Ehlian kept his head lowered, unwilling to meet Grasson’s stare.
“Talk,” Hayce replied curtly.
“In private.”
After a few seconds of silence, Ehlian realised Hayce was watching him now. Only then did he notice he was still clutching Hayce’s hand. Embarrassed, he released it immediately.
Without another word, Hayce rose, trailing Grasson to a corner where the holographic film threw shifting shadows and colours across their skin.
Ehlian’s stomach twisted uncomfortably. He didn’t like this. Every of his instinct screamed that their conversation had something to do with him. He desperately wished that he had enhanced hearing or could read lips. He hated being left in the dark.
Minutes felt like hours, but less than ten passed before Hayce returned to the table. He sat down and nonchalantly placed his hand on Ehlian’s thigh, right where it always used to be before their shift.
“What did he say?” Ehlian asked nervously.
Hayce didn’t answer, and started a casual conversation with Aric, ignoring Ehlian completely.
Chapter 11
Ehlian’s throat clicked at the sharp alarm ringing through the prison, signalling curfew. The cell door swung shut, but it hadn’t locked yet.
The silence that followed was almost worse than the clashing metal and brutal roars of the fight a month ago. Hayce’s presence was impossible to ignore, looming large even from the other side of the cell. His form dominated Ehlian’s vision, even when he only risked a cautious glance from the corner of his eyes.
But it was the quietness, the oppressive, unbroken silence that was the hardest to endure. The air was heavy with impatience and frustration, and he abruptly realised it was coming from his core.
As if sensing it, Hayce cast him a glance. He said nothing, but Ehlian felt the intensity in his dark eyes.
It was almost unbearable.
Ehlian stood at the floor-to-ceiling window. It was the coldest part of the cell and had the best view of Arox, but he had spent little time watching his home planet shining below the orbiting prison. This time, though, it strangely gave him some comfort.
Hayce turned over a glass at the bar, the burble of pouring drink filling the place. He set the bottle back down, thesound against the wooden counter resonating through the cell. “Grasson wants to claim you.”
Ehlian spun around, a cold shiver shooting up his spine. “He can’t claim me. I’m part of your pack.”
“He thinks I don’t want you. Or that I’ve already grown bored,” Hayce took a gulp from his drink, his expression impossible to read. “He wants to trade. His omega for you.”
Ehlian’s throat tightened. “Did you accept it?”
Hayce took another lazy gulp from his drink, then abandoned the glass on the bar and stepped before Ehlian. Ehlian’s telepathic senses tingled and twisted, stimulated under the long line of heat from Hayce’s body and the weight of his power. He hated how easily his power reacted to Hayce’s, picking up on it like a pleasant scent floating in the air.
Hayce’s gaze burned through him. “I can, if you want me to.”
The crackling sexual energy under Ehlian’s skin was electric, colliding and merging with Hayce’s. His nails dug deep into his own palm, fighting back the soft sound that threatened to escape his lips.
The soft pad of Hayce’s fingers slid down Ehlian’s arm, his thumb brushing lightly along the inside of Ehlian’s wrist. “Is that what you want, Ehlian?”
The tension in Ehlian’s fingers eased, his nails withdrawing from his skin.
“I won’t ever obey you.” His voice cracked, barely more than a whisper. “You can’t—can’t control me.”
Hayce traced another slow circle on Ehlian’s wrist. “When have I ever controlled you?”
“The first time we met.” Ehlian swallowed hard, yanking his hand away from Hayce’s fingers. He couldn’t think straight when Hayce was touching him. “You put me down on my—” He swallowed again, the words catching in his throat. “And you—with 665—the way you so effortlessly—”
Ehlian cut himself off. Even if he wanted to say more, he wouldn’t have been able to force the words past his laboured breathing. His chest rose and fell in a wild, uneven rhythm. And then, abruptly, his breath caught.
It wasn’t the dark lust coursing through his veins that stopped him. It was the terrifyingly knowing glint in Hayce’s eyes.
