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He stares at me, outrage trying very hard to keep up with confusion, then he stops me with a raised hand.
“But…”
I tilt my head. “But?”
He nibbles at his lower lip. “You took the spider away. Wasn’t that so I’d do… that?”
Under all that fury and the awful little mouth that never stops threatening me, there is still this: the part of him that expects every mercy to be a bargain and every favor to come with a hook buried inside it.
I step closer, but not enough to crowd him. “While your offer is very tempting,” I say, and enjoy the instant flush that climbs his face, “no. I don’t want you on your knees just because you’re scared or intimidated by something.”
He opens his mouth, probably to deny both parts, but I don’t let him. “Don’t worry,” I murmur, and give him a small wink, “you’ll do it willingly.”
I hold out my hand again, and this time, after staring at it, he takes it.
I drag him toward the kitchen. He glances around once more and says, “Do you own anything that looks brighter?”
“I own you.”
He chokes on air. “No, you absolutely don’t.”
“Mm. We have to talk about that in a bit.”
He mutters something under his breath, but I don’t hear it. The kitchen island is already laid out with food. Fruit, rice crackers, and a small plate of the cookies I made for Rei.
I barely get the plate set down before Ilya snatches one. He bites into it, and I watch the way all his hostility gets rerouted by the simple fact of being fed.
“Thought you said they were awful.”
He shrugs with his mouth still full. “They are. I’m just hungry.”
“Of course.”
He steals another, then a rice cracker, and something off the other plate.
He’s suddenly snatching everything within reach like a starving feral prince. His eyes are brighter now, actually shining, and I have to look away for a second because the sight is unexpectedly dangerous to my self-control. And I don’t mean that in a dirty way. Well, not entirely. But he really gives me cuteness aggression. Sometimes I want to kiss his face for hours, but I doubt he would let me.
He catches me looking and narrows his eyes. “What?”
I shake my head and watch him steal another. “Let’s set some boundaries, little prince.”
He looks up at me with his mouth full.
“From now on, you don’t ignore me anymore.”
His eyes narrow, then he sets the fork down, which is a sign he’s about to become difficult on purpose.
“And if I do?” he asks.
“While I think your whole push-and-pull routine is very entertaining, there comes a point where it stops being hot and starts being annoying.”
He scoffs. “Aw. Did you get lonely?”
“Yes, actually.”
He folds his arms. “Is that why you started ignoring me back? What, you’ll go fuck Sasha again?”
“Your jealousy is adorable.”
