Knight’s hand settled on Elliot’s hip as they kissed and held him in place until they parted, all too soon. Elliot wanted to push for more, but when he met Knight’s gaze, which for once was completely serious, he closed his mouth and listened.
Knight cleared his throat. “I— if that’s how it is then I would understand if you decided not to come back.”
The hairs on Elliot’s forearms bristled and the machinery went wild when his heart sped up. “You want me to leave?”
“No! Of course not. But if he keeps abusing you and threatening you... I can’t imagine living like this. I just... don’t want anything bad to happen now that we know he won’t hesitate,” Knight said, and his gaze settled on Elliot’s missing eye.
Elliot clenched his fingers on the front of Knight’s T-shirt. “Don’t give up on me…” he whispered, feeling so pathetic he could hardly stand it.
Knight licked his lips, looking away. “I won’t. I just... I’m worried, babe. From Martin, I could protect you. But I can do nothing against Fane. Literally nothing. It’s making me crazy.”
Elliot feared going back to the clubhouse where the ghosts resided, and where Fane could wrestle him for power over his own body, but it was also where Knight lived, the only place where Knight could have an eye on him if Fane took over completely.
Elliot nuzzled the soft stubble on Knight’s cheek. “Do you worry he will force me to hurt you? If that’s it, then maybe I should stay away…” He would never forgive himself if Fane injured Knight. And something like that could happen within a split- second. Fane could make Elliot grab a fork and stab someone. Even if Knight didn’t die, Fane could repeat his attacks, since Knight wouldn’t fight Elliot.
Knight waved his hand in dismissal. “No way. If you stay, I’ll make sure everyone is safe. You, me, Laurent, and everyone else. If you want to stay, if you’re absolutely sure about this... please do,” he said in a quieter, softer tone and pressed his lips against the tip of Elliot’s nose. His scent drew Elliot in, until he was once again resting in the incredible safety of Knight’s arms.
“I don’t want to be away from you. I’m sorry if I can be too much sometimes. There must be a way to get rid of Fane, but we can’t work that out when I’m away from the clubhouse. I can stand his insults if you make sure my body is safe.”
Knight shook his head. “Stop apologizing. So you want me. You have the right to. You are honest. You are so... raw when you’re with me. You don’t pretend you’re interested in what I say, because you are. I like that about you, Elliot. Give yourself more credit.”
Elliot took a deep breath and smiled softly, so that the expression wouldn’t pull on his tortured skin. “Why would I pretend? You’re the most interesting man I’ve ever met. I can listen to you for hours and still find out something new every time. I wish the circumstances were… less fucked up.”
Knight watched him intensely, as if he wanted to somehow tear his gaze through Elliot’s skin and see what was hidden beneath it. “You deserve to respect yourself, Elliot. Don’t sell yourself short. You don’t have to.”
The words made Elliot so warm and tender inside he pressed his head under Knight’s jaw to hide his face. Any self-worth that he’d ever built up was as The Count, a smartass online persona of a man obsessed with a serial killer and knowledgeable about history. Never before Knight had Elliot bared himself to another person so much. Even his past boyfriends had just never been interested enough to ask questions about his life, and he didn’t want to bother them with his problems either, too afraid that they would leave if they considered him a nuisance.
And yet Knight was here, even after Elliot cut him, fought him, and created so much trouble. Knight had even given up his VP patch to keep Elliot safe. If Knight believed Elliot was worth it, then Elliot needed to believe so as well.
“So you think I should stand up to Fane when we go back?”
“Absolutely not. Don’t agitate that motherfucker, don’t argue with him. In short, don’t give him a reason to taunt you. Just go with whatever he says until we come up with a way to get rid of him. Okay? Just know that I will need to keep things from you, so that he doesn’t know any of our plans. Can you do that?” Knight asked softly and rubbed Elliot’s hand.
Elliot squeezed the warm fingers, overwhelmed by the care he was being offered. “Okay. I trust you.”
Knight’s shoulders relaxed, and he slowly rested his head on the pillow next to Elliot’s. “Good boy. This isn’t going to last forever. I always find a way out, and I will do so again. And then we can do whatever, even go on vacation together, so that we can unwind and forget it all ever happened.”