Seyn scoffed at Ksar’s stubborn insistence not to call Harry by his preferred human name. “I can’t believe you’re even asking. You live in the same house. Have you talked to your brother lately?”
Ksar shot him an impatient look. “The house in question has over a hundred rooms and you know I return home late. Get to the point.”
“There’s something wrong with him. He looks like shit, he barely eats, he barely talks, and when he does, he sounds nothing like himself!”
“Is that all? You interrupted my meeting because my brother is still moping over his human?”
Seyn leaned over the desk, bringing their faces much closer. The smell of Ksar’s aftershave hit his nostrils and it took Seyn several moments before he could gather his thoughts. “He isn’t fucking moping,” he bit out, angrier with himself than with Ksar. “Yes, at first I thought he was just depressed, but there’s something very wrong with him. I don’t recognize him anymore! It’s like he doesn’t give a shit about anything.”
Ksar shrugged. “I have been led to believe it’s a normal reaction in such circumstances. He fancied himself to be in love with that Terran.”
Heavens, he was so heartless.
Seyn pursed his lips. “You know what he told me this morning? That he thinks he’s dying. And he sounded like he was talking about weather.”
Ksar stared at him.
Then, he stood up and headed out of the office.
Relieved that Ksar was finally taking him seriously but still annoyed that Ksar had been so ignorant about the problem, Seyn followed Ksar out of the room.
“I can’t believe you haven’t noticed anything,” he said, falling into step with him. “You know I rarely leave the palace lately. That’s why I haven’t seen Harry in a while. What’s your excuse? Do you even care about your brother? Have you really been avoiding him since we returned from Earth?”
His jaw clenching, Ksar headed toward the nearest t-chamber. He said nothing.
“A guilty conscience?”
Seyn noted that Ksar’s fingers curled into a fist for a moment before relaxing again. His face was like stone.
“I’m still not convinced that there’s something wrong with him,” Ksar said as they got into the t-chamber. “Perhaps it was just an excuse for you to come here.”
Seyn narrowed his eyes. “What is that supposed to mean?”
Giving their destination to the computer and leaning back against the t-chamber’s wall, Ksar looked at him through half-lidded eyes. “Don’t pretend you have no idea what I’m talking about.”
Gathering all his mental strength, Seyn gave him a telepathic punch. Ksar didn’t even flinch. The asshole actually had the nerve to look amused.
“You know perfectly well you can’t hurt me that way,” Ksar said. “If you want to make me hurt, you’ll have to use your fists. But you won’t.”
Balling his fists, Seyn hissed, “And why is that? Right now it’s pretty damn tempting.”
Ksar looked him in the eye. “Because you’re afraid to touch me.”
“You—you—you arrogant, conceited—” He stepped closer to Ksar, breathing hard with fury. He wanted to hurt him—
The t-chamber doors opened, signaling their arrival at the Second Royal Palace.
“Compose yourself,” Ksar said, straightening up. “I see your control is still as pathetic as it was a month ago.”
“My control is perfect, thank you,” Seyn gritted out, following Ksar out of the t-chamber. “But one can have only so much self-control when one comes across such an arrogant, ignorant ass like you!”
“You talk a lot,” Ksar said, heading toward Harry’s rooms. “But actions speak louder than words. And the truth is—”
“Shut up.”
“The truth is,” Ksar said, as if he hadn’t said anything. His tone was disinterested and flat. “For someone who claims to despise me, you spend a lot of time thinking about sex when you’re around me.”
“Get out of my head, you creep,” Seyn spluttered.
Ksar’s lips curled. “I wasn’t actually reading your mind, but it’s good to know I’m right.”
Seyn scowled at him, his face uncomfortably hot. “I fucked you only because I was horny and I had no other options. I can’t exactly have sex with someone I actually want until I’m free of you officially.”
Ksar’s face went blank. He walked faster, looking straight ahead.
“My control over my hormones is much better now anyway,” Seyn said, walking faster too. He’d be damned if he was walking behind Ksar like some sort of servant. “What happened twenty-nine days ago wouldn’t have happened if my control were as good as it is now.” He did feel infinitely more in control of his body. He was no longer a sexually frustrated wreck. He could last a whole day without getting an inappropriate erection for no reason at all. Yes, he still jerked off a few times a day to take the edge off, but he no longer felt the need to be touched. All things considered, Seyn had been quite pleased with his progress.