Chapter 5

Maestro: The Roost. 5 PM.

Nix reread the message for the hundredth time and then dropped his arm and stared at the impressive building in front of him. He'd learned about the Roost during his tour yesterday with Grady, but they hadn't gone near it, especially since after their encounter with the Demons, Grady had put a swift end to their trip and retreated back to their dorm room.

He hadn't liked that Nix seemed to know Lake, even after Nix had explained they didn't really know each other. Now he had to worry about his suspicious roommate on top of everything else, and he couldn't even be mad about it. It wasn't like there'd been a way of this working where he could have avoided interacting with Maestro through the app. Nix had needed those Favors.

Still needed one.

Which was why, despite all of his instincts screaming at him to turn heel and run in the other direction, he was here. Standing outside the Roost, better known as the dorm of the Demons.

Not that it could be considered a dorm in any sense of the word.

Admittedly, he was a little bit awed by the architecture of the place and was using that as an excuse to linger outside, putting off the inevitable down to the last second. It was a believable thing to be distracted over, at least.

The Roost was built at the base of Munin Mountain, a river flowing from somewhere further away, trailing beneath the front porch. It was at least three stories high, with tall glass windows set in metal frames. The second level had a wraparound balcony, and a tower of sorts was in the back, partially connected to the mountain's rock. Moss and ivy grew around the structure, and tiny red flowers with glowing centers flickered like miniature flames, sprouting seemingly at random.

Nix tipped his head all the way back and took a step to the left, catching sight of the edge of a massive building much higher and mostly out of view. The Essential Club. It couldn't be a coincidence that both it and the Roost were housed on the same mountain.

Everyone on the planet knew about the Club Essential, even Nix who'd grown up on the other side of the world. Though it was a hush-hush society, their hands were in every aspect of the planet's functioning. Government, agriculture, commerce, entertainment…You name it, there was no doubt a club member was involved in some way, shape, or form.

He glanced between the corner of the metal structure high in the sky and the intricate building before him.

What were the odds these two things weren't connected?

They were clearly members of the club, that went without saying. Lake Zyair was an Imperial who had a real chance at the throne, after all. It'd be impossible for him not to be a part of Essential.

Yesterday, after running into them and realizing who Lake was, Nix had spent some time carefully combing over all of the public information about the three he could get his hands on. There was a ton of it, but it was hard to tell how much was fact and how much was smokescreen. People with money could make up stories and hide the truth as easily as snapping their fingers.

From what Nix was able to glean as a definitive fact, Lake's parents had died when he was younger, and he'd moved into the Corleone residence. He, West, and Yejun had been together throughout their entire childhoods, up until a little over a year ago when Lake had suddenly enrolled in Vail University on the planet Vitality. His return most likely had something to do with the fact the Emperor and her Royal Consort had just passed suddenly.

Grady hadn't been kidding when he'd called the Demons kings yesterday, either. It wasn't just on campus. From what Nix could find, it appeared as though Lake and his friends were revered—and feared—throughout the capital.

And Nix was the idiot who'd accidentally gotten involved.

Shit.

The sky was already gray, a light pattering of rain falling down, and he knew his time was up. A wooden bridge led from the walkway to the porch, and Nix started over it, gripping the handle of his yellow umbrella tightly. Only a single light was left on, hanging over the front door. He tried to peer through all the glass siding, but all he could make out were various furniture shapes and darkness.

He lifted his fist to knock, but there was a click and then the door swung inwards on its own. Creepy. But not enough to scare him off.

Yet.

Stepping beneath the threshold, Nix gave himself a moment to adjust to the poor lighting, trying to map the large space but unable to make out much of anything. Then he placed his umbrella by the door and took another tentative step forward.

The flick of a lighter across the room had him jumping slightly, eyes catching sight of the bottom half of a face as whoever it was stuck a cigarette between their lips. They snapped the lighter shut almost as quickly as they'd lit it, but Nix could make out their outline now.

"Lake?" He cleared his throat and moved closer, careful so as not to trip or walk into anything.

The man was sitting, the ember of his cigarette acting like a beacon for Nix.

"Can we turn a light on?" he dared ask, growing more and more uncomfortable with each passing breath. He'd been worried about this meeting already, but now, met with darkness and a mysterious figure who'd yet to speak, he was starting to really wonder if he was a moron for coming.

