We all raise our glasses, the crystal catching the light.
“To found family,” Elliot adds softly, his eyes meeting mine.
“To found family,” we echo, glasses clinking in a perfect ring of sound.
I feel something shift in my chest—unfamiliar yet not unwelcome. These people around this table, they’re becoming something I never expected to have. Something I never knew I wanted.
Theo’s nightclub, Euphoria, pulses with blue and purple lights as we enter, the bass line thrumming through the floor. Unlike Purgatory’s exclusive darkness, this place offers a more accessible kind of hedonism—designer drugs and hookups instead of elaborate ritual. But the crowd parts for us just the same. Knox and Bianca lead the way to the VIP section while Elliot’s fingers interlace with mine.
A familiar figure stands at the private bar, shoulders hunched slightly. Victor Kaine. All six-foot-five of muscle suddenly looks like he wants to disappear into his whiskey glass.
“Well, well,” I murmur, loud enough for Elliot to hear but not the others. “This is unexpected.”
Victor’s eyes dart up, meeting mine briefly before shifting away. His massive frame seems to shrink further as Theo emerges from a doorway behind him, clapping a hand on Victor’s shoulder.
“Julian! Perfect timing.” Theo’s greeting holds nothing but his usual warmth, no hint of awkwardness. “I’ve added a new bourbon to the collection that you’ll appreciate.”
I raise an eyebrow, memories of my last encounter with these two flooding back—Victor’s initial protests about not being gay dissolving into enthusiastic participation as Theo rode him in the middle of my living room. The Kylie twins provided background entertainment with Jenson while Victor discovered previously untapped interests.
“Interesting choice of establishment,” I comment as we reach them. “I’d have thought you’d be too busy to visit Theo’s club, Victor.”
Victor downs his drink in one gulp. “Just stopping by.”
The flush creeping up his neck tells a different story.
Elliot leans close to my ear. “What am I missing here?”
I turn so my lips brush against his earlobe. “Remember, I mentioned an impromptu party at my place after the Hunt?” I keep my voice low. “Victor swore he wasn’t interested in men right before Theo gave him the ride of his life on my Italian leather armchair. Seems he’s developed a taste for more than just fighting.”
Elliot’s eyes widen, darting between Victor’s embarrassed demeanor and Theo’s satisfied smile. “Oh,” he whispers, suppressing a laugh. “And now?”
“Now I think our friend Victor has been making regular visits that have nothing to do with the quality of Theo’s liquor selection.”
Theo looks pleased with himself, a secretive smile playing at the corners of his mouth as he leans against Victor’s massive frame. The contrast between them is almost comical—Theo’s lean, artistic build dwarfed by Victor’s hulking, muscular physique. Yet somehow, they fit perfectly.
“Another round,” Knox announces, signaling to the attendant as we settle into the plush couches of the VIP section.
Two bottles of top-shelf liquor appear almost instantly. The alcohol flows freely, loosening tongues and inhibitions with each passing drink.
“You know,” Knox says after his third whiskey, his arm draped casually around Bianca’s shoulder, “during the Hunt, Bianca here proved quite the adventurous spirit.” He grins at her, and she blushes but doesn’t contradict him.
Bianca takes a deep breath and picks up the story. “Knox decided I was too much woman for just one man.” Her voice carries a hint of pride. “He invited Jenson, Victor, and Marcus to join us.”
Elliot shifts slightly beside me, his thigh pressing against mine. I can feel the unasked question in his body language.
“So,” Knox turns his attention to us, mischief dancing in his eyes. “Would you share Elliot? Maybe for a special occasion? I’ve heard he’s quite the revelation since coming out.”
Something primal flares inside me. My hand tightens possessively on Elliot’s knee.
“No fucking way,” I growl, the words emerging harsher than intended. “That door closed after the Hunt and his fun with Theo. I’m too possessive now.”
Theo raises his glass in mock salute. “Can’t blame a man for asking.”
“Let me be clear,” I continue, looking each of them in the eye. “I’ll display my man for all to see—I have no issue with an audience. But nobody—and I mean nobody—touches him but me.”
Elliot’s breath catches audibly, his pupils dilating at my words.
“Interesting,” Bianca observes, her gaze analytical.
