Page 47 of The Devil's Mercy

The damn nurses could wait.

“Will you edge me?” he asked.

“Don’t worry, baby,” Mercy practically purred. “You always get what you want. Eventually.”

Aodhan shivered.

Chapter 13:

Last time they’d had their Third dressed like this, Titus had been too far away to truly enjoy it. Now, he unabashedly took in the view, gazing at Calix as the younger man finished adjusting the bubblegum pink silk vest to the three-piece suit.

They could have gotten new ones, but a part of him still felt like that night had been stolen from him, even if Aodhan had been the one to decide to take it. Because of that, Titus had wanted to see Calix in the suit he’d picked out. Wanted to see them both in them.

And apparently, he wasn’t the only one.

The second Aodhan stepped into the room, Cal’s gaze shot toward him, eyes roaming up his fit form, only to linger on the collar secured around the doctor’s neck.

Titus’s collar. A sign of ownership to warn off any of the other partygoers. A bunch of bored rich people he only bothered to interact with in case of emergency. Sometimes it paid to have friends in high places, both literally and figuratively. Though tonight’s bunch were the lowest of the low. Members no one couldn’t live without. They’d called in a favor with Nyxian, the Organizer.

It'd cost them too, but that was no matter.

He wasn’t short on coin. The Mercer family name carried a lot of weight throughout the universe on its own, with coffers filled enough to last several dozen Connect lifespans, not to mention the funds he added from being the director of one of the galaxy's top hospitals. But real power came through connections, so networking, as tedious as it was, was a necessary boredom.

Plus, Aodhan always enjoyed it. He got off on tricking the rich and depraved every bit as much as he did fooling the average person. Probably even a little bit more, since half the members of the club also boasted above-average intelligence.

Since one could simply buy their way in, there weren’t many worthy of Titus’s attention, let alone respect. Nyxian Kuji, the mastermind behind their obscene secret society, was possibly the only one, in fact.

There’d even been a brief moment where Titus had considered making him their Third, but the energy pattern had been slightly off. He hadn’t wanted to settle for anything less than perfect, and he had time to keep searching, so he’d decided against it.

Not to mention, he’d hated the way the other man flirted with Aodhan in front of him, and if jealousy was a factor, becoming a pod was near impossible.

With Calix, things were different.

He didn’t grow defensive over the way the detective was staring at his little killer. On the contrary. It sparked an ember of pride in the center of his chest, gave him a warm feeling that sent the energy frequency in the room zipping.

It felt right.

Both of them dressed in his favorite color, Aodhan’s matching suit a shade lighter than the one Cal had been given.

“Do I get one of those?” Calix finally asked, touching the center of his bare throat, seemingly without realizing. Hiseyes stayed glued to the martingale collar in pink and gold that Aodhan was wearing.

“Remember what I said the last time you asked that?” Aodhan replied, the corner of his mouth turned up teasingly.

Titus hadn’t been privy to whatever conversation he was referring to, but when the detective immediately turned his gaze his way, he sort of got an idea. “Would you like one, little monster?”

Calix’s expression shuddered instantly. “No.”

He hadn’t intended on giving him one yet anyway, knew Cal wasn’t ready for it, so the swift refusal didn’t bother him. “Meet me in the car.”

“What are you going to be doing?”

He quirked a brow. “I can’t exactly go like this, can I?”

Titus had waited with Calix while Aodhan had gone to change. Now it was his turn.

“What is it exactly you have up your sleeve?” Instead of following Aodhan to the door, Cal held his ground. Though his tone was casual, the intense way he stared Titus down was anything but. “You’re trusting I won’t run, which means you’ve already done something to ensure I won’t be able to. What is it?”

They’d explained where they were going earlier but had mostly kept things vague. Calix had been surprised when told they were allowing him to leave the house, but he’d simply gone along with it up to this point.

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