Page 10 of Devil May Lie

Berga should have known turning him into a water boy wouldn’t be enough to satisfy the Royal. “What do you want?”

“You saw how messy things can get for me,” Madden began. “Running this place isn’t all fun and games. It’d be nice if there were a way to settle things with less murder.”

“How often do you end up killing those in your debt?”

“You’re forgetting a lot this morning,” he drawled. “I didn’t kill anyone, Berga.”

Right, well… “I already apologized for that.”

Madden chuckled. “You’re funny. Anyway, I’m sure you’ve got a drug in your arsenal that can do what I need. I’d only use it on the high rollers. The guy last night, for example, owed millions in coin. I want something I can use as collateral.”

Berga worked for the Brumal, and while they sometimes traded things with the royal family and the Retinue, they rarely made personal deals on the side. At least, not ones involving product. Still…There was a first time for everything, and that video could not see the light of day.

It’d kept playing during their discussion and was now at the part where Madden had him bent over the couch panting. Berga wasn’t bothered by that, it was what he knew came later. If there was come on his chest, it had to have gotten there somehow, and even though it was a far cry from blood, he still wasn’t comfortable with the idea of anyone seeing him that way.

Covered in filth.

Disgusting.

Unlovable.

“There’s Grex-13,” Berga said, thinking over the selection of items in his lab. “You could call it a dud of sorts. It has effects that mimic a serious poison—vomiting, rashes, that sort of thing—but isn’t really a danger. It’ll wear off on its own within three weeks.”

Madden considered it. “My repayment window is a month and a half.”

Berga exhaled slowly and tried to remain calm. He was the one at fault here, and Bay was always reminding him it was in good taste to settle his debts. “I can adjust the composition, but it will take me a bit of time.”

“Deal.” Madden pulled the video away and stepped back, tapping on his device when Berga turned and sent him a glare. “Don’t look at me like that, Butcher. Fair is fair. Speaking of,” he set the device onto the bar, “want to go again?”

Berga scrunched up his nose. “Excuse me?”

“Don’t be like that. We were good together. You took me so well.” His gaze dropped down the length of Berga’s body, a spark of interest entering his dark eyes. Neither of them had bothered with clothing when they’d gotten up, and Madden’s cock twitched noticeably between his tanned thighs.

His skin was pretty, terracotta colored with an earthy orange-red undertone. He had a long, lean torso packed with corded muscle and legs that went on for seemingly miles. When Berga thought about how he’d touched every last inch of that just last night, how it’d been all over him—inside him, even—he shuddered before he could help it.

And not in an entirely unpleasant way.

He needed to get out of here.

Madden went to the sink and grabbed a paper towel, wetting it beneath the faucet before turning back. Before Berga knew to evade, he was on him, pressing him against the fridge, hand with the towel dropping to wrap around Berga’s flaccid dick.

“What—”

“Hold still,” Madden urged, the corner of his mouth tipping upward. “You got a little something on you. I’m just getting it off before you can see.”

“Something—” Blood. He meant blood. Berga blanched.

“It’s mine,” the Royal added. “If that helps any. Probably from when you took me with no prep. You’re a bastard for that, you know? I should really,” he squeezed and laughed when Berga made a strangled sound, “be getting back at you, not helping out like this. Keep that in mind next time.”

“There isn’t going to be a next time.” Berga shoved him away, but was careful not to glance down because, damn it, Madden was right. He really didn’t want to see.

“Relax,” Madden didn’t have the same problem, “I got it all.”

He didn’t seem bothered in the least at having seen blood on Berga…

Nope. Didn’t matter. This whole thing had been an error in judgment and he needed to leave immediately.

Clearing his throat, Berga tossed the bottle of water he was still holding, already spinning on his heels before Madden had even caught it. Reentering the living area, he collected his things quickly, slipping back into his clothes with a little struggle, considering how tight and achy he felt all over.

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