Page 16 of Villain

He’d never felt chemistry like this before, instantaneous and raw. Why the hell did it have to be with this guy, of all people?

Lake continued to stare at him wordlessly for a while, and then he tipped his head, signaling his friends. It appeared as though he was going to leave it there, but after only a couple of steps he paused. “Did you remember to bring it?”

Nix felt the entire world tip on its axis at his voice.

The same voice he’d listened to during his most intimate moments.

At his shocked expression, Lake chuckled darkly, the sound lacking any thread of kindness.

“See you soon, Songbird.” He didn’t turn back or add anything else, merely started down the path with his friends on his heels.

There was no way…

Nix must look foolish, standing there with his mouth open, staring at the retreating backs of the Demons of Foxglove. But he couldn’t help it. Couldn’t even bring himself to care what the other students—some of whom had somehow noticed the commotion outside and were standing by various windows in surrounding buildings watching—thought of him.

Only one person had ever called him that before, but there was no way…

What were the odds that Lake, of all people, was Maestro?

Chapter 5:

Maestro: The Roost. 5 PM.

Nix reread the message for the hundredth time and then dropped his arm and stared at the impressive building in front of him. He’d learned about the Roost during his tour yesterday with Grady, but they hadn’t gone near it, especially since after their encounter with the Demons, Grady had put a swift end to their trip and retreated back to their dorm room.

He hadn’t liked that Nix seemed to know Lake, even after Nix had explained they didn’t really know each other. Now he had to worry about his suspicious roommate on top of everything else, and he couldn’t even be mad about it. It wasn’t like there’d been a way of this working where he could have avoided interacting with Maestro through the app. Nix had needed those Favors.

Still needed one.

Which was why, despite all of his instincts screaming at him to turn heel and run in the other direction, he was here. Standing outside the Roost, better known as the dorm of the Demons.

Not that it could be considered a dorm in any sense of the word.

Admittedly, he was a little bit awed by the architecture of the place and was using that as an excuse to linger outside, putting off the inevitable down to the last second. It was a believable thing to be distracted over, at least.

The Roost was built at the base of Munin Mountain, a river flowing from somewhere further away, trailing beneath the front porch. It was at least three stories high, with tall glass windows set in metal frames. The second level had a wraparound balcony, and a tower of sorts was in the back, partially connected to the mountain's rock. Moss and ivy grew around the structure, and tiny red flowers with glowing centers flickered like miniature flames, sprouting seemingly at random.

Nix tipped his head all the way back and took a step to the left, catching sight of the edge of a massive building much higher and mostly out of view. The Essential Club. It couldn’t be a coincidence that both it and the Roost were housed on the same mountain.

Everyone on the planet knew about the Club Essential, even Nix who’d grown up on the other side of the world. Though it was a hush-hush society, their hands were in every aspect of the planet's functioning. Government, agriculture, commerce, entertainment…You name it, there was no doubt a club member was involved in some way, shape, or form.

He glanced between the corner of the metal structure high in the sky and the intricate building before him.

What were the odds these two things weren’t connected?

They were clearly members of the club, that went without saying. Lake Zyair was an Imperial who had a real chance at the throne, after all. It’d be impossible for him not to be a part of Essential.

Yesterday, after running into them and realizing who Lake was, Nix had spent some time carefully combing over all of the public information about the three he could get his hands on. There was a ton of it, but it was hard to tell how much was fact and how much was smokescreen. People with money could make up stories and hide the truth as easily as snapping their fingers.

From what Nix was able to glean as a definitive fact, Lake’s parents had died when he was younger, and he’d moved into the Corleone residence. He, West, and Yejun had been together throughout their entire childhoods, up until a little over a year ago when Lake had suddenly enrolled in Vail University on the planet Vitality. His return most likely had something to do with the fact the Emperor and her Royal Consort had just passed suddenly.

Grady hadn’t been kidding when he’d called the Demons kings yesterday, either. It wasn’t just on campus. From what Nix could find, it appeared as though Lake and his friends were revered—and feared—throughout the capital.

And Nix was the idiot who’d accidentally gotten involved.

Shit.

The sky was already gray, a light pattering of rain falling down, and he knew his time was up. A wooden bridge led from the walkway to the porch, and Nix started over it, gripping the handle of his yellow umbrella tightly. Only a single light was left on, hanging over the front door. He tried to peer through all the glass siding, but all he could make out were various furniture shapes and darkness.