“Maybe you are. This shit seems boring. Why are they talking all the time? Where’s the action? The cars flying and people jumping in the air?”
“It’s a murder mystery. They talk to give clues about the murderer.”
“Neat. I’ll use this to lull myself to sleep.”
I hit his chest even as I suppress a smile. “Let me guess. You like action films?”
“Hell yeah.”
“But they’re mindless.”
“The more mindless, the better. I’m a simple man. I see good violence, I rate it five out of five.”
“You need help.”
He licks his lips, eyes twinkling. “Then help me, baby.”
A fire erupts at the base of my stomach and spreads all over my body. I stare at his moist mouth and gulp. “You’re going to kiss me, aren’t you?”
“I’m starving for your lips.”
He dips his head and steals my lips and I just give in. It’s impossible to fight the pull he has on me, and at this moment, I don’t want to.
We kiss for what seems like hours, tongues stroking and teeth nipping. Only, this time, it’s not urgent or leading up to sex.
Once we break apart, we don’t go to the bedroom. We don’t tear each other’s clothes off.
We just stay in that position, with my head on his lap as we watch Agatha Christie.
And it feels peaceful.
Right.
At least, until my demons demand that I leave.
For now, I just soak in his presence and do what I excel at.
Pretend that everything is okay.
20
NIKOLAI
“Let’s start a fucking war!”
That’s what I shouted this morning, to which everyone rolled their eyes as if I was being unreasonable, when the fact is, we should’ve started this war two weeks ago, after those fucker Serpents thought it was a good idea to attack our home.
But I’m cool. I can roll with it.
Lie, fucking liar.
Except for a little arson and chucking one of their cars down a cliff, I didn’t get much action. Fine. So Jer did give me a few targets to eliminate and I go to the fight club like my life depends on it.
But none of that is enough for the war machine brewing inside me.
It might also have to do with other particular circumstances that I can’t seem to fucking understand anymore.
Instead of giving us what we all need—the war—Jer told me to calm down, and Kill said it would be better if he takes me on a walk, to which I replied that I’m not his fucking dog.
Still, we walk down the island’s cobbled streets, throughout the old town, attracting more attention than necessary. Or more like, I do, even though I put a shirt on, for fuck’s sake.
“You need to stop glaring at anyone who looks at you,” Kill says with his usual calm, looking every bit the dignified gentleman that he most definitely is not.
“Maybe they need to stop looking at me.” I snarl at a lady who keeps walking and glancing behind her.
She runs inside one of the stores as if her ass is on fire.
“Jeez, Niko. Way to scare the locals.”
“This is dumb. Let’s go to the fight club, where I can beat you the fuck up.”
“Pass. I’m meeting my Glyn and I can’t suffer from a black eye.”
I stare at him with mock disbelief. “Are you telling me your girl is more important than me? Your cousin with whom you grew up?”
“Why is that a question? Of course she is.”
“Kill, you motherfucking—”
“Oh, please. Quit the dramatics. You already have someone who’s more important than us.”
I pause and narrow my eyes. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Your failed attempts at sneaking around at night and at the crack of dawn. Care to share where you go?”
“Fuck off.”
“Oh? Didn’t know you had the ability to be secretive, dear cousin. My, my. I’m officially intrigued.”
“Un-intrigue yourself.”
“That’s not a word. Hmm. It can’t be your fuck buddies since you didn’t shy away from flaunting them in our faces and disturbing us with your excessive porn shows and extravagant orgies. The fact that they disappeared altogether and you told the guards to kick out your toys whenever they come to the mansion means one thing.”
“Which is?”
“You really do have that ED.”
“Don’t make me flash you in public, because I’ll totally fucking do it.”
“There are a bunch of prudes here, Niko. You’ll end up in jail.”