Page 68 of The Devil's Mercy

Calix had learned early on that Gael had also once been a detective. Maybe that was why they’d instantly gotten along. He tried not to overthink it. That was his new mindset with everything. To not overthink.

To just let fate decide.

“I trust you’ve screened the clients,” Calix said. “A fellow detective would never let me get in over my head. You agreed I was ready, remember?”

A strange look passed over Gael’s face before he got hold of it, but Cal couldn’t identify what it meant. The second the other man clapped him on the back reassuringly, he forgot all about it.

“Sure, I said you were ready because you insisted you were. But it’s unheard of for a stimulus to refuse to have intercourse with anyone during their training period, you know that, right? If I were anyone else, there’s no way I would have approved you for work. If tonight’s going to be too much for you—”

“It isn’t.”

Gael sighed. “Are you sure? I can still adjust your contract and remove some of the more hardcore items. I’m the Night Manager. I won’t let anyone harm you unwillingly. No matter who that person or persons may be. I’m in your corner, got it?”

“Thanks.” Calix returned his smile from earlier. “I’ll keep in touch.”

The man watched him descend the rest of the steps, but he didn’t try to stop him again, and Calix didn’t encounter anyone else the rest of his walk through the manor. The side door slid open, and he stepped out into the cooled night breeze, heading straight for the woods without preamble.

Despite his nerves, he was eager to get this started.

He’d left his multi-slate in his room as per the agreement, so had to make do with the sparse light from the few fairy lights strung up in the trees in this area. There were also a dozen or so light orbs that floated throughout the woods, sometimes drifting into view, other times lighting up areas too deep in the forest to help him.

There was a path that was taken care of by the groundskeeper, and he stayed on it, keeping his pace steady as he made his way further and further away from the manor’s main building.

They hadn’t set an exact time or place by design, so anticipation and anxiety bubbled within him with each step. Every time he heard a sound, his shoulders would tense slightly, but whenever he looked, there was nothing but the dark forest.

It was almost a half hour later that he picked up on the soft footsteps behind him. They were close, but not close enough to have him panicking just yet. He couldn’t tell if whoever was there wanted him to hear, or was still trying to be stealthy, and not wanting to mess up his client's plans, Calix forced himselfto keep his gaze straight ahead, pretending not to notice he was being tailed.

Ten more minutes passed before he caught sight of the second stalker, nothing more than a shadow moving between the trees in his peripheral vision. Casually, Cal picked up the pace.

He let them trail him a little longer, enjoying making them wait, but the second he took the sharp left turn up head, he shot into motion. Calix raced down the path, only abandoning it once he heard pounding footsteps following behind.

The shadowy figure appeared again at his side, moving in closer, forcing him to twist in another direction. He fled, going over the map of the forest he’d memorized as soon as he’d been assigned this playscape. If he wasn’t mistaken, he was being led toward the lake. It was an interesting choice if it was being done on purpose, considering it was still a ways away from the manor and pretty far off the beaten path.

Since they’d booked this whole area, there was no reason to seclude him. They wouldn’t be interrupted, his clients had to know that. It was tempting to put an end to it, stop, and confront them, but Cal had waited months for this already.

What was another five or so minutes?

Both men chased him, not bothering to hide their presence now. They crashed into tree branches and crushed twigs beneath their feet, all the while herding Calix where they wanted him to go. Like the perfect prey he was pretending to be, he went along with it, stumbling every now and again to keep things interesting, never once breaking character, no matter how badly he wanted to catch a good look at his assailants.

The relief he felt the moment he burst through the tree line and caught sight of the still water of the lake glistening under the full moon was short-lived. He only managed one deep breath before one of the men crashed into him from behind.

Calix went down hard, a heavy weight falling on top of him, knocking the wind out of his lungs. But when he recovered enough to look up, the person on top of him wasn’t either of the men he’d received photos of.

“Hey, Be’urn.” Aodhan grinned viciously above him, as beautiful and demonic as Cal remembered him. “Caught you.”

Chapter 20:

Cal kicked out, landing a blow to Aodhan’s powerful thighs, but it did nothing to deter the other man. He found himself sprawled out on his back in the dirt again in no time at all, his clothing torn from his body in a flurry of motion that nearly gave him whiplash.

It seemed like the doctor had no intention of taking his time anymore, not even bothering with an explanation or further greeting, despite their lengthy time apart.

“No!” A burst of adrenaline shot through Calix the second he felt the cold air against his naked skin and his struggles increased. After years of working for the I.P.F., it wasn’t like he couldn’t hold his own in a fight. Reminded of that, Calix swung a fist, scrambling to his feet the second his knuckles connected with Aodhan’s jaw.

Only to make it less than two steps before the pants bunched at his feet tripped him and sent him toppling face-first to the ground for the third time in only a handful of minutes.

“Come here,” Aodhan growled, latching onto Cal’s right ankle to tug him back toward him.

Calix hissed as he was dragged over debris, tiny pebbles and twigs cutting into his bare flesh as he was carelessly yanked down toward the embankment. He clawed at the dirt,but no matter how hard he struggled, his strength was nothing compared to the doctors.

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