Page 36 of Crown of Steel

“Because not everyone has to know.”

He snorts. “Yeah, I understand what secrets mean. But I mean, why—”

“Because it’s not for everyone, little stepbrother. You can only join upon invitation.”

His eyes search mine, flitting from one eye to the other as if searching for any information I will give up anyway at this stage.

“Then who can join?” He asks slowly. Finally, now we’re getting somewhere.

I dip my gaze and our eyes collide. “The elite.”

“The…” He sucks in a deep breath, and nods multiple times as he scrunches his gaze. “Now I get it. Fuck, this is like one of those elite society clubs.”

“Bravo, little stepbrother,” I snicker. The words make his eyes fly up and scowl at me once more.

“So why me? You know I don’t belong here.”

“Yes, you do.”

“No…I mean, I’m not like you. I don’t want this.”

“Then you are a fool,chaton. You want to have a career, right? You want to make a difference in life?” He nods carefully, but doesn’t speak. “Then you’ve come to the right place. The Alpha Fraternarii is everywhere, Régis. You can’t outrun us even if you tried. We’d track you down and bring you back. We are the future our ancestors redesigned. For us. And we recreate destiny, every year, for ourselves, forthem.”

A heavy silence falls between us, as my little stepbrother stares at me.

Then, “What do you mean?” He looks around us from his seat, then visibly flinches when I take a step closer. Damn, if that doesn’t make my cock feel heavy beneath its restraints. There’s something so fucking sexy about having him look at me with those big, blue eyes. I don’t know if he truly fears me, or if he’s just confused by his physical reaction to my presence. I meant it when I called him a little virgin. Whether he’s never been withanyone or just with a guy, it’s obvious that he doesn’t know what to do with himself.

But none of that matters because I’ll teach him. I’ve already started. I’m a hunter who loves the chase. There’s this need, heavy and solid in my body, to capture and claim. My favorite toys know that. They know exactly how to please me, but fuck me…I have never played this game with someone who is as innocent as Régis. I shouldn’t, there are so many reasons why I shouldn’t. But as we stand there, facing each other, him on that chair and me looming right over him, they all melt away.

“What do I mean?” I repeat his question. Régis looks away, but his eyes don’t divert further than my chest. From there, they dip lower until they land on my hardening crotch. He clears his throat, then licks his lips, but his eyes stay put. “You’re such a clever guy. You know what happened during the French Revolution. Well, we change that outcome, every year. We rewrite our destiny. And you will too, when you become a brother of Alpha Fraternarii.”

“How many times do I have to say that I don’t want that? I don’t want this…brotherhood. I don’t want to get in your way.” His eyes are still on my cock. On my growing, hungry cock.

“That’s not an option, little stepbrother. Unless you already want to quit college?” When he doesn’t reply immediately, I taunt, “I never took you for a quitter.”

“You know nothing about me,” he snarls, eyes finally flying up.

I chuckle, holding up my hands in fake surrender. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“Yes, you did,” he mutters to himself. Still, he doesn’t move to stand. And I don’t move to make him stand. When silence falls upon us again, I continue.

“Our family is a direct descent from one of the founding families, which is part of the reasons that we are this powerful. Remember when you accepted Dad’s generous offer to attendthis school, and he said that the rest of the family needs you to prove your value?” He jerks his face in a nod, and I can’t help but smile. Finally, we are getting somewhere. “This is what they meant, little stepbrother.”

Régis takes in a deep, ragged breath. His—defeat, is that what this is?—is intoxicating, and has my cock painfully buck in my pants. I’m desperate for some relief.Again. When he licks his lips once more, I decide to challenge him a little more, and trace my fingers along the waistband of my sweats. Régis clears his throat. His lips might be nothing more than a tight frown with that ticking nerve in his jaw, but his pupils are dilated, his gaze fixated. On me. Yeah, he wants this too, my prettychaton. No matter how hard he mewls. No matter how sharp his little claws.

I take my time toying with the strings, slowly loosening the material until I can dip two fingers inside. “They want you to become a brother of Alpha Fraternarii,” I mumble, needing to hear it myself, again and again.

Mine mine mine.

“They want you to come home and embrace your altered future. A guy like you—” Both my hands grab the sides of my pants and I slowly roll them over my hips. Régis shudders beneath me. “Would normally end up right where you were born. In the slums. But thanks to your mother, thanks to our family, you are given this opportunity. A second chance.” I brush my fingers over the exposed black boxers where the tip of my leaking cock already salutes Régis’s big, blue eyes. His waiting, wet mouth.

Fuck, I should not be taking this any further. Sure, I’m fucking evil, but this… I should stop myself, this is not what Dad meant when he wanted me to guide this sweet boy. But it’s too late for that now, a train derailing and heading right for hell, because I slowly lower my boxers and my cock plops out eagerly. It’s hard, the veins clearly visible in its sharp contrast tothe pale skin and the flushed crown that’s glistening pre-cum.

Régis swallows thickly. “You don’t know that. I’m smart,” he rasps, his eyes focused on my cock.

“Yeah?” Brushing a finger over the wet slit, I slide it between my lips, then let out a long hum. He gasps, the sound making me throb all over. “Smartdoesn’t buy you the luxuries our family has,chaton.Smartbuys you an expensive F2 in Paris, from where you can commute nicely every day into work and do as your boss says. Every, fucking day until you retire. And who makes sure that you get your pension?”

“The government?” he grinds his teeth, as if annoyed that he’s even replying to my question. Brushing a curl out of his face, I let my fingers linger on his cheek. His skin is soft, and hot.

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