Page 1 of Saint

Chapter 1:

There’d been a plan, a way the day was meant to play out. He’d spent a lot of time going over and over it again in his head, correcting the script, running all the possible scenarios that could happen so he’d be prepared to confront them and keep everything on track.

By now, he was meant to be at his studio, painting Nix’s lithe body with his lips and his tongue.

Instead, he washere.

“June.”

A paper cup filled with black coffee was held out before his face and after a moment, Yejun accepted it.

He hated black coffee.

He also hated when anyone other than West or Lake called him by a nickname, but he wasn’t in the mood to correct the man who’d accompanied him all the way to the hospital morgue.

Beck Bardin settled down in the empty seat to his right, lightly sipping on his own cup of stale, bitter brew. They were waiting in the hallway for news on the body that had been brought in several hours ago, the Bardin name allowed for a speedier process than what would typically be applied to an obvious case.

The police were convinced it was a suicide, open and closed, but Yejun and the others had to be certain. He hadn’t been there to witness Dew’s fall from the dorm building, but he’d gotten the cliff notes from Lake.

Lake, who was no doubt back at the Rook comforting Nix.

Something Yejun should be doing.

His grip on the cup tightened, the paper warping and spilling the hot contents over his hand. With a curse, he shot to his feet.

“Are you all right?” Beck took the cup and chucked it into a nearby wastebasket. “Wait here.”

Yejun barely heard him as he rushed down the hallway toward the bathrooms, blindly staring at the bright red flesh on his slightly burned hand. He only had himself to blame. For this, and for not being the one Nix was currently relying on.

Damn it.

Was that even what he wanted? Only last week, Yejun had sworn to himself he’d never fall for Nix or his lies again, and yet here he was, concerned for him.

West and Lake believed that Nix hadn’t known about his cousin’s connection to them, and while some stupid part of him wanted to drink the Kool-Aid and believe it right along with them, Yejun had to be more cautious than that. He couldn’t fall for the same trick twice, and buying that Nix didn’t mean them any harm? That all of this was mere coincidence?

Wouldn’t that be the epitome of foolishness?

“Fuck,” he growled the word and then dropped back down onto the edge of the seat, burying his hands in his dark hair to pull at the roots. Why was everything so messed up?

Why couldn’t he just pick an emotion and stick with it?

Pick a damn truth and stick with it?

Yejun couldn’t recall if he’d always been this flighty or if it was a byproduct of Iris’s betrayal. She’d changed him; there was no arguing that fact, but to what extent and how deeply was left to be decided.

He could still picture the first time he saw her when he closed his eyes. See her bright smile, hear her voice greet him and tell him that his work was amazing. Even then, he’d heard it a million times before, and yet something about the sincerity in her gaze had snared him. He’d been caught, hook, line, and sinker, too stupid to realize she was merely the bait and he was the catch of the day. She’d been so convincing though. So perfect.

Too perfect, he could see that clearly now. But hindsight was twenty-twenty, and at the time, he’d lapped at her companionship like the love-starved freak that he was.

It was like someone had given her a blueprint to his inner soul. She’d known just the right thing to say, to do, to get him to confide in her. Trust her. When he’d learned that was all a lie…He’d snapped much the same way he had when he’d discovered Nix’s secret.

Their approach was very different—not only due to the fact Lake was technically the one to do the approaching—but that didn’t mean they weren’t in on it together. Didn’t mean that Iris hadn’t sent her cousin here to torment Yejun further and exact revenge for getting her expelled from the university.

All of the worst-case scenarios he could muster had run through his mind while he’d taken Nix brutally on the coffee table in the living room. He’d fucked him like a madman,uncaring whether or not he made it good for the other guy, hell, actually doing everything in his power to ensure he wasn’t, in fact. With Lake sitting there watching, it’d been a bit more difficult, but Yejun had managed. He’d had Nix a weeping, torn mess beneath him, practically begging for mercy by the time West had shown up.

And thrown yet another wrench into things.

Learning Iris had died had been…confusing. A part of him had actually mourned the loss of the person he’d once considered a friend. Another part had snidely turned his nose up and thought she’d had it coming. The other…

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