He’d been weak for him from the very first moment, but Nix’s fate had been sealed the night before, when Ivan had left thatbasement raw and open. Nix could have done anything with him, and Ivan wouldn’t have had the defenses to do much about it. Nix could have taken advantage and demanded a bond right that moment, if he were really so eager to use Ivan. He could read Ivan well enough that he must have sensed the opening.
But instead Nix had…cared for him. He’d soothed and coddled in a manner that was all Nix—with his body, with his touch, with his surrender to whatever Ivan needed of him.
Ivan had never had that. He’d never had any of what Nix gave him. The care. The snark. The constant provocation.
Ivan wanted to keep it all. Every bit of it.
“Iamcommanding, I’m afraid,” Nix told him, tucking sweaty strands of Ivan’s hair back into place. “Because while I can’t say I’ve ever been likened to a disease, you’re right about one thing, Vanya darling. There’s no getting rid of me.”
Ivan drovethem to the meeting spot the next day, forgoing a driver altogether.
He’d already assigned Oleg to drive Jace and Tag—they were carting Sergei with them, and had been instructed to bring him in when the time was right.
Nix was slumped in the passenger seat of Ivan’s car, chin in hand, frowning out the window.
Ivan squeezed his knee. “Why are you pouting?”
“I’m not pouting,” Nix told him with a little pout. “But I thought Oleg would be driving us.”
“You’d prefer that?” Ivan didn’t quite manage to hide his surprise. He hadn’t realized his incubus was so fond of his driver. He wasn’t sure if he liked that at all.
Maybe he needed to fire Oleg.
Nix heaved a sigh. “I was just really hoping you’d finger me in the back of the town car one of these days.”
Provoking. Always provoking.
And in spite of himself, something hot ran through Ivan’s lower belly, an image of exactly that flashing through his mind. Nix, writhing in his lap, three of Ivan’s fingers working him into a puddle while Oleg drove them steadily on.
Jesus.
He pinched Nix’s thigh. “Don’t distract me, demon.”
“Would that I could.” Nix clucked his tongue. “I’ve never seen you this tense, and I’ve seen you plenty rigid, Vanya, darling.”
Well, who the fuck could blame him? The only backup Ivan was 100 percent certain would be arriving for this little tête-à-tête with his men was Kai and Sascha. Which would mean a total of two demons to intimidate thirty violent men. He was hoping Wolfe and Eric would show as well, for the novelty if nothing else, but Ivan had no idea about Cooper and his chaos demon.
Alexei he could count right the fuck out, bitter as the thought made him.
Ivan had learned long ago not to depend on his middle brother.
So they’d make do with what they had. Kai in his demon form was enough to make most men piss themselves, and Nix was definitely…inhuman. Just because Ivan had come to associate his demon form with sex and seduction didn’t mean his men would.
And speaking of seduction…
Ivan had the Book tucked into his jacket pocket, ready to be used to bond the moment business was done with. No matter what else, the demon was staying at his side.
“Where are we?” Nix asked as they pulled into the back parking lot, peering out at the brick building.
“A restaurant my father favored for business,” Ivan told him. “It’s under our protection still.” He paused, then added, “We held his wake here.”
“And now we’ll bury him for good,” Nix said with satisfaction.
Ivan hummed his agreement, even if a final “fuck you” to his father wasn’t really the point of the whole thing. He’d come to enjoy how much his demon hated him, even though the man was long dead and gone.
They entered through the back. Sascha and Kai were already holed up in one of the booths, as expected. Ivan had asked them to come early so Kai could ensure no trap had been laid for him. Something unclenched within Ivan when he saw Wolfe and Eric with them.
The vampires had shown.
