Page 39 of Saint

“This is my life,” Nix replied. “I’m their fourth.”

“They made you that without your consent, Nix.”

Maybe in the beginning that was true, but it hadn’t been for a while. The second he’d created an account on the Enigma app and drew Lake’s attention, it was already game over. He just hadn’t realized.

But it’d never been completely one-sided. Nix had always wanted Maestro, had felt a connection with him from the veryfirst meeting. The Imperial had gone about this all wrong, for sure, but there was no telling if Nix wouldn’t have fallen for him naturally if given the chance.

If Lake had approached him like a normal love interest, introduced his two best friends, let them get to know one another organically…Would Nix still be fucking the three of them?

He didn’t know. What he did know, was now that he’d experienced what it was like to be with all three of them, he wouldn’t have it any other way. Even Yejun. Though he’d scared the crap out of Nix, some of the worst symptoms had already begun to subside. He hadn’t puked again, which was a total plus.

The other day, watching him blow Lake, had helped realign something inside of Nix that had been shaken loose the day Yejun had crushed him on the coffee table. It was almost as though a massive weight—no pun intended—had been lifted off of Nix’s shoulders and he could finally look at the artist again without breaking out in a cold sweat.

He was starting to miss Yejun, the kind version of him he’d come to know. The one who liked to tease him in the quiet and dimly lit art studio. Those moments, when it’d been just the two of them, had felt…safe.

Which was why it’d been so earth-shattering when that safety had been ripped away. Nix couldn’t afford for something like that to happen again, but thanks to their willingness to be filmed, he finally felt secure enough in their relationship with him to trust it wouldn’t.

“I trust them,” he said just as Briant came out of the bathroom. His cousin probably thought he’d given them enough time to talk. Nix looked at the both of them and smiled once more. “I don’t mean to disappoint you, either of you, but there you have it.”

Briant pursed his lips. “You really think they’ll protect you? That they’ll take your side, no matter what?”

Nix considered the question before nodding. “Yeah, I do.”

Yejun had learned his lesson, and West had always shown more faith than the other two. Lake…Lake had discovered Nix’s secret first and had kept it to himself to protect him. They weren’t perfect, far from it, but…

“I don’t know how we’ll feel in five years, or even ten,” he declared. “But I know how we feel right now and, frankly, that’s all I have the energy to focus on at the moment. We care about each other. You said it yourself, Juri. The Demons take care of one another.”

“You aren’t one of them, Nix,” Briant tried to argue, but Nix wasn’t hearing it anymore.

“Actually, I am.” He held his cousin’s gaze, his eyes hardening some to get his point across. He’d tried the nice approach and that hadn’t worked. “I’m a member of Club Essential now, Briant, and I’m the official mate of the next in line for the throne.”

“He’s right,” Juri added with a sigh. “Technically, he’s a Demon now. He’s their fourth.”

“Auntie is going to kill me,” Briant groaned and covered his face.

“Just pretend like you had no idea,” Nix suggested. “I won’t tell them if you don’t.”

“I’m a terrible liar, you know that.”

“It’ll be fine.” Juri wrapped an arm around Briant’s shoulders. “And so will Nix. He’s the strongest person I’ve ever met. Most people would have gone insane after everything Nix has been through, but not him.”

“Thanks.” Nix was grateful that out of all of this, at least he’d found a few real friends, Juri being one of them. “I really appreciate you helping out and keeping an eye on Briant.”

“Is the threat really gone?” Briant asked.

“Dew is dead,” Juri said, dropping his eyes to the floor and clearing his throat. “I keep meaning to find the right time, but there doesn’t seem to be one for this. Nix, I can’t believe it was Dew doing all of those things. I just…It’s hard to believe. If I’d known—”

“You couldn’t have. Grady and the others are just as surprised.” No one had suspected Dew of any of it. He’d been the clown of the group, after all, and he’d leaned heavily into that.

Nix wondered how much of it was an act and how much of it was the real Dew.

“No one blames you,” Briant joined in. “You lost a friend. No matter the circumstances, that’s never easy.”

“He’s right,” Nix agreed. “Have you talked to anyone about it yet? If you need a shoulder—”

“Briant has lent me his ear,” Juri stated. “But thank you.”

Oh.

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