by Diane Lennox
“I agree with Alice,” Marius said. “One step at a time, and we will all be there for every step. As I said, you won’t be alone, and I advise you rely on us for this. Failure will be far more messy than success.”
Ezra nodded a little. “I feel weak for admitting all of this.”
Marius smirked. “That’s because you are still weak right now. A stronger man would not feel weak over admitting the truth to the men he cared for.”
“Oh shit,” Pasha said before he could stop himself then quickly covered his mouth.
A small snort and a soft giggle came from Alice, who also was doing his best to cover his mouth.
“I’m so not getting involved,” Yuri said with a little shake of his head, though Pasha could see a hint of a smile on his face too.
“You know, you’re not exactly helping the confidence situation here, Marius,” Ezra said, sending Marius a playful glare.
“I said what I said in complete faith that you will become stronger,” Marius said, then started to blush. “And I look forward to the day when you can put me in my place.”
At that everyone’s eyes widened and Pasha swore he heard Ezra sputter.
Marius, meanwhile, simply took another piece of fruit to eat, though his own face was still rather rosy. “I hope this settles it then and you’ll be telling Evgeni yes to his offer tomorrow.”
Ezra looked around at his brothers.
“Say yes,” Yuri said first. “Like Marius-khan said, it will be difficult, but I think the rewards are far greater than the losses.”
“I agree,” Alice said with a little nod. “And I think before any of us – myself, Yuri, and Pasha – can really start to heal, we need you to heal first.”
“And we can fight to keep our family together. It doesn’t necessarily mean everything will fall apart,” Pasha added. “For all we know Rex-fahn might realize what he’s done and try to change. If not, we can still fight to keep Lucifer-fan and grandfather.”
Ezra nodded. “Alright. I’ll say yes. But I’ll need help.”
“Then you’ll get it,” Yuri said, smiling up at Ezra.
“Thank you, all of you, for discussing this with me,” Ezra said, looking to all of them.
“It was our pleasure,” Marius said with the barest hint of a smile that showed mostly in his eyes that Pasha saw as a dark, shimmering iridescent colour.
“Did you want to stay with us a little longer?” Pasha asked, not wanting Marius to leave. He had such a calming effect on all of them and in all honesty Pasha was just hoping for more flirting from Marius so that Ezra could see that Marius damned well wanted him! Fuck, how much more obvious did Marius need to be? ‘I look forward to the day when you can put me in my place’ – like hot damn! Pasha wished someone would say something like that to him so flirtatiously.
“Yes, if none of you mind,” Marius replied.
“Not at all,” Ezra said. “Would you like to watch something with us? Or perhaps play some pool or cards?”
“Yes, I do enjoy playing cards,” Marius said.
In a flash Pasha was up and making his way to the games cupboard to grab a deck of cards, tossing them over to Ezra.
“I know you like devil’s rummy, would you like to play that with us?” Ezra asked as he took the cards out of the package and started to shuffle them with practiced ease.
“Yes, I’d like that,” Marius said.
The five of them then cozied up to the coffee table and started to play, lazily munching on the fruit while it wasn’t their turn.
The whole time Pasha couldn’t stop smiling. He just really, really liked having Marius there with them. He fit in so well and Pasha knew he’d instantly accept him as an older brother figure. Fuck, he already had. As soon as Marius had taken his hand when Ezra and Yuri fought, not at all hesitating in keeping Pasha and Alice safe, he was sold.
Only one thing was keeping the night from being perfect, and that was Yuri’s poor playing once again. He still didn’t seem eager to be competitive. However, he had done well all night with everything else so Pasha wasn’t going to comment, he didn’t want to set his brother back when he’d made so many gains in one evening.
“Oh, I forgot, I wanted to ask you something, Yuri,” Marius said after a few rounds.
“What is it?”
“The way you did Ezra’s hair the other evening, up in that complicated bun, would you be willing to show me how you did it? It was very good.”
