Page 34 of Toxic

Archer flinched slightly.

"Your omega brother ran away?"

"Yes, and married his much older High Mate, a rather traditional, strict alpha, cutting all ties with the family. His husband won't let him contact us, probably because he thinks we're a bad influence. My dad was devastated when it happened."

After those words, something suddenly changed in Archer—I could almost feel it physically. He became tense and coughed heavily.

"Was that a long time ago?" His voice broke a bit.

I nodded. "I wasn’t even three at the time. But I used to go to his room often, listening to him play his violin. I loved it. He inspired me to play. I don’t remember him much, though—just his long, red braid. I guess he would’ve been your type—the redhead!" I snickered, but I was also surprised at how strangely stiff Archer seemed now, his face was turned away from me.

Then, suddenly, he stood up, startling me a bit.

"Hey, listen, Skye. Sorry to cut our convo short, but I… need to head to bed. I strained a muscle during sparring with Gabriel, and I want to give it time to heal." He hesitated. "But thanks for the talk, and I… wish you luck with Soren. That said, from what I understand, he’s a pretty complicated case. So I’d advise you to proceed with caution."

I stared at him for a while, surprised by the sudden change in his demeanor.

"Okay, Archer, thanks… and I hope you find your perfect redhead too."

"I think I found him. The problem is, he’s already taken." He smiled gloomily, then waved and walked back to the dorm, his head bowed low, his energy kinda… nulled.

Archer’s strange statement perplexed me; I wasn't sure what he meant by that, but oh well. I had enough of my own problems.

For a long time, I stayed on the stairs, lost in thought. I mused about my family, the circumstances of River’s escape, and wished he would find his way back to us.

Despite their imperfections, my parents loved us—and they loved River so much. My dad always had tears in his eyes whenever River’s name was mentioned. I truly hoped Fate would reconcile us one day…

I didn’t even know why, but Archer’s face kept coming back to me, along with his strange reaction when I mentioned my omega brother. Did he know him? Should I ask? Maybe I should, but soon after, I forgot about it, as my mind became flooded with images of Soren and the anticipation of our upcoming meeting. And it consumed me completely…

***

Before 8 o’clock, I took a shower. (Alvin was no longer in the room, and Archer was curled up in his bed, looking very quiet and even a bit dejected.) Then I went to Soren’s dormitory. My throat was tight with emotion.

Soren opened the door almost as soon as I approached, as if he saw me coming through the window and just let me in.

I took out the cash and put it on the table, and I could see him looking at it, as if trying to figure out what I had come for. It was $70 again.

"Do you think we could lie on the bed this time? I don't like to stand up during my… climax," I mumbled.

"Sure, no problem."

I lay down, and he knelt between my knees. Just the sight of Soren staring at my crotch like that sent waves of heat through me. This time, he placed his hands on my chest and gently slid them down to my stomach before he began to unbutton my pants. I could hear my own accelerated breathing, and my excitement was rising quickly as he pulled down my boxers. Damn, I was so ready!

"You turn me on, so much," I gasped, looking up at him. He responded with a long look I couldn't interpret, yet no words came out of his lips, though his cheeks were flushed like mine.

He got down to business. And again, those sweet, full, pink lips encircled my shaft. Fuck! I sighed with some desperation, knowing that this time I wouldn't be able to enjoy it much longer. It just couldn't last; it was impossible, no matter how hard I tried. Something inside me stirred as I watched his soft lips engulf my swollen glans.

He barely moved, but I exploded in his mouth, moaning like a porn actor.

"Soren, either you're so good at this or you have this effect on me," I muttered, slightly miffed because it was just way too fast for my liking.

Soren looked at me, licked his lips, opened them as if to say something, hesitated, but nothing came out.

I decided to take advantage of his hesitation and asked, "Can I return the favor?"

I could almost see that he was waiting for my proposal! Without saying a word, he lay down on the bed and immediately unzipped his pants. He had a dark graphite jockstrap on this time, and he was already hard!

Yep, he wanted it, he liked it! And that filled me with strange elation.

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