A red flush appeared on Jake’s cheeks, and he hugged a large tub of popcorn to his chest. “Why is he here?”
Elliot’s heart sank. He’d already grown fond of the idea of being with Knight in Fane’s home and getting private tours of the mansion. Had the mistake from a few days back thwarted his chances for good?
“White Knight’s been activated,” Beast grumbled, shaking his head.
Knight’s entire body went rigid at Elliot’s side. “What? This is bullshit, brother. He’s a guy.”
Beast spread his free arm to the side as Laurent threw daggers at Elliot with his eyes. “So why are you trying to save him? Put him back under the rock where you found him. This guy smells like trouble from a mile away.”
Jake nodded. “Yeah. I can take him back to town myself. What if he’s a spy?”
Knight groaned and gestured toward Elliot. “Look at him. Do you really think he’s gonna be a problem once he actually gets to see Fane’s room? That’s all he wants. I’ll go with him so that he can have his fill, and that’ll be that. With the ex off his back he’ll sleep peacefully, maybe suck someone’s cock as a thank you. He’s not that bad once you take off that dumb costume.”
I could just leave, Elliot wanted to say, more embarrassed by the second, but the truth was he desperately didn’t want to go. He wanted to see ‘Fane’s room’, and sleep in a cozy bed, and suck Knight off again. He just didn’t expect the whole world to hear about it.
Beast froze for a while, watching Knight with tension around his eyes. “You’re fucking him? Seriously? What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Knight? Less than a week ago you told me you’d get rid of him for good.”
Jake actually gasped, as if he were watching a soap opera. “That is so unfair.”
Knight rubbed his head with both hands. “I’m telling you he’s harmless. He’s saying stupid shit online, so what? Was I supposed to let him die out there?”
Laurent rolled his eyes. “That sounds dramatic. We live in a civilized society. There are no wolves after him.”
“Why are you being so dramatic? I like his ideas about Fane as much, or as little, as you, but if we let him stay here, we will be able to actually convert him.” He pulled Elliot closer and poked at the top of his head. “A little bit of brainwashing, Laurent.”
Elliot swatted the hand away. Even he had limits to what he would stand. “I didn’t come here to be insulted. My videos are actually very popular, thank you very much. The last one, about Fane’s cannibalistic passions has over three thousand views.”
Laurent’s eyes grew wider. “‘Cannibalistic passions’?”
“I told you. He needs help,” Knight said, pointing at Elliot. “And by the way, I could get three thousand views easily if I uploaded a video of me making a man-bun. It’s not that hard.”
Something in Elliot boiled. “Not hard? I’ve been working on my channel for years. You don’t get views just like that!”
“That’s because most people don’t want to hear love poems to serial killers. They do on the other hand, want hot shirtless guys playing with their hair,” Knight said and, as if to tease Elliot, combed back his hair with his fingers and gathered it into a sort-of ponytail.
Elliot hated every second of the process because he loved it so much.
Laurent looked up at Beast with a bright smile that he didn’t have for Elliot. With his porcelain skin, smooth wavy hair, and the features of a classical sculpture, his beauty bordered on obscene, and he was so out of Beast’s league that Elliot wondered what kind of arrangement those two might have. “Would I get a lot of views?”
Knight laughed, but when Beast looked at Laurent and a small smile graced his permanently crooked lips, the connection he shared with his partner was undeniable. “Of course you would. But don’t publish anything like that…What if someone tries to steal you from me?”
“I’ll make one just for you,” Laurent said with a smile so wide Elliot could gag on the sweetness of it.
“I bet you can’t get more views on your stupid man-bun video within a month,” Elliot said to Knight to end the topic, but Knight wouldn’t let it go.
“Oh yeah? And what do I get if I win? Blowjobs don’t count since you’ve already given me one.”
Beast groaned, and Elliot’s ears got so hot he needed to take his hat off.
“How about he stops mentioning Laurent Mercier in his videos?” Laurent suggested with a frown. This was likely a sore spot, because Laurent shared his name with William Fane’s killer.
Elliot spread his arms. “It’s not my fault the guy was there in suspicious circumstances. Delivering books, my ass. They were fucking.”