Page 73 of The Devil's Mercy

“To whether or not you really wanted me.”

“I don’t let everyone who discovers I’m a serial killer walk away with their life, Be’urn.” The only reason Cal was still breathing was because they wanted him to. “We could have murdered you when we had you locked up in our house. Or even that night at the party. One more body to the count wouldn’t have made any difference to us. When I told you I liked you, did that mean nothing?”

“Speaking of that night,” Mercy interjected, a stillness about him that gave Aodhan pause and made him take notice. “You were so quiet after. You barely spoke the entire ride home. I assumed it was because you were in shock, and later plotting your escape, but now I wonder.”

Aodhan wasn’t following, and he hated that.

Mercy had just figured out something Aodhan hadn’t, but what?

“It’s because you realized he was arrogant, isn’t it?” Mercy guessed, staring down at Calix as though trying to burn holes through his skull. “That’s why you took the gamble. And me? Was I always a part of the equation, or was I a happy accident?”

Calix refused to answer, even when Mercy repeated his earlier move and drove into him once, then twice for good measure. The stubborn man kept his mouth firmly shut.

“I’m no longer in the mood for games, little monster,” he warned.

“Let me come,” Cal boldly said. “Give me an orgasm, and I’ll tell you.”

“An orgasm?” He snorted. “I don’t think so. I didn’t think you’d earned one before, and I most definitely don’t think you’ve earned one now, not if my suspicions are correct.”

“Bond with me then,” he offered, without any hesitation whatsoever.

Aodhan dug his nails into the back of Cal’s palm, but he didn’t even flinch.

“Are you trying to lock us in, little monster? Trying to trap us into a lifelong bond while you still have the chance?” Mercy surprised Aodhan by saying, instead of immediately agreeing.

Calix closed his eyes. “Ah. So that’s how it is after all. I should have known. Of course. Since you didn’t love me then—”

“Oh, on the contrary,” Mercy’s tone shifted, becoming more of a purr that even sent a shiver of anticipation down Aodhan’s spine, though it wasn’t directed at him. “I love you very much, little monster. Can’t you feel that? Can’t you,” he pulled out to the tip and then slammed back into him, “feel my love for you? If bonding is what you truly desire, all right. I can give you that. I can give you myself and my Second, but first, you have to answer one more question for me. Refuse, and I’ll pull out and leave you here, on this planet you ran to, alone. Is my threat clear enough for you, Calix?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

“Good boy.” Mercy’s eyes narrowed. “Was ensnaring a Connect your real endgame, or was it just an unfortunate result of you biting off more than you could chew?”

“It wasn’t an accident.” Cal twisted his head so he could meet Mercy’s gaze over his shoulder when the older man stiffened. “It can’t be considered an accident because this is what you wanted. You made me this way, not the other way around. I’ll admit my faults after, confess all my sins and transgressions if that’s what you want, but I won’t take responsibility for something I didn’t do. Yes, I took a gamble. But I had no idea about you when I made that decision.”

He tilted his head. “If you had, would—”

“I would have cut my losses and run a hell of a lot sooner,” Cal didn’t let him finish. His expression softened. “And that would have been the biggest mistake of my life. Maybe that’syour persuasion and your influence, maybe not. We’ll probably never know. If I wasn’t able to shake it after three months, even after sucking someone else’s—”

“Careful,” Aodhan growled.

“We’ll probably never know,” he repeated.

“I don’t care,” Mercy said.

“Good. Because I don’t either.” Calix held the director's gaze unflinchingly, something silent passing between them.

Slowly, Aodhan got to his feet, partially seeing red for a flash before he could get a handle on it. For once, he was a bit slow on the uptake, but he caught up eventually. He settled an accusatory gaze on Calix when the other man turned to look at him.

“You played me.” His anger was hard to miss, and Cal noticeably flinched when he spoke. “Pull him back, Mercy. Make room for me. Our Third doesn’t want to talk until we’ve performed the bonding ceremony? Okay.”

“Hold on!” Calix yelped when Mercy did as instructed, tugging his body down the bed so that Aodhan could climb on at the front of it and get into position.

He spread his knees and undid his pants, pulling his cock free in front of Cal’s face. “Since you don’t want to use that pretty mouth of yours to confess, I’ll use it for other things. Open wide, Be’urn.”

Aodhan took his head, pressing his thumbs against Cal’s cheeks until he did as he was told and opened. His cock slid in, hard and quick, but instead of humping, he forced Cal down and held him there.

Mercy didn’t scold him for his actions, instead he started fucking in and out of Calix’s ass again, measure pumps that rammed Cal’s face even harder against Aodhan’s body.

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