Page 12 of Saint

Whatever cologne they’d put on, it’d almost immediately filled the car, a mixture of woodiness and lemon tickling at Nix’s nose. He’d catch a whiff of one, and then the other a second later, almost as though the scents were battling it out for dominance.

Any other occasion and he would have laughed at that thought, but now…

West reached over and dropped an open palm over Nix’s left thigh, but when Nix glanced over, the Demon had his gaze straight ahead on the road.

It was still difficult for him to comprehend how they’d gotten to this place. When they’d first met, West was the one Nix had feared the most. Now he was an odd comfort in a house that felt equal parts like a prison and a psych ward.

If he listed all the horrible things that had been done to him since his arrival at Foxglove University, he was certain he’d have enough for a lawsuit. Of course, that would be the case on most other planets, but since this was Tulniri, and he was dealing with the Demons, he’d be laughed straight back into one of their beds before finishing up the paperwork if he tried.

But that wasn’t the problem.

The problem was that Nix didn’t even want to try. He hadn’t considered ways to work against them or escape in…a while—much longer than he should have. Hell, running should have been his first matter of business, especially now that he knew who Branwen really was, and yet he was doing the exact opposite. He was settling.

Was he settling for the abuse, though?

Or giving into his feelings for the three men currently responsible for making the drive to the Corleone residence stifling and practically unbearable?

Feelings he most definitely shouldn’t have, but ones even Briant couldn’t convince him to shake. His cousin was going to be released from the hospital soon, and Nix was already preparing himself for the argument, knowing that the older guy was going to want him to return home with him. That wasn’t going to happen, but Nix needed to come up with a way to explain why without admitting he’d fallen for his captors.

Something told him Briant wouldn’t settle for Stockholm syndrome being a good enough reason to leave Nix behind.Despite where he currently was and the state his sister had been in before she’d ended things, Briant actually took mental health rather seriously. That was why he’d taken it so hard when Branwen had died. He’d blamed himself for missing signs there was no possible way he could have seen.

The two of them might not have been close, at least, in the sense they’d never really been friends, but Nix cared for and respected his older cousin, and he hated seeing him so torn up.

Hated it even more now, knowing why Branwen had done what she’d done, and how she’d chosen to spend her last moments.

Hated thinking about how she’d almost murdered West and framed Yejun for the death of his best friend, all because some asshole who’d never really loved her had asked it of her.

Nix placed his hand over West’s and squeezed once, back to staring out the window as the Demon drove the car deeper into a forested area and further from the city. He’d been a bit surprised when he’d found out where the Corleone residence was located since he’d anticipated a huge mansion in the very center of the hustle and bustle. But no. Apparently, Demitrious had a penchant for nature, and so he’d built the family home on the outskirts of Ripley forest. The forest itself spanned close to one hundred and fifty acres and was said to be entirely owned by the Corleone’s.

He supposed the location didn’t really matter anyway. The reason he was nervous was because this was the first time he was going to be meeting West’s father, and after all of the shitty things he’d heard about the man, he wasn’t exactly looking forward to it.

At least he was doing it now at a small gathering meant to celebrate Lake’s birthday. Since his only other surviving family was Hendrix and Beck—and there was no way Lake was going to be wished a happy birthday from the first—Demitrious had beenhosting a dinner since he’d taken Lake in. They’d all reassured Nix that it would be a quiet evening, and that they’d shield him from the worst of Demitrious’s scrutiny.

Nix was trying to look at it like a sort of trial run. Even though Juri had agreed to be the Demon’s sacrifice for the Night of the Nightshade, Nix had been informed his presence was still required at the ceremony. Better to meet West’s imposing dad now and get it out of the way so he could focus more tomorrow when—

West swore next to him, hand tightening on Nix’s thigh reflexively before he pulled away and replaced it on the steering wheel.

Someone poked their head between the seats, and when Nix realized it was Yejun, he practically recoiled, pressing his shoulder tightly to the passenger door as he tried not to pay that particular Demon any mind. Instead, he stared ahead at what had caught West’s attention.

And then blanched.

“What the actual fuck,” Yejun growled, dropping back into his seat.

That renewed the slight distance between them, and Nix exhaled in mild relief, even though his heart was still thumping wildly in his chest as he took in the sight of over three dozen cars.

They lined the long driveway that led from the road into the forest, and no doubt to the Corleone manor. There were far too many to trick himself into believing the vehicles belonged to the cooking or cleaning staff, which meant…

“That absolute bastard,” West cursed. “What the hell is he trying to pull?”

“It’s a statement,” Lake didn’t sound any more pleased than the other two.

“To us,” Yejun asked, pointing forward as a large fountain settled in the center of the driveway, which circled around it, “or them?”

People were getting out of their cars and heading toward the steps that led up to the towering white and gold building set before them. There appeared to be at least four levels to the monstrous home, all with shuttered windows that were open and had glowing orbs dancing behind the panes of glass.

Lights had also been left out to decorate the lawn, creating pathways that led to the entrance, like little beacons in the darkening evening. The place was clearly set up for a party, and from what he could see, everyone was dressed for one as well.

Nix stared down at his black dress pants and the maroon button-up he was in. He’d forgone a tie because West had assured him this dinner was always semi-formal. At least he’d had the good sense to put on dress shoes instead of sneakers, but still…he felt incredibly out of place now that he was spotting full ball gowns and three-piece suits everywhere.

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