“I’d love to,” Yuri said with a wide, pleased grin. “Do you wanna see it tonight, or perhaps another night? It would give you another reason to come over.”
“I don’t need a convenient reason to come over, the company of the Scarlett brothers is all the reason I need. However, perhaps we should wait for another night. I don’t intend on losing this game of devil’s rummy and by the time it’s over it will probably be getting late.”
Alice giggled away, seeming very amused and happy.
“What is it, Alice?” Marius asked, his monotone voice going just a slight bit softer.
“You’re so feisty,” Alice said, hiding behind his cards. “It’s fun.”
“As I said the other day, outside of work I can be more playful. I also enjoy a bit of competition, especially with games.”
“Well good luck beating Alice,” Pasha said with a grin. “He acts all innocent, but he enjoys winning more than you’d think, especially in this game. Cards are his favourite.”
“I appreciate a good challenge,” Marius said, his faint smile returning.
Alice just giggled again, his copper cheeks heating up at having so much attention on him.
And, as predicted, it did end up being Marius and Alice left standing at the end of their game.
“Fuck, I don’t know who to cheer for!” Pasha cried. “Can’t you both just win?”
“No,” Alice and Marius said at the same time, causing everyone to laugh.
And as Marius drew another card he looked straight at Alice and laid down his hand. “Massibal.”
Massibal – the most deadly of the seven kings of hell – and in devil’s rummy, what you call a fully completed hand, causing the round to instantly be won.
“Good game,” Alice said with a smile and a small bow of his head.
“Indeed,” Marius said, bowing his head in return. “And with that I should head home.”
“Aww,” Pasha whined. “Already?”
“Yes. I will come again, don’t worry,” Marius said and stood.
“I’ll walk you to the door,” Ezra said.
“Thank you,” Marius said then turned to the three brothers on the couch. “It was very good to see all of you again. I hope we can spend more time together soon.”
“We hope so too,” Yuri replied for them.
And with that Marius went upstairs with Ezra to say goodnight.
Alice sighed wistfully. “He’s so wonderful.”
Pasha laughed. “He is. They’d better fucking hook up.”
“I agree,” Yuri said with a little smirk. “Still feels strange to say that though when I’ve disliked Marius on principle for so long, but I think I understand him more now. He’s a serious man, I can see why he declined Ezra’s request to court when they first met if all his focus was on his son. If he does eventually get together with Ezra, he’ll be very serious about it.”
Pasha nodded in agreement. “Ezra deserves someone who would be that loyal.”
“He does,” Alice chimed in. “Though I believe Ezra already has his loyalty.”
“True,” Pasha said. Marius certainly had Ezra’s best interests at heart and didn’t seem to want to coddle him in any way.
After a couple more minutes Ezra headed back down to join them and flopped onto the couch with them once more.
“Dude,” Pasha said, looking at his brother. “He flirted with you. And I don’t mean a subtle flirt. That was like wooow.”
“Fuck, I know,” Ezra said with a groan, though he was grinning widely.
/> “Ezra, why won’t you ask to court him? It seems pretty obvious he likes you,” Alice said.
This time Ezra’s groan sounded more pained than pleased. “Because as pissed off as I am at Lazarus Kane, I can’t stop thinking about him now too.”
“Shit,” Pasha swore. He knew Ezra had a little crush on the man, but apparently their meeting had a bigger impact on his big brother than he thought.
“So you like both of them?” Yuri asked.
“I only just met Lazarus so I can’t say if I like him, but I’m scared that if I go after Marius I’ll always wonder ‘what if’ when it comes to Lazarus. Gods, I just can’t stop thinking of the way he looked at me.”
“Then why not ask both to court you?” Alice asked.
“Because it’s impossible,” Ezra said, sounding defeated. “For one, I always thought of myself as a monogamous man, and secondly, those two aren’t on speaking terms. I don’t think they’d be interested in any sort of triad affair. I’m also pretty sure me dating both of them separately is out of the question because I really, really don’t think either of them are the sharing type.”
