn't hack into an app like Enigma for fun, and while the death of his cousin definitely posed a better excuse, it still wasn't enough in Lake's mind. From what he already understood of Nix, it would have taken a lot more than a letter to get him to abandon his lifelong dreams and plans.

Nix was meticulous. Crafty.

He thought he was hiding those features away by rolling with the punches and going along with this whole scheme, but Lake could see right through him. He knew why he was doing this. He wanted to keep the Songbird close, to sort through these weird emotions and also uncover his secrets.

But what was Nix's real reason?

Why was Nix pretending like he didn't mind the idea of being screwed by three people at once?

Because he did. He was an ace at adjusting, but that was an adjustment . Relationships between more than two people weren't abnormal on their planet. There'd been Demons in the past who'd all chosen the same lover, and this wasn't the first time Lake and the boys had shared a person either, though not in such a serious context.

They'd never publicly claimed anyone, in any case.

Yejun had his suspicions, that was why he'd goaded him the other day. He'd been trying to get a rise out of Lake, to get him to admit his interest in Nix. It wouldn't change anything even if he did, however, so he'd kept his mouth shut and had shrugged the whole thing off.

It was a bit harder to do with West. Before his parents' deaths, the two of them had been inseparable. They'd never fought about anything. Then Lake had moved in with him and Demitrious's already tenuous relationship with his son had splintered further thanks to Lake's presence. He put up with West's backhanded remarks and his overly competitive nature because he understood where his friend was coming from. He'd been there all through it. Knew his dad was a real piece of work.

When he'd been on Vitality, Lake had missed West the most, and yet…

He closed his eyes and inhaled slowly, trying to soothe his annoyance before he gave in and reacted negatively. He was the one who'd wanted Nix to get involved with them all, and not just because it made sense toward their plans or would help them flush out the hacker.

Lake had wanted to gather their opinions on the Songbird. Wanted to see if there was a chance he affected them the same way. They'd never openly discussed sharing a person in the future, but others had done so for them. The three of them had heard the whispered rumors, both at the club and out of it.

They were so close, people wondered if they weren't fucking each other.

If perhaps they'd choose a fourth.

If someone could ever come between them and tear through their bond.

Lake had always shrugged the comments off, but now…he was curious. He trusted West and Yejun, they were family. But his time on Vitality had given him a different perspective of what that sort of thing could actually mean.

Kelevra had his Retinue and Lake had been a part of it. There, having a tight-knit group in support of the Imperial Prince was the norm. Here? The Demons of the past had all gotten along, for the most part, but none of them had grown up together as closely as Lake, West, and Yejun had.

If Lake could break the crown into thirds, he would do so in a heartbeat. Half the reason he even wanted the damn throne was for them in the first place. As Emperor, he'd be able to punish Demitrious for his crimes against West, and he'd be able to break Yejun free from his parents' shackles. Right now, they gave the impression of being untouchable to the rest of the planet, but in reality, they were merely pawns to the Order, same as everyone else.

That would change if he became emperor.

When he became emperor.

Just a little longer. All they had to do was make it to Demon Passing, which happened to fall around the same time that the mourning period would end. Once it did and he beat this final challenge, there'd be no reason for anyone to speak against his ascension.

Lake would take the throne, and the three of them would be free to be the monsters they were always meant to be.

His multi-slate went off and when he saw the caller ID he almost ignored it, too high-strung at the moment to deal with speaking to West's father. Knowing it would only cause problems for him later, however, he ended up caving and pulled out the earbud attachment, slipping it in before he hit accept, making sure to make the caller wait for as long as possible between.

"Lake," Demitrious's sharp voice came through, causing Lake to wince, "has practice just ended?"

He was standing in the middle of the stables, the last to leave. Next to him, his waif snickered and circled its pen before lying down. The creature was three times his size with four legs and a powerful back. It was strong enough to carry a rider even Lake's size, with smooth scales the color of burnished bronze.

It'd been the last gift his mother had given him before the accident, and the only reason he'd agreed to continue playing the game had been the stipulation that he could only bring the waif with him to campus if he was on the team. Even the Order had refused to speak with the dean to waive the rule for him, mostly because Demitrious had always enjoyed watching Lake play.

Bastard.

As kids, West had been the better rider and better at the sport, but had his father noticed?

No.

"Yes," Lake replied, checking to be sure the pen was locked before he started down the long, wide path toward the end of the building where the changing rooms were located. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"I just called to see if there's a progress report," he told him. "If there's anything I can help you with, you know all you have to do is ask."

It was against the rules for any of the club members to help out the Demons with their final task, but Lake didn't bother mentioning that. Demitrious didn't care for rules, not even ones set by Essential that he'd given a blood oath to uphold.

"We've got it under control," he replied. "West is close to tracing the hacker."

Demitrious hummed noncommittally. "How is your backup plan coming along? I know you two are close, but don't rely solely on my son's abilities to get you through this."

Lake didn't want to discuss Nix with him, but if it meant taking the attention away from West, he would. West was top of his class and had already been scouted by several of the galaxy's top tech companies, and yet if you asked Demitrious, he'd shrug and say his son was just all right with computers.

