Page 46 of Devil May Hunt
“I got wasted because the one true friend I had in the world no longer felt comfortable around me,” he corrected. “It wasn’t romantic.” When Sila, who he’d stupidly believed to be Rin at the time, had suggested he get under someone else in order to forget about his feelings toward Rin, Brennon had agreed, but only because he’d figured it wouldn’t hurt either way.
He’d been wrong.
“If I’d taken the time to explain to Sila what his brother really meant to me, that it wasn’t romantic or sexual, we wouldn’t be here.”
“Are those all of your terms?” Gunho watched him closely, and Brennon gave a curt nod of his head. “It’s my turn then. I’ll agree with everything you’ve asked for. For now. You can stay at the Academy since that’s what you want, but if you still have plans to take over the company, I’ll need you to intern there during the summers. I want to see for myself how much you actually know.”
“Enough.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” He tapped his fingers on the countertop. “You can’t shove me out if, in two years, when yougraduate, you still want it. I won’t put in all the hard work to better Cree Cosmetics just to end up with nothing in the end.”
“Deal.” It’d be better to have someone on his side anyway. Brennon wasn’t naïve enough to believe it was going to be easy to step into a leading role in the company, even if it still had his last name attached to it. There was always the chance his parents had already soured him to the rest of the higher-ups, and nepotism, though common on Vitality, was still frowned upon.
“You’ll come to me for your heats.” Gunho’s gaze sharpened when Brennon scowled. “That’s non-negotiable. You’ll be faithful to me, or I’ll teach you why I’m called the God of Death and make you regret us ever meeting.”
“Too late.”
“Don’t be cruel, pretty lover.”
“Is that another one of your terms?”
“Don’t be a brat either, at least, not when we’re in the middle of a serious discussion.”
Touché. He motioned with his chin for the alpha to continue, signaling that he understood.
“You’ll lie with me even when you’re not experiencing a heat. During my rut, and any other time I want you. We’re a couple, not just on paper, though I’ll allow you to think that way for the time being. Couples sleep together. They fuck. They tell each other about their days…You get the point. I also want to know where you are at all times.”
“Don’t be controlling,” Brennon stated. “I have a life outside of this twisted thing you’ve dragged me into. I won’t cheat on you. Despite everything, I’m loyal. So you shouldn’t have to know my every move.”
“I want to.”
“Gunho—” He stopped when that earned him a warning growl and then cleared his throat. “Be’tessi. Don’t smother me.Neither of us will like the outcome.” Brennon wasn’t used to needing to update anyone on his schedule.
The alpha seemed to be internally debating and then sighed. “You come when I call, and you don’t show up late on the weekends. So long as you keep your promise there, I won’t insist on a daily play-by-play. Agreed?”
“Okay.” As far as compromises went, that was probably the best he was going to get.
“Tell your friends you're taken. I want the whole city to know.”
“Okay.” This wasn’t something that could be hidden anyway.
“We’ll have dinner with your parents next week.”
“Ok—” He held up a hand. “Wait. No.”
“It was their request. They want to see us together. Part of the deal for Cree Cosmetics was you, remember? I paid them for the company and for their silence in case you still tried contesting. I had no way of knowing this talk would go so…well.”
“Suspicious?” Brennon could see that he was.
“I’ve never had a mate before,” he replied. “I don’t have anything to compare it to. Lovers of mine in the past either wanted me for power or were too afraid of me to tell me no in the moment.”
“So, taking advantage of people isn’t new for you.”
“It only ever happened during my rut,” Gunho defended himself. “I’ve never fucked anyone outside of it before. You’ll be my first.” He held out a hand. “Come here.”
“Right now?” Brennon couldn’t help the burst of anxiety that shot through the analytical calm he’d been feeling.
The bastard that he was, Gunho noticed.
