“I’d rather be alone,” he muttered under his breath.
“No, you wouldn’t.” She flashed him a smile and threw the book again. “What do you think Cole’s doing?”
“I literally don’t care.”
“He’s probably still in the infirmary,” she said, ignoring him. “Hey, are you hungry?”
Frustration rumbled in his chest, and he resorted to grossly exaggerated threats. “I will murder you and your whole family if you don’t quit.”
She only laughed. “You don’t know my family.”
David snatched the book from the air and tossed it to the table. “I’ll find them.”
Her smile wouldn’t fade. “You aregrumpy. Are you really so offended that she chose your mother instead of you?”
“I’m not—” He stopped to moderate the volume of his voice. “I’m not offended.”
Autumn scrunched her face into an insultingly disbelieving expression, and the frustration swelled to true anger. For most people, anger was hot—it provoked hostility and impulsivity—but years of emotional torture had bled the heat out of David. His anger was cold, making his thoughts sharpen and turn calculating.
“Have you told Cole yet that you want to fuck him?” he asked.
Autumn’s joyful expression froze.
“Just wondering how he reacted to learning you want to use him as a sex slave.”
Her still-smiling face managed to scowl. “I know what you’re doing.”
“Oh, you haven’t told him yet? I could do it, if you want. He’d probably be happy to oblige?—”
“David,” she said in a whiny tone. “Lumásare not slaves. They’re cherished.”
He ignored her. “Oh, wait. But he thinks you’re unhinged becauseyou’re staring at him all the time, looking like you want to eat him.” David sucked in a breath. “Might want to dial back the psycho a little.”
She crossed her arms, but her emotions were still ecstatic, and now they were also amused, like she thought this was one big game. Had he lost his edge or something? He could usually hit a person’s insecurities square on the head, but Autumn wasn’t bothered by it.
“At least I don’t have mommy issues,” she said.
He sat back in his chair, glaring at her. “I don’t have mommy issues. I have daddy issues that translate into mommy issues. It’s totally different.”
“Right. This is exactly why I’m not going to let you sit down here alone and sulk.” She grabbed the book and tossed it into the air again.
“I’m not sulking.” Each word came out cutting, proving that he was, in fact, sulking.
“Anna is a good friend for you to have. You shouldn’t cut her out just because she chose your mother.”
“That’s not what I’m doing.”
Autumn raised a brow. “Have you forgotten I can hear your thoughts? You’re all in your feelings about it, and I know exactly how much you think about her.”
The urge to deny it scraped against his self-control, but he managed to stay quiet.
“She’s the only one who took a chance on you, right? The only one who chose to trust you? She defends you. She spent time on you. Shelikesyou.”
“I offered to help her, and she ran away. She doesn’t trust me. She’s clearly scared of me.”
“Learning that sort of skill from someone like you had to be intimidating.”
The insult washed over him, chilled and salty. “What do you mean,someone like me?”
