Page 2 of The Devil's Bargain
“We don’t need the bond to know you’re telling the truth, Azi,” Mercy used the term of endearment for him in his own tongue, a Connect language Calix didn’t know or understand.
Though Be’urn, which was what Aodhan called him, wasn’t an Emergence word either. They were all native to different planets, shared different cultures, and yet here they were, tangled up together like jagged pieces of a warped puzzle that never should have been allowed to see the light of day.
And, damn it all to hell and back, Calixwantedto be a part of it.
“I tried not to,” he confessed, his words broken and thready, since he was unable to act unaffected by the rough sex the same way Mercy was. “I tried to forget and move on.”
“How many guys did you suck off before you realized that was impossible?” Aodhan enquired.
Which was dangerous.
The doctor had a temper and less control over himself than his First. Or, that wasn’t entirely true. It wasn’t that he had less control, more like he didn’t care as much to bother. Having come from a prestigious family, Aodhan was used to getting his way. And being let off the hook when his way happened to break a dozen or so laws.
“My trainer was just doing his job,” Calix replied.
“You don’t want us to hurt him either?” Aodhan snorted. “You’ve got to let us gut someone.”
“You already—”
“Killed your dates?” Aodhan grinned at him, the expression vicious and a bit psychotic. It was nothing like the fake smiles he put on for the rest of the universe; those were charming and never quite reached his eyes. The pink of his irises practically sparkled now. “Want to hear what we did to the other one?”
“Later,” Mercy interrupted. “We finish the ceremony now.”
“Gotta lock our Third in,” Aodhan hummed in agreement and shifted closer on the bed until his knees bumped against Cal’s. His free hand reached between them, settling around Calix’s dick. He laughed when that caused him to jerk. “Do you know what happens next, Third?”
Sort of?
At the Academy, where Calix had trained to become a detective, they’d only taught them so much about the Connect. Things like the bonding ceremony were kept mostly secret, with only a few details having leaked into the public over the centuries.
Since he was a Third, the final piece that would complete the pod, Calix understood even less. Thirds were generally protected, coveted, and cared for. It went without saying that the process to make one was also guarded knowledge. Seconds needed to be bitten by the First, and the First had to be a Connect, but Thirds…
Aodhan was a Vital, not a Connect. What role did he play in the binding aside from needing to give his consent to take on a Third?
“Forming the bond itself won’t hurt,” Mercy promised darkly, breathing the words directly against the curve of Cal’s left ear before chuckling. “I’ll apologize for that in advance.”
“It will after,” Aodhan disagreed. “Like a bitch in heat. Two parts pain, one part pleasure. Don’t worry though, we’ll fuck you through the first.”
“We aren’t leaving this room until you can walk on your own two feet again,” Mercy said, causing a shiver to race down Calix’s spine.
“Hold on…” That sounded like a lot. Pain was nothing to him. He enjoyed it, got turned on by it in most cases. The brandings kept rubbing against Mercy’s thighs as Calix was fucked, the raw flesh burning upon contact. It didn’t hurt as much as he imagined it should, and he’d caught sight of the tube of suncream Aodhan had set on the nightstand before climbing onto the bed with them.
They’d taken care of him just as easily as they’d fucked him up, and his traitorous heart leapt at that notion. At the concept of being cared for, even if it was by the very same devils that damaged him in the first place.
The unknown didn’t scare him either. Cal was used to staying on his toes, taking chances. Gambling with his life.
But…
“You’ll feel…everything?” That was the part getting to him now. The part causing him to hesitate when only just a moment ago he’d been so certain. Calix didn’t like to confront his emotions himself. The thought of sharing them with others…Of being so fully stripped bare in front of them…That was terrifying.
Maybe even too terrifying.
“Hold on,” he repeated, a little more forcefully, but that only earned him a grunt from the others.
“You’ve already consented,” Aodhan reminded, clicking his tongue when Cal vehemently shook his head and tried to pry Mercy’s arms off his waist. “That’s not how it works. Once freelygiven, you can’t take it back. You’re ours now. The only way to stop this is if we allow it, and that isn’t going to happen.”
“Breathe,” Mercy suggested. “It’s not as scary as you think.”
“Letting you into my head is definitely as scary as I think,” Calix argued.
