Perish: Book Three (bxb) ✔️

1. Rewind, August.

August Luna

Dad was questionably quiet the entire way back to my apartment. The media had just exposed my "relationship" with Kayax. Davis exposed it, by the way. I wasn't in a fucking relationship with that termite.

However, I have already plotted three million ways to use this to my advantage. And hey, I wasn't too terribly heartless. I knew Kayax had a stampede of LGBTQ-plus fans that did happen to mean something to him. I wasn't going to mess with any of that.

Especially since I was in the same damn community.

I sighed dramatically when we stepped inside the apartment. It wasn't that my Papa was glaring at me when I walked in—no—it was the massive infestation sitting on my furniture. Lovely.

I walked over to the counter, not even looking at my parents. "Please leave us. We have things to discuss."

Kayax didn't even bother removing his attention from his phone long enough to notice my existence—despite my speaking. My parents went to another area of my apartment. I needed a drink, but I'd never drink around him again. I didn't want those lasting consequences in my head for the rest of my life.

I drummed my fingers across the counter. "I do wonder why you're sticking your head too far up your ass considering this is all your fault."

Not even a flinch. "Blame your inebriated brain. Do tell me how you expect to explain that one away?"

"I was drunk. That explains enough. Severe motor and cognitive dysfunction. Because my sober mind would never. It isn't my fault. It's, once again, the issue of Davis Adler and his Spawn. What advantage do you hope to gain here?"

"Rewind, August." He finally dropped his phone into his lap. "I didn't do anything. My Father did. Though, you'll lump me with him any chance you get. I do recall telling you that you think you know shit about me, but you don't. You know what I allow you to see. Now, how about we have a productive conversation? Your agenda where destroying me is concerned? It's growing rather boring."

I walked across the tile, staring him down. "What? Do you want to make yourself even more important by attaching yourself to a Luna? You sure as Hell still can't keep my fucking Dad's name out of your mouth, so, am I as good as it gets for you?"

Kayax looked nothing except bored. "I suppose so. If I have to do this, I'll... deal with it."

"Who the hell said I would do this with you?"

"No? Then why am I still here? If you weren't going to do this with me, I would have been kicked out when I arrived. However, your Papa let me inside."

My eye twitched when he brought up Papa. It wasn't the fact that he brought him up as a person, but it confused me that he paid just enough attention to know how I addressed him. I also hated that he was staring at me like I was to have the magical answer to his question. And I did.

Because I wanted to take down Davis Adler for what he did to my family. I wouldn't ruin Kayax's career--that wasn't for me to touch. However, I'd do anything in my power to make Davis as uncomfortable as possible. If that meant schmoozing around with his son, then I could handle it. It wasn't like I couldn't deal with it.

Kayax was merely a go-between me and the way I wanted to get under Davis Adler's skin. I could pretend to be so in love with him that he'd even start to wonder if it was real or not. I'd make sure he knew it wasn't. Again, I wasn't a monster.

Initially, I had planned to only attack Kayax by producing and releasing music to battle with him. The usual way two artists went head to head. However, I knew Davis was the reason these photos had surfaced. There was no way Kayax could have known at any time when we'd run into one another, and he didn't take the pictures himself.