Bay hated it because of how pathetic that made him, but he felt a stab of jealousy toward Sila’s twin. He wanted all of Sila’s attention. His trust. His care. He didn’t want to share any of it, not even with the guy’s flesh and blood.
Hell, Bay had already given over his literal flesh and blood to Sila. Couldn’t that be enough?
Maybe he was also feverish because what was he even thinking right now?
Damn it.
“You have feelings, too,” Bay said.
“I do.”
“What are you feeling right now?”
“Anxious.”
“Why?”
“Should I—”
“You don’t need to break my legs,” Bay snapped, losing his patience for the first time. He froze, waiting for the backlash but it didn’t come.
“Okay.” Sila’s grip on his arm loosened.
“Okay?”
“Yeah.” In one swift move, he had Bay sprawled out on his back with Sila lowering himself over top him. He was careful distributing his weight so he wouldn’t crush him, however, planting his forearms at either side of Bay’s head, his legs at either side, caging Bay in on all fronts. “Okay.”
Bay stared up at him, but even though his eyes had partially adjusted to the dark, he could still only make out a slight glimmer where Sila’s multicolored orbs peered back. “You have all of those videos of me, remember?”
Changing tactics here seemed to be the best course of action. He was starting to get really worried, and not for himself—or his legs. If Sila was this out of it, the fever had to be bad and the only cause Bay could think of was the cut on his palm. They needed to get out of here and get to a hospital before things got any worse, but that meant getting through to him.
In his current state, the only thing Sila seemed to care about was locking Bay down. If he helped him see that he’d already done that, maybe he could finally convince him to let him drive him to see a doctor.
“You have leverage,” Bay said.
“It’s useless if you’re dead and you know that.”
“I was only on that bridge because I thought you’d left.”
“I didn’t.”
“You told me you wouldn’t vanish on me again, but you did. I tried calling and you never answered,” Bay reminded. He was the one who should be upset here. “I’m the one who should be scared of being tossed aside.”
“You asked me not to ghost you,” Sila replied, “but I never agreed.”
“And what about the other part?” he persisted. “You told me this would only end when you want it to. Am I supposed to just hold my breath and wait foryouto wake up one day and change your mind and realize you don’t want me anymore?”
A dark, lethal sound rumbled up his chest. “That isn’t going to happen.”
“How can you believe yourself?”
Sila frowned.
He’d tossed the words back at him in the hopes it would help his see reason and trust Bay when he said he wanted to stay. But seeing his reaction now, it was clear that wasn’t working.
If it wasn’t just the fever causing Sila to act this way, then what else could it be? When he’d first woken and seen him sitting next to the bed, Bay had sensed the change as though it were a live thing lounging in the room with them.
What if Sila hadn’t changed though?
