Page 17 of Villain

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!”

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