“I was punished,” Adathan said matter-of-factly.
Anger blazed through William, ignited further by the shame he still hadn’t processed. “Well, I’m not like them, got it? I’ll never punish you. Ever.”
Adathan’s smile didn’t budge as he gazed at him, his silence stretching too long for William’s comfort. “At first, I didn’t understand why you were so unwilling to punish me. It made even less sense that you were concerned about my injuring myself. But now I get it.”
William perked up. “You do?”
Adathan nodded. “You don’t possess a lot, so you cherish the things you have.”
William gaped. “No!” He shook his head. “That’s not it! You’re not a possession! You’re a—”
“Person. I know. I see it now; I’m a person, just like you.” Adathan scooted even closer, trapping William between his body and the sofa’s armrest as he reached for his hand. “And I have you to thank for it. I’m grateful.”
It was all bullshit—Adathan couldn’t undo years of brainwashing just like that—but it was still a step forward, and William would do his damn best not to let his skepticism show. “I didn’t do anything special,” he said nonetheless. He’d merely been treating Adathan like the human being he was.
Adathan cocked his head. “I know you don’t want me, William. Yet, you’re still doing everything you can to make me feel at home. If that’s not special, then I don’t know what is.”
“That’s not true—I do want you.”Fuck, that sounded so wrong.“I mean, you deserve to be happy.”And safe from abuse.“Everyone does.”Almost everyone.
William would very much like for Eden Serviteurs’ CEO to suffer abuse.
Adathan squeezed his hand gently. “The world would be a much better place if everyone were like you.”
William winced. “Please, you don’t know me. I’m far from perfect.”
“To me, you are.”
“You don’t know anything about me.”
“I know you notice more than most, but you don’t use it to do harm.”
William huffed to hide his surprise. “So, anyone who’s not a straight-up villain is perfect? That’s a pretty low bar.”
Adathan’s eyes crinkled. “There’s no such thing as villains. People are complex entities driven by as many sets of motivations as there are individuals. However, most will put their own desires first. You don’t.”
William nearly rolled his eyes at what was clearly a direct quote from one of Adathan’s lessons. “Yeah, well, that’s where you’re wrong.”
“Oh?”
“I always put myself first.”
“Is that so?” Adathan said, the mischievous spark in his eyes making William’s heart skip a beat.
Adathan inched closer, his gaze locked onto him like a predator eyeing its prey. Pressure rose in William’s chest, his thoughts scattering as he tried to make sense of Adathan’s shift in demeanor.
Adathan looked at his lips for a second, then back into his eyes. “If that’s the case...” He trailed off, giving a smile that had no right to be so alluring.
If that’s the case what?
Adathan placed two fingers underneath William’s chin, his touch sparking jolts of tingles across his skin. William opened his mouth to say something—to put an end to whatever was going on—but Adathan spoke before he could.
“Then you must be gettingimmense pleasureout of making me consume only what I enjoy the most.”
CHAPTER 8
Safety, Comfort, and Happiness
Adathan’s words froze William in place, the air in his lungs turning cold. Of course he’d noticed. A man trained to read every flicker of expression wasn’t likely to miss William’s little trick. Still, William hated being seen through—it made him feel like an amateur.
