Page 51 of The Devil's Mercy

“Yet you haven’t heard of Experient? …Do you have a thing for blondes?”

“You’re not dying your hair,” Titus quipped before the conversation could go any further in that direction.

“I don’t have a preference when it comes to hair color,” Calix answered anyway, hoping to help end this discussion. “It wasn’t even Yuze I was paying attention to the first time I saw him in an ad. It was the watch he was wearing.”

“Watches are incredibly obsolete,” Titus stated. “Everyone has a multi-slate nowadays. What’s the point?”

“Signifying social status and wealth?” Aodhan replied. “Getting to show people less fortunate how much richer I am than they are?”

Cal pursed his lips. “I don’t want a watch anymore.”

“Right?” Aodhan brought his hand up to the front of Cal’s neck. “I think a golden collar would be better. We could put a bell on you, that way you couldn’t take a step without us knowing.”

“I’m pretty sure,” he brushed his hand aside, “that’s already the case.”

“Smart.” Titus smiled and then pointed to the front of the room. “It’s about to start.”

Calix shifted uncomfortably in his seat, taking in the stack of gilded cages set on the far side of the room. It’d been left purposefully darker there, shadows shrouding most of the animals up for auction. He could hear chirping and low growls, the occasional hiss, coming from that area.

The light orbs floating above them flickered, and everyone settled into their chairs, a hush falling over the room when a man dressed in dark blue stepped up to a black podium. He wasn’t the same person who’d been in charge at the last gathering—the one who’d cut the merman in half. His hair was copper, and even from the distance between them, his pale blue eyes were noticeable.

“Greetings.” The man smirked at them all. “Let’s skip the boring introductions and begin, shall we?”

Part of Cal wished he wouldn’t, since he didn’t have much experience and wanted to be able to follow along, but the other part was glad. Maybe they could rush through this and he could feign feeling sick after. If he could convince Titus and Aodhan to leave before things got…heated, that would be ideal.

For his mental health, that was.

Calix didn’t want to admit that he was sex starved. He’d gone from never-ending orgasms to not even being able to jerk one off on his own without picturing one of the men on either side of him holding him down and forcing him to take it.

If they didn’t leave immediately after the auction, Cal wouldn’t even need Titus’s influence to get hard. He was already so turned on, it was a miracle neither of them had commented on it yet. If they tried anything tonight, there was an incredibly high chance Calix wouldn’t even bother resisting.

“Why are you suddenly so nervous?” Titus asked, but Cal gave a slight shake of his head, denying it.

“I’m trying to pay attention.” Barely. He was listening to the man in blue as he began the auction, two helpers dressed in black lifting a medium-sized cage and setting it on the display table.

Inside, there was a lizard-like creature with a barbed tail and ten eyes. He’d never seen one in person, but he recognized the animal as being on the endangered species list for several galaxies.

Aodhan let out a low whistle. “They’re starting off with a bang.”

“What are they going to do with it?” Calix was almost certain he didn’t want to know but… “Please tell me you didn’t bring me to another horrorfest.”

“Do you have a soft spot for animals?”

If he admitted it, what would they do?

Turned out he didn’t need to, Aodhan could already tell. He snorted and then rested his hand on Calix’s other thigh possessively. “Cute.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he kept his voice down so as not to interrupt the auction, but the glare he sent Aodhan’s way should have spoken volumes.

“I just think it’s adorable how you don’t give two shits about people, but you draw the line at animals. What’s that about? Is it that they’re all helpless? Or do you just like the fluffy ones? You seem very into appearance, since you’re a fan of a guy like Yuze. I can see you only caring about the cuddly ones covered in fur.”

“If you return my blaster, I’d be happy to show you just how many shits I give about—”

“Me?” the doctor cut him off and fluttered his lashes ridiculously.

“Fuck off.”

“That comes later.”

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