“I could see that,” Pasha said, wincing a little as he thought about it. Hunters were notoriously territorial and Marius didn’t exactly seem like the type to back down when he wanted something.
“And, well, I don’t think I’m ready,” Ezra admitted. “What Marius said was very flirtatious, but I get the feeling it was also a hint that I shouldn’t try to go after him until I’m more confident.”
“I have a feeling you’re right about that,” Yuri said. “Though it does sound like he intends to wait for you.”
“It does. Gods, it does,” Ezra said, putting his hands over his face. “What am I going to do?”
“Well I think at some point you should probably spend some time with Lazarus, see if something with him is even a possibility,” Pasha said.
“True, but fuck, I don’t think I could face him alone the way I am now. I’d be too scared and nervous.”
“Then wait,” Alice said, putting a hand on Ezra’s forearm. “Let’s just start with working with Evgeni and building up your confidence. We’ll deal with Lazarus and Marius after.”
Ezra nodded in agreement. “Okay.”
Alice started to smile. “I’m really excited for you, Ezra. I have a very good feeling about you taking on Evgeni’s offer. And if he does try to make your life difficult in less harmful ways, you have three little troublemakers right here who could help you get some playful revenge.”
Pasha grinned widely. “Exactly.”
Ezra chuckled. “You make a very good point. Alright. Thank you, all of you, for being by my side for this.”
“We’ll always be here,” Yuri said.
Pasha grinned brightly as the four of them cuddled close. Yes, they were all going to get stronger together.
Episode 7
“Yes.”
Evgeni Desjardins was no stranger to hearing that word directed at him, but he had never heard it said in such a way before – with such reluctance, and yet, at the same time, such determination.
His smile, which was the usual response when somebody said yes to him, was different this time as well. He wasn’t sure if the man before him would understand just how special it was to see Evgeni smile in such a genuine way with only the barest hints of mischief lurking in the corners.
Then he bowed low, knowing damned well how hard it would have been to say yes to him, and such a brave response deserved respect.
“I look forward to working with you, Ezra Scarlett,” Evgeni said, meaning every word.
“And in some ways, I feel the same, Evgeni-khan,” Ezra replied, and Evgeni couldn’t help but smirk, amused by the bluntness and honesty. “I do have a few requests, however.”
“Name them,” Evgeni said.
Ezra took a deep breath and looked upwards, as if praying to the gods, before looking to Evgeni once more. “I want to talk at your home. Your room, preferably. I don’t want to be in the theatre or at my own home for this. There’s a lot I’ll be telling you that’s extremely private and I don’t want there to be any chance that someone could overhear. I also don’t want to feel like I’m the only one being vulnerable. It’s obvious you’re a private man, so while I know I’ll probably learn little about you, since I doubt you’ll tell me anything in return, I’d at least like to see your private quarters and try to learn about you that way.”
At that Evgeni’s smirk grew. The only thing about Evgeni’s room that reflected his personality is what Ezra already knew – he was a private man. “You may be disappointed.”
Ezra shrugged. “Do you accept my terms, or not?”
“Will you say no to working with me if I decline this request?”
“No, but I won’t talk until I get what I want.”
“I see,” Evgeni said with a little grin, enjoying that Ezra was being a tiny bit of a brat. “And do you have any other requests?”
“If you don’t have apple ale at your house you’re picking me up some on the way. I’m not doing this without drinking a little.”
Evgeni chuckled. Now he was highly amused. “What else?”
“That’s it. I just want my apple ale and to do our talking in your room.”
“Done,” Evgeni said, finding Ezra’s requests a little surprising, but not at all difficult to agree to. However, there was one thing he knew he had to tease Ezra about. “Are you sure Marius will appreciate you being alone with me in my bedroom?”
Ezra stilled for only a brief moment. “I think Marius knows my character and taste in men well enough to not be worried.”
Evgeni laughed. “So I’m not to your tastes, Ezra?”
