Page 72 of Saint

A month or two ago, Nix might have agreed, but now…

“It’s not exactly like that, Juri,” he began, only for Juri to speak over him.

“Briant and I are in agreement that you’ve been brainwashed. You’re not thinking clearly because they’ve subjected you to all sorts of heinous things and programmed your body into wanting them. No one should have to live a life where they’re passed around between three spoiled brats who are incapable of understanding the word no.”

“Briant?” Nix stiffened. “What does my cousin have to do with this? Were you talking about me behind my back?” He understood the need to vent, but this sounded like it’d been more than that…Like they’d come to conclusions about him and his life with only the small amount of information they’d been able to glean on their own.

“I just want you to know, I really do care about you, Nix. I’ve never lied about that. I genuinely want to be your friend and, I hope, once this is all settled and done, and you get the help that you need, you’ll want that again too.”

He stood, not liking where this was going, and took a single step toward the door. “I think that’s enough for today. I don’t know what I did to upset you, Juri, but you’re making me really uncomfortable. I’m going to—”

Juri slapped his wrist away when Nix lifted it, about to contact Yejun.

“Hey! What the fuck is your problem?!”

“The Demons are,” Juri said. “The fact that you’re so willing to bounce on their dicks is. Wake up, Nix! They don’t love you! And I’m going to prove it.”

He froze. “If you touch them I’ll—”

“It’s not them you should be worrying about.” Juri turned and tugged open one of the desk drawers, spinning back before Nix could even consider bolting. “Here.”

It took him longer than it should have to process what he was looking at, but once he recognized the tiny cloud sticker in the corner of the multi-slate Juri was holding out, he felt a wave of cold wash over him.

“Why do you have Briant’s multi-slate?” His cousin had texted him letting him know he’d made it home last week. There’d been nothing strange about the message, it’d sounded one hundred percent like Briant, even had his favorite emoji added at the end.

Nix had Juri by the collar, shoved up against the desk in a flash, the device on the ground at their feet. “What the fuck did you do to my cousin?!”

“Calm—”

“Don’t tell me to calm down!” He swung, connecting with the side of Juri’s face, the impact loud enough to echo in the tiny room.

Juri touched his cheek protectively. “See? You’re only proving my point. Briant talked a lot about you, Nix. About who you are. The guy he knows is reserved and kind. He’d never hitsomeone. The Demons have done this to you, turned you into this explosive thing that reacts without thinking.”

Nix was so done listening to this crap. “Tell me what you did to Briant, or I won’t stop at a single hit.”

“He’s fine,” Juri said. “I won’t hurt him.”

“Unless?” Nix filled in the blanks. He shoved Juri away and started pacing. “You’re such an asshole. Pretending to be my friend! Betraying my trust all this time!Usingmy cousin?!”

Gods, what if Briant was in on it?

No.

No, he would never.

But…Branwen…

No.

Nix growled. Now he was making him second guess himself!

“Just tell me what you want already,” he snapped. He needed to know that Briant was safe and then he needed to get the hell out of here before he did something he’d regret.

Something Yejun level bad.

“I wasn’t lying,” Juri insisted. “I am your friend. I just want what’s best for you.”

“Bullshit!”

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