Page 19 of The Devil's Mercy

Calix squirmed, certain he wasn’t alone despite having no indication otherwise aside from his gut feeling. The same feeling he always got when in the director’s presence.

“I know you’re there,” he cut through the silence first, unsurprisingly. When the other man in the room didn’t say anything right away, Cal gave in to the fear, allowing a thread of it to enter his tone. “Please.”

“What are you asking for, little monster?”

He flinched at the nickname. “Don’t.”

“Why not? A thing should be called as it is, don’t you agree? And you?” A hand, colder than the one belonging to the doctor, reached out and lightly grasped Calix’s jaw, tipping his head slightly back. “You’re a monstrous thing if I ever saw one. I’ll have you know, I’m very familiar with monstrous things, Cal. You could even say I know them…intimately.”

A shiver raced down his spine before he could help it, and the director chuckled darkly at him.

“What is this?” Calix forced himself to ask.

“You were doing so well with being honest. Are you sure you want to turn back now?” It was impossible to tell what Titus thought about that, whether he was curious or disappointed.

Whether he even cared one way or the other.

“Yes.” Somehow, now that it was the two of them alone again, the courage he’d managed to scrape together fled.

“Why? Do you think I’m not capable of doing what Aodhan’s been doing? Think I can’t use you in the same fashion and make you feel small?”

“You admit it?” Calix had thought that was what they’d been doing, but even seeing their aim hadn’t prevented him from falling for the trap.

“Unlike you, I’m not afraid of my own desires. You’re so clever, Detective. Why bother with prolonging the inevitable?”

“You’re right. I’m no fool,” Cal added quietly. “It’s obvious you’re the one in charge here.”

“I am,” he didn’t even try to deny it, his thumb stroking against Cal’s bottom lip. The touch was soft, careful.

Terrifying in its possessiveness.

And thrilling.

Oh, so thrilling.

“Aodhan is my Second,” Titus finally confirmed.

“And your Third?”

“Is that your adorable way of asking if we’ve got one?”

Calix refused to answer that, and Titus chuckled.

“We do.”

He wouldn’t feel bad.

He wouldn’t—

“Don’t be sad,” the director cooed, proving that Calix had obviously given himself away somehow. “Come on. Tell me what you’ve been thinking.”

He shouldn’t, but…He’d gotten them talking to him again. Shouldn’t he take advantage of that while he could?

“You said you wanted me…” It was too embarrassing to say and Calix found the rest of his sentence dying in his throat.

“Let’s work our way up to it, shall we?” Titus let him go and stepped back. “You performed so well the night of the reunion, little monster. Acted exactly how I’d hoped you would. I never got the chance to properly reward you for that.”

“Reward me?”

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