Ezra cocked an eyebrow at him, as if surprised that Evgeni would bother even asking that. “No. And I’m pretty damned sure I’m not to your tastes either. You’d probably have a bit of fun teasing me, but you’d enjoy a man far more clever than myself.”
Evgeni’s expression softened, his smile once more turning a bit more sincere. “I think you may be more clever than you give yourself credit for, Ezra. Now come on, we have a lot of work to do today.”
Ezra just nodded in response and the two of them headed out of the theatre with Evgeni simply giving Yves a wave in lieu of a proper goodbye or explanation. Yves could always text or call if he wanted to know more, but Evgeni doubted his brother would. When it concerned Ezra, Yves seemed to have utmost trust in him, and luckily for Yves, that trust was not unfounded this time. Evgeni was loyal in his own way, and he made a promise to Ezra that if he agreed to let Evgeni teach him he’d make him a star, so that’s what he was going to do.
They didn’t have to walk far before they found a liquor shop and the two of them walked inside.
“I’ll pay for your apple ale or whatever else you find that you like, but you’re carrying it yourself,” Evgeni said, tossing his long, thin braids over his shoulder.
“Fair enough,” Ezra said and walked over to the ale section, grabbed the bottle of apple ale just like he said he would, then made his way up to the counter with Evgeni.
As promised, Evgeni paid, then the two of them carried on towards the Desjardins manor. It was only a fifteen minute walk northeast so Evgeni didn’t bother with the tram, it felt lazy not to just walk.
They didn’t say anything to each other the entire way there, but as soon as Evgeni entered his home he broke the silence.
“Kai?” Evgeni called as he began taking off his boots.
A few moments later Kai came strolling up to them.
“This is Ezra Scarlett,” Evgeni introduced, gesturing to the bigger man beside him.
“A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Scarlett,” Kai said in his usual polite tone. “May I take your coat?”
“Oh, um, sure,” Ezra said, clearly a little surprised at having a maid offer to help him with his things.
“Ezra and I have some private matters to discuss and we’ll be using my bedroom as our meeting room. That m
eans I’ll have to ask you not to go up onto the second floor while he is here. If we need anything I will either text you or come down myself,” Evgeni said.
“Understood, Master Evgeni,” Kai said with a nod of his head before finishing hanging up their coats.
“Thank you, Kai,” Evgeni said then turned his attention to Ezra. “This way, Ezra.”
He watched as Ezra took in their huge house and he could tell from Ezra’s wide, curious eyes that he’d probably never been in a home so opulent before. It made him wonder what the Scarlett house was like. From what he knew the Scarlett family had to be fairly well off, though perhaps their home did not grow with their wealth and they simply stayed where they were used to. It definitely wasn’t an uncommon thing to happen. People got attached to places.
Evgeni made a quick stop at the kitchen to grab a couple glasses for them and took a couple bottles of flavoured water as well – one for himself and one for Ezra should he change his mind about the ale or simply wanted something different. Then after that it was up the grand staircase to the second floor and a right turn down the hallway to Evgeni’s bedroom.
“Here we are,” Evgeni said as he welcomed Ezra into his room and made sure to shut the door behind them.
Ezra didn’t say anything right away, instead he simply looked around, taking it in. “Interesting.”
“Is it?” Evgeni asked and walked over to his little sitting area. It was simply a couple of small, white armchairs nestled in a corner with a round coffee table in front of them, which was where Evgeni put down the glasses and bottles of water.
“It is. I see why you said I’d be disappointed, there isn’t much personality to the room, but I think the fact that it doesn’t says a lot more than I thought it would.”
“What does it say?” Evgeni asked and took a seat, curious to hear what Ezra thought.
“You don’t feel at home here,” Ezra said and sat down in the other armchair.
Years of acting helped Evgeni keep his face neutral. He was surprised that Ezra would be quite so insightful, but the fact that he was, at least about this, told Evgeni a lot about him in return.