Page 60 of Villain

Not because he liked any of them, but because he really could kiss his dream goodbye if that ended up being the case.

There was a chance he could discreetly handle this himself if he found out the King’s identity and it wasn’t one of them. He’d get his revenge and complete his contract with Lake and the others. All he had to do was make it two months to Demons Passing, then he’d be in the clear. After that, he could get back on track and pretend like all of this had never happened. And if Yejun kept his word and also helped him get his foot in the door?

Nix wasn’t above accepting that offer. He knew his skills were good enough, but this was Tulniri. Nepotism wasn’t just a possibility, it was practically part of their culture. Everyone knew you could be replaced at the drop of a hat if an Essential got involved.

Grady hadn’t been pleased when Nix had started getting dressed earlier. Even without saying as much, he’d known where Nix was heading off to. He’d bid him farewell with yet another warning that the Demons were bad news, but it wasn’t like Nix had a choice here. His roommate seemed like a nice guy, but there was no way Nix could risk telling him the truth.

He couldn’t admit he was using them every bit as much as they were using him.

“Firebird,” Yejun arrived then, calling down the hall. He didn’t have anything with him, his hands tucked into the front pockets of his black jeans, water droplets dripping off the shoulders of his leather jacket and his hair.

Nix frowned but didn’t straighten from the wall where he’d been leaning, the folded umbrella at his feet having formed a small puddle he was practically standing in. “Did you walk through the rain?”

“Why?” Yejun asked as he reached him, and it was obvious by the mocking lift of his full lips he was teasing.

“You could catch a cold,” Nix said anyway, shrugging as he finally straightened when the Demon reached for the keypad next to the locked door.

“Worried about me?”

“Worried about myself, more like.”

Yejun laughed. “Are you this brazen with the others? Or am I special?”

“Lake mentioned something about my sunshiny disposition when he had me sign the contract.”

The door popped open and Yejun pushed it the rest of the way, motioning for Nix to enter first. “Leave the umbrella out here.”

Nix shrugged and walked in, moving off to the side so Yejun could pass him. “Why did you call me out so late?”

Yejun chucked off his leather jacket, careful not to get water on any of the easels, and went to the corner where there was a coatrack Nix hadn’t noticed the last time. He hung his jacket and then held out an arm, turning to lift a brow at him when Nix didn’t immediately respond. “Jacket, Firebird. Come on.”

“Oh.” He removed it and crossed the room, holding it out, watching as it was hung next to the Demons.

“You remember what I was working on the other day?” Yejun asked, rolling up the sleeves of his black dress shirt. In the sharp overhead lighting, it became apparent the shirt itself was see-through.

“Yeah.”

“It’s all crap. I had to toss it, but the project is due tomorrow, which is why you’re going to help me get it done in time.”

Nix frowned as the other man moved away to the center of the room. There was a circular wooden slab there, and Yejun lifted a stool and set it on top. “I’m sorry? Are you asking me to…model for you?”

“That’s exactly what I’m doing.” Yejun paused. “Well, ask is a strong word, don’t you think?”

“I have to pretend to date you out in public,” he reminded. “I don’t recall there being any mention of acting like your guys’ slave.” He motioned to the empty room. “There isn’t even anyone else here to see this.”

“The windows are currently in dark mode, which means no one outside will be able to see in. Same for the one on the door,” he pointed over Nix’s shoulder at it. “But we can change that if an audience is really something you want.”

“That’s not at all what I meant and you know it.”

“Do I?” Yejun set his hands on his hips. “We don’t really know one another well, Firebird. Right now, we’re still in the learning stages.”

It was on the tip of his tongue that he didn’t want to get to know any of them, but Nix caught himself. Hadn’t he just been thinking about using this opportunity to his advantage? Pissing off the Demon wouldn’t benefit him in any sense of the word, if anything, it’d be more akin to shooting himself in the foot.

“Want to know what I’ve picked up on so far?” Yejun asked. “You’ve got pride, more than I would have guessed considering how you ended up here, under our thumbs. Maybe Lake is onto something after all. Maybe there really is a bigger secret you’re keeping.”

The mood in the room shifted, and Nix could sense it like a live thing. If he wasn’t careful, the scales could tip unfavorably toward him. He’d always been good at reading people, and so far, Yejun wasn’t that hard.

He wasn’t Lake, in any case.