Page 50 of Partnering with the Artist

Yes?

If the slow descent back into my chair counts, consider me sat. And baffled. And staring at Maelin as she also drops gingerly back into her seat.

Yes.

Yes, it was consensual.

Unless she’s just saying that to appease my family?

My gaze travels to our joined hands. She has yet to let go. She’s holding onto me like a lifeline. Maybe it really was then?

“I’m notupset,” Viktor says, grumpily. “I’m just…conflicted.”

“Why?” I challenge.

“I thought I raised you better than this.”

Thatalmostmakes me laugh. Although I can’t argue that Viktor very much did raise the rest of us, it is still very much out of left field whenever he blatantly mentions it.

“I’m sorry.” Kyran cuts his fingers through his shoulder-length dark hair and peers between Maelin and I. “Why do we care if you two were boinking before dinner?”

Kaleb chokes on his food and reaches, coughing, for his glass of water. I think he’s subduing a laugh, but I am not sure.

“We weren’tboinking,” I declare, exasperated. “Maelin tripped onto me while I was sleeping. I gotconfusedin the aftermath. The end. Nothing happened.” I may have kissed her throat. That’s certainlysomething, but alsononeof this is anyone’s business.

“Why was she in your room while you were sleeping?” Kyran presses.

I narrow my eyes on him. “Youweremy favorite brother.Once.”

He exhales the idea of a laugh and continues eating, as though he truly gets a kick out of watching the world burn, which iswildbecause I could have sworn that was more Lukas’s thing. Yet, if Lukas were here, we wouldn’t be so tense right now. As second oldest, somehow Lukas’s drops of madness and easy smiles balance Viktor’s terse attitude well enough to keep tensions down no matter what’s going on.

I miss Lukas.

I can’t believe there are stillmonthsuntil he’s done with his stupid tour and can come home again. I’m looking forward toseeing him at the Creator’s Ball. I hope saying goodbye after that won’t make the chasm of his absence more prevalent.

At least missing him feels like something? I guess I just wish it didn’t hurt so bad when I feel things.

Softly, into the thick silence, Maelin says, “I was going to wake him, but then I didn’t know how.”

“Have you tried a bucket of ice water?” Crisis offers, helpfully. “Kaleb has plenty of buckets.”

“I do have plenty of buckets.” Kaleb finishes his plate, rising to take it to the sink. “I’ve learned not to lend them out.”

Crisis’s lip juts.

Before leaving the table, Kaleb looks at me, says, “Use protection,” then looks at Viktor, “Quit pressuring them. They’ll figure life out on their own. We’re all too old for you to keep raising us. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be in the garden, feeding the fish.”

Crisis scoots her chair back. “Can I come?”

“I’ll take that out, too,” Kyran says, joining them, leaving just Maelin, Viktor, and me behind.

Breathing gets harder, so I force myself to say, “What happened tosupportingme?”

“I can’t support you if you aren’t honest with me.”

“When did I lie to you?”

“You told me nothing was going on two days ago.”

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