If Lake hadn't owed the past ten years of his life to the man, he would have told him off several times already. Hell, if the guy weren't seated on the Order, he and Yejun would have plotted a dozen and half different ways they could take him out without getting caught.

Alas.

"We're still waiting to see if the hacker will take the bait," Lake said. "But word is spreading throughout campus, so it's only a matter of time."

Hopefully. Though, to be honest, he wasn't entirely sure this plan would actually pan out. He just wouldn't say as much out loud to anyone, especially not the Order. They were making a risky move bringing in someone like Nix, someone unknown to them. Someone with a secret…There was always the chance for betrayal.

He'd long since learned the only people he could rely on were West and Yejun—maybe the Retinue when he was on Vitality. But this wasn't Vitality, and Lake needed to gather as many reinforcements as he could.

Perhaps it was a good thing he'd returned home sooner than expected. If he'd stayed any longer, what other ideas would have been put into his head? West and Yejun were more than enough for him, and yet…

If they could make it through this, and if what Nix was hiding wasn't all that bad, then maybe Lake could allow himself to consider something more concrete in the future. If the others didn't want Nix in a more permanent fashion, that would be fine. They only needed to share the same sacrifice up until Demon's Passing occurred. Then it was fair game and Lake could claim the Songbird for his own.

If.

There were too many unknown factors involved here. Too many questions. He didn't like that. Liked to be in control and five steps ahead. The confusion had started right from the beginning, though.

Lake had signed into the Enigma app to check things out. Yejun was still too pissed about his situation with the member who'd been working with the hacker, and that left Lake and West to search for a sacrifice they liked. He'd stumbled into the forums and had actually selected someone at random, only mildly paying attention while he filed re-enrollment paperwork for the university.

Then Nix's masked face had popped up on his screen, and it'd been so obvious how uncomfortable he'd been. He'd nibbled on his bottom lip and then turned, presenting himself to Lake's view and something about the whole thing had gotten to him.

He'd seen a million and one naked bodies before. Had slept with more men than he cared to keep track of. Sex was an itch that needed scratching, but once the deed was done, his bedpartner was sent on their merry way. Lake had been shocked to find himself glued to the screen, his hand wandering down to cup himself through his pants as he watched Nix awkwardly stroke himself.

Since only students of Foxglove could sign up for the app, Lake had known he'd be able to track him down as soon as the semester started. With each meeting, he'd told himself he'd get it out of his system and wouldn't bother once they were in person. That seeing Nix through the screen would be enough to satiate this hunger.

He'd of course been wrong.

He needed to uncover Nix's secret before he grew even more attached. If it came to that…There was nothing Lake couldn't have if he wanted it, and that included people. Right now, they were being collectively considerate toward Nix and this sudden change, mostly because the three of them had learned the best way to catch someone was with honey and not vinegar. Hiding their monstrous sides was easy enough, but eventually, it would all come to a head one way or another.

"And this guy, Nix," Demitrious asked, "you trust him to keep his word?"

Lake ground his teeth as he entered the changing rooms and stripped out of his tight riding jacket. "He's smart enough to know he'd have all of Essential against him if otherwise."

"Yes, that's true." There was a pause, and then, "You like him?"

"We're partial to him." There was no way in hell he was going to give Demitrious that sort of power over him. His feelings toward Nix were his own business, no one else's, and while he'd always been held high on a pedestal by West's father, he knew better than to expect that to always be the case.

Look how easily he'd tossed his own son aside.

Demitrious was only paternal toward Lake because he had a spot in succession. If they somehow failed to procure his place and he lost the crown? There was very little doubt in his mind that he would be kicked to the curb just as quickly as West had been. Demitrious only kept people around who were useful to him.

Lake would judge, but up until Nix, he'd been the same way. Even after, hadn't he needed to come up with this plan to convince himself that he wasn't keeping the Songbird around just because?

"Once he's sacrificed—"

"That will be something we'll deal with then," Lake cut him off. He opened and slammed his metal locker with enough force he knew the sound could make its way through his earpiece.

"Oh, are you getting ready to leave?" Demitrious asked, like he knew he would. "I'll let you go. Just remember, if you ever need anything I'm here for you."

Lake hung up without giving a reply. He yanked his shirt off, tossed it into the locker, and was just in the process of reaching for his hanging uniform when his device chimed again. Cursing, he slammed on the button and growled out, "What?"

"Come to the Roost." West didn't sound anything like he had only ten or so minutes ago, and that had Lake stiffening. "Now. We'll meet you there. I've called Yejun home as well."

"Nix?" He grabbed his uniform shirt off the hanger, sending the metal pinging around, but he was already turning for the door, not even bothering to close his locker in his haste.

"He's fine, but…" West blew out a breath. "Some freak put a dead thing in his backpack."

"What?" Lake slammed a palm on the door leading out and stormed across the parking lot toward his car. "Forget it, I'll see for myself. I'm on my way."

Some freak was about to become a dead thing if Lake had any say in the matter.

And as the Imperial soon-to-be prince?

He had a say in everything on this planet.