If not for that one Favor and the intense curiosity he felt toward Maestro, he certainly wouldn't have.

"I'm disappointed, Songbird," Maestro's voice came from the left, and Nix startled a second before strong hands captured him from behind.

He was shoved forward, yelping when his knees banged into the edge of a table. There wasn't time for him to curse though, his body forced over a flat surface. He tried to fight back, but the shock of it all cost him, and a moment later, the lights flashed on all at once, blinding him.

"I was able to recognize you instantly." Maestro—Lake—stepped into view. He was standing behind a long leather couch that didn't have any armrests. His knit black uniform shirt was unbuttoned all the way down to mid-chest, and when he propped his hands on the back of the couch, it caused the material to open further.

His expression was cold, inscrutable. He was attractive, probably the most attractive individual Nix had ever seen, but it was impossible to miss the hint of arrogance and the flicker of malice that seemed to waft off of him.

As far as looks went, he was better than Nix had even imagined.

As for everything else…

He shivered.

With the lights on, he was able to make out how big this area of the house truly was. Out the windows nearest, rockface and plant life could be seen. The sound of trickling water from somewhere nearby filled the otherwise silent room, and the smell of cedar and moss mixed with a strong cologne tickled at his nostrils.

Nix had his head pressed against the slick surface of a coffee table that rested only a foot or so off the ground. Whoever had pinned him had a knee planted firmly on his back. He tore his gaze off of Lake and up, needing to see who it was sitting in the chair.

West Corleone stared back at him, still absently smoking the cigarette as if his large presence wasn't already threatening enough.

That must mean the one holding him down was Yejun Sang. The third Demon of Foxglove Grove. It was tempting to greet him just to be a smart ass, but Nix's survival instincts, fortunately, were in full operation and kept him quiet.

"You sure this is him?" Yejun asked, tugging Nix up by the collar of his shirt, ignoring when that forced the material in front to tighten over his throat. "He doesn't look like much."

Nix ground his teeth when he was shoved back down.

"I don't know," Lake drawled, and there was a hint of something in his tone that had Nix's entire being going on high alert. "Let me double-check." His eyes met Nix's. "Strip."

He sucked in a breath, sure he'd misheard. "What?"

Lake flicked a wrist at Yejun. "Help him."

"Wait, no, don't!" Nix clawed at the edge of the table to try and get away, but Yejun's hands hooked into his pants and tore them down his legs along with his boxers. He cried out when he was grabbed by the back of his shirt and pulled onto his knees, whipping his elbow behind him.

He connected with Yejun's jaw, spinning to kick out while he had the chance. He'd managed to make it off the table and onto his feet before West was suddenly on him.

West lifted him and spun his body as though Nix weighed nothing, slamming him chest first back down against the solid table lengthwise. He covered him, waiting for Yejun to take over before he moved to capture Nix's wrist. As soon as he'd removed his multi-slate, he dropped back into the leather chair he'd been sitting in and pulled a laptop off the wooden block that acted as an end table.

Nix's face burned as his shirt was torn off of him and he was left completely naked. They'd even taken his socks and shoes.

Yejun straddled his back to keep him down, leaning over to see his face. He whistled. "Embarrassed already? How does someone like you think you'd make it with Enigma? You can't even handle this?" He reached back and slapped Nix's bare ass hard enough for him to jerk.

"Get off of me!" Nix floundered, even knowing there was no way he was a match for even one of them, let alone three. He wasn't small by any means either, but these guys…He was starting to see why they were called Demons. "This is illegal!"

West chuckled and Yejun winked down at him.

Lake started around the couch, catching Nix's attention, and he froze all over again.

"What are you doing?" Nix demanded the second Lake disappeared from view, only for Yejun to shush him.

"We ask the questions here…" He paused and turned to Lake. "What did you say his name was again?"

"Phoenix Monroe," West answered for him, reading off his ID on his device as he broke into it.

"What?" Yejun snorted. "What a stupid name."

"It's Nix," he corrected, only for the man to dig his knee in harder.

"Yeah, that's not much better. That why you did it? Mommy and daddy gave you this stupid name and you foolishly thought it meant you had more than one life?"

Nix frowned. Was he mocking him because of his name, really? Phoenixes died and were reborn, sure, but no one would actually believe being named after one would pass on that trait. It seemed like an unnecessary and almost childish jab until it hit him what was really going on here.

