Page 106 of Devil May Lie

“I don’t know what you’re referring to.”

“Your new toy.”

“I don’t follow.”

“If you’re worried I’ll tell Bay if you admit it, don’t be. Do you really think he didn’t figure it out all on his own? How else would I know? We tell each other everything.”

Berga’s spine stiffened. “He wouldn’t talk about me to anyone.”

“It’s amazing what you can ring from a guy after forcing them to ride your cock for twelve hours straight.” Sila shrugged like it was no big deal. “You don’t have to feel bad for him. The professor liked every second of it.”

He should go. Whether or not Bay was venting about him to his boyfriend, details of their sex life were of no interest to Berga. He’d either wait in the hall or call and reschedule, it was pointless to linger here.

“Going to keep denying it?” Sila asked, stopping him when he took a single step toward the door.

Berga sighed. “I don’t owe you anything.”

“That’s true,” he agreed. “I guess I’m just curious how far I can push you before you try to do to me what you did to Madden Odell.”

His expression twisted into one of disgust. “That would never happen.”

“Why? I’m not murder-worthy?”

“If that’s what you think you know,” he drawled. “You’re wrong. I’ve never intended to harm him, let alone kill him.”

Sila nodded as if he believed him. “Just pet his hair, maybe pluck out his eyes. I noticed the earrings he’s been wearing lately. Aren’t those the ones you bought with Bay a few months ago? What did you say in the shop that day?” He tapped his bottom lip. “They reminded you of something you always wanted to feel in the palm of your hand but couldn’t have, isn’t that it?”

“You don’t want to be playing this game with me.” Berga felt the first stirrings of annoyance untangle within him and he glared at Sila.

“Because you’re so much better at it?” He wagged a finger. “While it’s true you’re skilled at omitting important details, that doesn’t change the fact you aren’t the manipulative sort, Berga.

“You don’t consider gifting my lover a pair of earrings that remind me of his eyes manipulative? Interesting.” Not really.

“Earrings you’ve had for a while,” he corrected. “Did you tell him that part? Or did you pass them off like they were shiny and new?”

“They were new.” It’d only been like three months since he’d purchased them, and he’d never worn them himself. They’d sat in a drawer by his bedside all this time, hidden away and only taken out after a particularly stressful day. And even then, Berga had merely run his thumb over the sleek surface before snapping the velvet box closed.

“Does he know how long you’ve been thinking about him?” Sila noticeably switched tactics, and though Berga didn’t understand why, he went along with it. “How long you’ve wanted him?”

“I didn’t want him.” That would imply Berga had sat around pinning for the Mad King since they were children, which wasn’t the case. He’d developed an odd fascination with the guy’s hair and his eyes, that was it. A fascination he’d been denied the chance to explore because his friends were concerned he’d take things too far and accidentally harm the Retinue member.

He’d proven them wrong though, hadn’t he?

He would never hurt Madden.

“It was simply a test then,” Sila said. “Was finding out the texture of his hair really that important to you?”

“Yes.” Because it’d reminded him too much of the blood stains in Beryl’s that day she’d died. The way the crimson had dyed her brown hair and made it almost maroon in appearance. Her hair had been wet and sticky, a sensation he still had nightmares about on occasion. It’d completely erased any past memory he’d had of her hair before, even though he knew he used to help comb and braid it for practice.

He'd wanted that back. Those sensations. Wanted to a redo of sorts, and part of himself had been convinced he could achieve that if only he could touch Madden’s.

“And, asking never occurred to you?” Sila grunted. “Of course not.”

“It seemed illogical to assume a man I had very little to do with would allow me to run my fingers over his scalp,” Berga admitted.

“See, this is where you stop being fun, Butcher. Your intelligence often hinders you instead of helping you when it comes to social interactions. You don’t know how to twist people to your liking.”

“I get that you’re an expert at it,” he stated dryly, “but I still don’t understand the point of this conversation. What does it matter to you how Madden and I started?”

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