Page 40 of Villain

Lake tipped his head. “Something? Something like what?”

Nix shrugged like it was no big deal and forced himself to say casually, “I don’t know. Like they get into an accident or die. Anything is possible.”

He was silent for a moment. “I’m trying to assess if that was meant as a veiled threat, but I don’t believe it was.”

“It wasn’t.”

Lake nodded. “No, Yejun’s sister wasn’t a King because she’d already graduated by the time we created the Enigma app. My cousin was, but he graduated last year, and while club members are all allowed to use the app, only those currently attending Foxglove are allowed to climb the ranks to King level.”

“Why?” No, that wasn’t the right question. “So, once they graduate, they’re removed or dropped down a tier?”

“If they choose to stay on it,” he said. “They’ll be placed back in Rook.”

Which meant the person Nix was looking for might no longer even be in the King tier. Shit. If that was the case, what then? What the hell was he supposed to do if he’d gone through all of this already only to hit another dead end?

“The app was always meant for university students,” Lake continued when Nix didn’t immediately add anything else. “Since you’re about to sign this NDA, I’ll let you in on the truth of the matter.”

That caught his attention. “What?”

Lake grunted. “You didn’t really think we’d gone through all that trouble just to get laid, did you? You sounded like you knew that already.”

“I mean…Yeah, until I realized you were only thirteen when you made it.”

“Were you a horny kid, Songbird?”

“Don’t be disgusting.”

“That’s my point exactly. We created the app because there was need for it for the club, not for ourselves. Everyone knew we were going to become Demons eventually.”

“And people would willingly throw themselves at you once you were.” Nix waved at him. “Yeah, yeah. I get it.”

“I wouldn’t mind, you know?”

Nix frowned. “Mind what?”

“If you brought some of this haughtiness to the bedroom.” Lake took a single step closer. “Some, Songbird.”

He cleared his throat, trying to ignore how that small mention had his body heating in anticipation. “We were talking about the app.”

Lake chuckled at him but didn’t push him further. “The app was set up much like the club, with layers. Many of which are smokescreens, meant to hide the true nature or purpose of Enigma as a whole.”

“I’m not interested in your club,” Nix stated.

“No,” he surprisingly agreed. “If you were, we wouldn’t be standing here now. Threats to the club are wiped out immediately, no exceptions. But the club and the app aren’t one in the same, more like…the app is a stepping stone of sorts.”

“Is it a screen or a stone? Pick one.”

“You’re getting impatient.”

“And you’re getting redundant.” It wasn’t impatience that Nix was feeling, but it was much better for Lake to think that than to know the truth.

Hopelessness was starting to settle in, along with a heavy mixture of doubt. He’d foolishly thought this would be simple—join the app, become a King, find out who’d messed with Branwen. Only, now he was learning how wrong he’d been and how complicated all of this was.

He’d come here to find a King, true, but the plan had never been for him to become entangled with one, and since Lake was here spewing all these secrets willingly, it was obvious that’s exactly what the Imperial Prince intended for them to become.

Entangled.

But to what end?

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