“In this moment?” He shook his head. “I wouldn’t be so certain, Kitten.”
Bay tipped his head. “Want to kill me?”
Sila’s eyes narrowed.
“Want to chase me to the bedroom and—”
“Stop.”
“Why?”
“I don’t like being a pawn, Bay Delmar. You’re playing a dangerous game right now.”
“I’m playing the same game you started, Sila,” he corrected. “With the same set of rules. People with psychopathy tend to believe they’re above the rest of us, that they’re always five steps head. It was simple enough to let you think that, since for the most part it was true. Only, the second you revealed your true nature to me, you should have realized you’d given me a leg up in this game of ours.”
Bay taught Criminal Psychology.
“You were luring me in,” Sila realized.
“Psychopaths are just like everyone else in one regard,” Bay continued. “They have the same need to be loved and cared for. Even if you didn’t think love was an emotion you’re personally capable of, that doesn’t stop you from craving it from others. That’s why you cling so strongly to your twin. He loves and accepts you for who you are, no matter what twisted urges or thoughts run through that vicious head of yours.
“I let you do whatever you pleased to me, and in the process, I showed you you’re not alone in your darkness. You like owning? That’s great. I like being owned. I like that you covered me in your marks and the way you warned your brother off when he got too close. You want to feel understood and I want to feel wanted. We’re a perfect match. I want you to keep me forever, Sila. That’s all. I just want to be with you. I played my hand and I’m out of cards. It’s your move, Varun.”
“And August?” Sila’s eyes narrowed. “Did you know I would go after him?”
“I couldn’t tell if you were watching me once school started, or how invested you were prior to the start of the new semester,” Bay said. “The only reason I knew you came to the cinema is because the worker told me if you were there whenever I arrived.”
“What about the fact I was filming you?”
“I had a hunch, since you were never in the room with me, and since you kept coming back you’d clearly found a way to watch from somewhere else. But I didn’t know if you were recording.”
“And if I’d gone straight to the police?”
Bay lifted a brow. “To show them you illegally filmed someone at a sex theater?”
Right.
“I’d hoped you’d hear that something had happened to August and, since you knew I liked you, you’d maybe put two and two together. Then you’d come ask me about it and we could…I don’t know, honestly. I wasn’t anticipating anything really happening between us. But I wanted an excuse to talk to you. Then August ended up disappearing… I didn’t realize it might have been you until I saw that slipup in the East Quad.”
“You didn’t care that I might have killed him?”
“Not even a little bit.”
“That’s not very professional of you, Professor. He was one of your students.”
“I couldn’t feel anything at the time,” he reminded. “It didn’t really matter to me.”
“And now?”
“Now that I can feel?” Bay shrugged. “You said he was an asshole. What do I care if he’s dead then?”
This was…a lot. Even his brother didn’t like it when Sila got blood under his fingernails.
“You could take that to the police right now and get your house back,” he pointed out.
“And expose you?” Bay shook his head. “I would never do that. There’s no way to splice the footage to keep anyone from discovering how the night ended either.”
That was true. Since Haroon was currently dead and Kelevra’s Retinue had disposed of the body, there’d be a lame investigation put on by someone in the Imperial Prince’s pocket. And that was only once Haroon’s family or friends realized he was missing and reported him. If this video was presented however, it would be obvious something had gone down. They’d suspect Bay first, forcing the professor to either give Sila up and expose the rest of the footage, or take the blame and end up behind bars himself.
