“You’re lying,” he said, his tone accusatory.
He was lying. But a few days ago, Ever would have never dared say so. This was progress. Arsen fought the urge to smile. He didn’t want Ever to think Arsen was laughing at him when he was truly just happy he trusted him enough to stand up for himself. An angry Ever meant he knew Arsen would never hurt him. That was huge.
That was everything.
Still, Arsen shook his head. “I’m not lying—” At Ever’s flat stare, he conceded, “Okay, I am, but only because I wanted to eat before we talk.”
Ever’s brows knitted together. Arsen could literally see the wheels in his brain turning. Finally, he said, “You’re sending me away.”
Arsen’s eyes went wide. “What? No.” He dropped down beside him on the couch, gripping Ever’s face between his palms, putting his face as close to his as he dared. “Listen to me. No matter what happens, I’ll never send you away. Ever. Do you believe me?”
Ever hesitated, his expression miserable. His gaze slid away from him and, like always, he worried his lower lip between his teeth. Finally, he nodded, whispering, “Yes.”
Arsen dropped his hands, feeling something unknot in his stomach. “Okay, good.”
But Ever wasn’t done questioning him. “Then, what’s wrong?”
Arsen sighed. He wasn’t going to let it go. “I just talked to Jericho. When you were at the doctor, we took some of your blood, hoping it would help us track down your family, but we didn’t find anything.”
Ever blinked at him. “Oh. Is that all?”
Arsen frowned. “Is that all? Don’t you want to know who you are?”
Ever shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about it since I talked to Noah. There are only two ways I ended up with Jennika, right? I was either sold or kidnapped. I’m not entirely sure I won’t hate my parents either way. I don’t know how to not blame them for all the things she did to me. Does that make me a bad person?”
Arsen scoffed, grabbing Ever by the back of his neck and hauling him close, pressing his lips to his forehead. “Nothing could make you a bad person.”
When he pulled back, Ever looked flustered. “Nothing?”
Arsen shook his head. “Not to me.”
“Really?” Ever asked, hesitant.
“Really, really,” he promised. That seemed to quell some of his unease. Arsen decided to change the subject. “Are you hungry? What new thing do you want to try today? Italian? Ethiopian?”
Ever shook his head, jutting his chin out in a way that made Arsen’s pulse jump. He was so cute, even when he was being obstinate. Now that he’d seen it, Arsen hoped he never stopped fighting.
“So, what new thing doyouwant to try?” he asked patiently, hoping this would be the day Ever made his own decision.
Ever’s brown eyes found his, his voice stern. “I want you to teach me to kiss.”
Arsen’s breath punched from his lungs. “What?”
Ever sank back against the corner of the sofa, glowering at him. “You asked.”
“I—” Arsen stopped short. “You’re right. I did.”
Ever sat forward, voice hopeful. “So, you’ll do it?”
Arsen floundered. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to do it. He thought of nothing else. But kissing led to more. And Ever wasn’t asking for more. Arsen didn’t know if he was strong enough to not try for more.
“Do you not want to kiss me?” Ever asked, disappointment creeping into his voice.
He watched as Ever’s lower lip pooched out and he looked up at him with sad eyes through long, sooty lashes. Arsen narrowed his eyes, taking it all in. It was all so…calculated. Was he trying to manipulate Arsen into getting what he wanted?
It dawned on him then. Noah. Fucking Noah. This was his doing. It had to be. He’d taken his sweet, baby angel, Ever, and turned him into a devious little shit willing to use every weapon in his arsenal to turn Arsen into his puppet.
And worse than that, it was totally working. “Of course, I want to kiss you,besenok,” he admitted. “I haven’t thought of anything but kissing you since the day we met.”
