“Your family is off-limits.”
“Keep it that way.”
Sure. I’ll keep it that way,Ehlian thought sulkily. It bothered him that Hayce kept things from him. And it shouldn’t.They weren’t a couple. They were barely even lovers. Yes, they fucked. Yes, Hayce had spent his heat with him, but only because he’d had no other choice.
Ehlian pressed his lips together, unwilling to respond. Or to speak at all for the rest of the day.
Hayce’s thumb started caressing his chest softly, just above his heart. It weakened Ehlian’s frustration, but not enough to break him, and he let the silence stretch.
Hayce’s thumb stilled. “One question.”
Ehlian blinked up at him innocently. “Two.”
“One, Ehlian.”
“Fine.” Ehlian shrugged. “Three, or no sex for a month.”
Hayce gave him a flat look.
“What?” Ehlian said. “You know I can follow through.”
“You forget that I can too.”
Ehlian said nothing, letting the silence stretch between them again.
“One,” Hayce said, leaving no room for argument. “Take it or leave it.”
Ehlian tsked, giving in, even if he didn’t understand why a few questions were such a big deal. It wasn’t like he’d run to the press. Maybe some of Hayce’s previous omegas had for quick money.
What could he do with one question? He had too many, so he would have to be clever about it. “Who visited you a few weeks ago?”
“That has nothing to do with my family,” Hayce said. When Ehlian opened his mouth, he added evenly, “And don’t push it. I won’t answer.”
Ehlian clicked his tongue, his voice casual. “What’s the big deal about your batshit-crazy omega who’s still all over you?”
Hayce stared at him. “My…what?”
“Well,” Ehlian shrugged lightly, though the way Hayce was looking at him suddenly made him feel a bit stupid. “Your omega from Arox visited, right? You had to have someone. Don’t tell me you didn’t.”
“Not when I was locked up,” Hayce said after a pause. “And barely anyone before that, but I always kept a few lovers.”
Ehlian gave him a flat look. “A few, huh?”
“Not at the same time,” Hayce said drily, his hand sliding down Ehlian’s chest and slipping beneath his shirt, skimming over ticklish skin.
“Stop it,” Ehlian beat back a laugh, batting his hand away. “You won’t get sex for a month, remember? And I haven’t asked my question.”
Hayce slipped back under his shirt, just resting his hand there lazily. “You just wasted it.”
“Don’t be unfair,” Ehlian said. “You never responded. You know that doesn’t count.”
Ehlian glanced back at the torn photo. Strangely, he couldn’t quite recall Sandar’s face, even though as the firstborn he should have received more attention than Hayce. He had so many questions, but the photo already told a million words, so he focused on the one that mattered most. “You think your brother had something to do with your father’s death?”
Hayce studied him quietly. “You’re that sure it wasn’t me?”
Maybe Ehlian was deluding himself. Maybe he was being fooled. Telepaths could hide behind a flawless façade, but the pulse of their power always betrayed them in the end. Yes, Hayce was an arrogant ass, but he had never once felt malicious or cruel. Ehlian sensed nothing vicious about him. If anything, he would have expected an unhinged killer to behave more like Grasson, someone who couldn’t keep his anger on a leash.
“I… might be.”