He gasped when strong hands pushed against his inner thighs, spreading his legs wide so that they hung off the sides of the table. Nix bucked, but Yejun let out a hoot as though it were a fun game they were playing, and Lake, who was now leaning over Nix's private parts, merely hummed.

"It's him," he told his friends.

"Of course you'd recognize him by asshole," West stated.

"Or is it his cock and balls?" Yejun shifted, planting a palm down on Nix to keep him in place even when he climbed off and turned to take a look himself.

"Please." Nix buried his head in his arms. "Please stop."

"He doesn't like an audience," Lake said.

"Where's the audience?" Yejun asked, only to make a sound of understanding a second later. "Oh. You mean us. This is nothing. Wait until the Order gets their hands on you. That'll be something."

"If he's the one we're looking for," Lake corrected.

"What do you mean?" Yejun frowned. "You said—"

West swore, interrupting. "It's not him."

There was a moment of silence and then Yejun asked, "What do you mean? How could it not be him?"

"He skipped over all of the tiers." Lake moved from between Nix's thighs and over to where West was sitting, dropping an arm over the back so he could stare down at the screen. He frowned at whatever he saw there.

"He did," West agreed. "But he's not our guy."

"Bullshit." Yejun sprung up, forgetting all about containing Nix in his burst of annoyance.

Nix took the opportunity, scrambling up and stumbling back off the table. He didn't make it far, however, only a few retreating steps before Lake lifted his head and caught him with a warning gaze that instantly had him stilling like a deer in headlights.

"Stay right there, Songbird," Lake commanded in that same low, silky tone he'd always used as Maestro.

It licked over Nix's skin in the way it was no doubt meant to, and he found himself paralyzed and enthralled all at the same time.

"Wow, got him trained already?" Yejun asked, snapping Nix out of it enough to send him a glare. "Or not."

"He is a hacker," West told them, clicking away at his keyboard as he did, "but not the one we're looking for."

"How do you know?" Yejun insisted.

"His signature is different."

"So, Songbird hacked into the app but had nothing to do with the break-in at the club?" Yejun held up his hands when this time Lake was the one narrowing his eyes at him. "Sorry, Nix . Damn."

"Break-ins?" Nix asked. When all three of them looked his way, he said, "I had nothing to do with that."

"He's got skills," West said then. "According to this, he managed to hack my programming in four days and seventeen hours." He sent Nix an impressed glance. "What's your major?"

"Um, computer science."

"And you clocked Yejun pretty good just now with that elbow."

"Dude, really?" Yejun said, affronted.

"You're a senior, yeah?" West nodded to himself before Nix could answer. "We'll have classes together for sure. You're skilled enough to have tested into Professor Adair's Advanced Algorithms Thursday slot."

"I…did." Nix cleared his throat. "This is very weird, and also," he motioned down at himself, not bothering to hide his junk since he'd been standing there naked all this while already anyway, "what the fuck?"

"Oh, don't mind him," Yejun clapped West on the shoulder. "He just wants to have sex with your brain right now, that's all."

"It's hot," West agreed, as though that sentence made any kind of sense. Which it did not.

Nix turned to Lake. "Please, what is going on?"

"There've been a few security breaches at the Club House the past few months," Lake surprisingly explained. "We've been tasked by the people in charge to find the hacker responsible."

The Club House? They must be referring to that big building on the side of the mountain where Club Essential had its home base.

"And you thought that could be me?" He blinked. "I only just got here yesterday."

"Whoever tried to break in is virtually untraceable, but we determined they'd used the Enigma app. You were clearly new to it and uncomfortable being sexual in front of someone else—not a trait of someone who'd been a user long enough to climb up to the Bishop tier. You also said things that led me to believe you could be trying to get closer to me."

"Yeah," Nix snapped. "Because I needed your Favors in order to rise higher."

"And," Yejun crossed his arms, "why exactly is that? No offense, but you're kind of a prude, Firebird."

"He's right." West stopped whatever he was doing on the computer. "Why'd you want in so badly? It's definitely not to fuck."

Nix winced at how blunt that was.

"You're going to want to answer," Lake suggested. "Otherwise you won't like what happens next."

"I get the feeling," he stupidly said, "I'll feel that way no matter what."

"Told you he was smart," West grinned.

Yeah, Nix had totally been right about Foxglove Grove being a hellhole better left alone.