Page 31 of Villain

“Sassy,” Yejun chuckled. “I like it.”

“And we like you.” West pointed at Nix, stabbing his finger in the air almost like he was delivering a threat.

In a way, he sort of was.

Nix blinked at him. “Huh?”

He was a decent lover, but he’d never been praised for his blowjob skills, and certainly not to the extent he’d have any grandiose misgivings that he could magically make a man fall for him just by giving one.

“Nix, we should get going.” Grady stood with his tray, eyes downcast like they’d been the other day when he’d hit Lake with his umbrella. Despite how much he clearly hated the Demons, it was obvious he was also just as afraid of them as everyone else. “You wanted me to show you around the stadium and I have class in under an hour.”

“We’ll give him the tour,” West said.

Nix opened his mouth to disagree, but Lake’s hand dropped over his thigh and squeezed warningly. His protest died on his tongue.

Grady waited a moment anyway, but then sighed and nodded his head once before turning on his heels and walking away.

“I have to get to class,” Nix lied as soon as they were alone at the table.

“No you don’t,” Lake called him on it in a cool tone. “You only have two classes on Tuesday, and you’re done with them. Your next one isn’t until…” He trailed off and motioned to West who was busy finishing off the fruit.

West typed on his multi-slate and then said, “Three tomorrow afternoon.”

“Did you…hack my schedule?” Nix frowned at the three of them. “Why?”

“Ever heard of parrots?” West asked. “They’re not native to our planet, but supposedly they’re these annoying birds that like to repeat every sentence they hear.” His gaze hardened. “I don’t like it.”

Yejun tapped his fingers against the table between them, chuckling. “Relax, man. One scary Demon is already more than enough, and Lake is already filling that role, right, Firebird?”

Well…He wasn’t wrong…

He must have taken his silence as confirmation because he held out both arms as though to say told you so, laughing again when West huffed at him.

“Why were you curious about the stadium?” Lake asked him then, and Nix shook his head.

“I wasn’t,” he said. “And I don’t need a tour.”

“You sure?” Yejun pointed to Lake. “Not even if the captain of the waif team is offering you one?”

Nix, admittedly, hadn’t known that. “You’re the captain of the waif team?”

“He could go pro if he wants to,” West replied before Lake had the chance. “That would have been the backup plan.”

“Backup plan,” Nix played into his hand, even knowing that was what he was doing, “for what?”

“We have a proposition for you, Songbird,” Lake told him quietly. “Would you like to hear it?”

He considered his options and asked, “And if I say no, not interested?”

“We pester you until you are,” West said.

“Pester me how?” Nix knew he didn’t want the answer, but the question came out anyway, his eyes locked with West’s gray gaze. It was frightening and a little intense, though nothing near as dire as the one Lake could settle on people. There was a warmth there, a heat that he’d noticed the other night when he’d been sucking—

Nope.

Not going there.

Of course, West caught it though, obviously knowing where his mind had wandered, and the corner of his mouth tipped up. “I think you already have that figured out, Nixie.”

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