AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And that only made the guilt worse because he was about to trick Jeremiah. He was going to break the only promise Jeremiah had asked him to make because of some misplaced loyalty. Sure, he wasn’t actually planning on attending the party, but he hadn’t had a chance to talk to Thad alone, and he’d been blowing up Remi’s phone all day, making sure he was coming.
He’d go down and talk to him face-to-face, and that was it, but he felt like he owed him that much. Thad may be a lot of things, but he’d also befriended Remi when no one else had. Under all his douchebaggery, there was a little bit of a good guy.
Maybe…
But he knew Jeremiah wouldn’t like it, so he needed to employ some sneakiness. Hopefully, his Hellhound wouldn’t be too upset when he found out he left the apartment alone.
“What’s wrong?”
Jeremiah’s rumble hit Remi right in the center of his sternum, and his resolve almost broke. He knew he was taking a risk, but he was only going to go as far as Thad’s car. He’d be perfectly fine. He took a breath, then shrugged and stepped close to Jeremiah.
He could do this.
“I’m feeling low.”
Jeremiah set down the bowl he was holding and tugged Remi into his arms, kissing over the bite mark he’d made not even an hour ago. The wound had healed, but there was starting to be a faint scar that made Remi shivered when he touched or looked at it. “What can I do?”
Remi groaned. His resolve cracked a little harder, but it didn’t shatter. “Would it make me a giant asshole if I asked you to go out and get me a little comfort food?”
Jeremiah kissed him again, then pulled back and pinched his chin between fingers and thumb. “Depends. If you want me to fly home to get you some Siren delicacy, my answer is going to be fuck no.”
Remi rolled his eyes. “No. There’s this little dessert shop over by the bookstore that’s always open late for the stoner kids. They make these amazing beignets with chocolate sauce, but they don’t do delivery.”
Jeremiah sighed, staring up at the ceiling like it was the worst task Remi could have asked him, but there was a smile playing at his lips, telling Remi he’d won. And fuck, how could be not fall in love with this man?
“Kiss me,” he said, knowing there was a chance—even if it was tiny—that Jeremiah wouldn’t forgive him for lying and it would be the last time.
Jeremiah just smiled, cupped his cheek, and obeyed. “Okay, my little princeling. But if you tell anyone I’ve become some dessert errand boy…”
“Never.” He lost himself for just a moment, kissing Jeremiah again until he was forced to break away or fess up. “Thank you.”
Jeremiah nodded and leaned in, rubbing his nose over Remi’s neck, scenting him, before finally turning away to grab his keys. “Why don’t you pick a movie? We can cuddle and eat your gross treats.”
Remi laughed, hoping the sound didn’t sound as forced as it was. That sounded perfect, and he just hoped Jeremiah would still want to when he found out what Remi had done. Sneaking around behind his back was making him feel like he might throw up, but he forced himself to pull out his phone and text Thad.
Remi: Coming down now.
There was a ball of anxiety in his chest at the idea of blowing up his life without the certainty of a future with Jeremiah, but he had to do it. Even if he ended up without his Hellhound, he couldn’t keep pretending he was okay with the things the frat said and did. It was time for him to stand up to their bigotry and become the man he’d been scared to be for so long.
He sighed and tossed his phone on the couch, not bothering to read Thad’s exuberant responses. He rolled his shoulders and hyped himself up, then headed out the door.
Taking the stairs three at a time, Remi made it to the building’s back exit and immediately spotted Thad’s little sports car waiting for him. The trunk popped as he got closer, and he simply closed it again, not having a bag with his change of clothes in it.
He opened the passenger door and slowly lowered himself into the seat.
Thad took one look at his face and made a disgusted sound. “Fuck, dude. Is the leash really that tight?”
Remi’s cheeks reddened. “It’s not like that. I’m… Listen, I appreciate you taking me under your wing freshman year, but I don’t think the frat is for me anymore.”
Thad stared at him, mouth gaping open. “Are you shitting me? Because that thing doesn’t want you to go to a party? You’re just going to ruin your whole life?”
“This isn’t my whole life,” Remi said furiously. “My people and kingdom are my life. This has just been… a nice diversion. And Jeremiah isn’t a thing, Thad. I can’t believe you let your dad’s hatred sour you so much.”
Thad’s face twisted. “Don’t bring my dad into this.”
Remi took a deep breath and let it out, reaching into his pocket to pull out the pin with his Greek letters on it. He dropped them in the cup holder, and Thad stared down at them in the dim light. “You’re right. This isn’t about him, not really. Have a nice life, Thad.”
He pulled the door handle, eager to get back upstairs and wait for Jeremiah so he could apologize and beg for his Hellhound to hold him until he stopped shaking. As he swung a foot out, he felt Thad grab his arm.
