CHAPTER 14
Harry eyed the distance between him and Adam—they were too far apart for his liking—before focusing on Adam’s face. It was impossible to read.
Adam said curtly, “Talk.”
Harry chewed on his lip.
Adam’s gaze flicked to his mouth for a moment before Adam looked back into his eyes. “I’m waiting.”
“I don’t know what to tell you,” Harry admitted.
“The truth would be a good idea,” Adam said tersely.
If he could tell Adam the truth, he would have done it ages ago.
Correctly interpreting the miserable look on Harry’s face, Adam snorted. “Right.” He raked his hand through his hair and turned away, his shoulders and back tense with frustration.
“Is Harry even your name?” he said at last.
Harry’s heart skipped a beat. “Yes.” For all intents and purposes, he was Harry. Even his parents and best friend called him Harry now.
“Harry Calluvianen doesn’t exist,” Adam said flatly.
Harry’s stomach dropped. So Adam knew his passport was fake.
“Care to explain it?” Adam said. “Apparently, you don’t exist.” When Harry said nothing, Adam laughed. “Was everything you told me a lie?”
“No!” Harry said, taking a step forward. He wished he could tell Adam everything, but he and Seyn would be in a lot of trouble for their unauthorized trip to a pre-TNIT planet as it was. If they broke more laws, even their social positions wouldn’t save them. There was no hiding anything from the Ministry: there were Dalvars—a species that could detect lies—working for the Ministry and they would know if Harry attempted to lie about it.
“Your passport is fake, Harry.”
“Yes, but… I swear, I’m not a criminal or something! I just couldn’t use my real name here.”
Adam said nothing, his back still to him.
“Please, believe me.” Harry walked to Adam and touched his arm tentatively.
“Don’t,” Adam bit off. “I can’t fucking think when you touch me.”
Sighing, Harry leaned his cheek against Adam’s back and murmured, “If I could tell you the truth, I would, but I can’t. It’s bigger than me. Bigger than us. I’ll break multiple international laws if I do.”
Adam gave a harsh laugh. “You sound like a secret agent in a bad spy movie.”
Harry smiled. “I’d make an awful secret agent.”
Adam heaved a sigh, his muscles relaxing a little. “You have to give me something, Haz.”
“I left because my parents sent for me. They didn’t give me time to say goodbye. I tried to convince them to let me talk to you, but it was useless.”
“So you were home all this time?” Adam said.
“Yes.”
“With your fiancée,” Adam said without any inflection.
Harry frowned. “No. She’s been away at a boarding school.”
Silence.
Finally, Adam turned around. He looked Harry in the eye and said, “Is she still your fiancée?”
Harry’s breath caught in his throat. He hesitated, unsure how to answer the question—unsure what the answer was. On one hand, there was no bond anymore. On the other hand, he hadn’t talked to Leylen’shni’gul yet. Until he talked to her, he didn’t think answering negatively to Adam’s question would be right. Not to mention that his parents had signed a legally binding betrothal contract on his behalf. Even if the bond was gone, legally he wasn’t free.
Harry shrugged a little.
Adam’s eyes glinted darkly. “Why did you come back, Harry?”
“I... I missed you,” Harry said, a little shy and confused. Wasn’t it obvious? He’d already told Adam that.
“But you still have a fiancée back home,” Adam said, and there was something very ugly in his tone, some nasty emotion Harry could almost feel despite his tightened mental shields. “Didn’t you feel guilty for missing me while you had a fiancée?”
“It’s not what you think,” Harry said haltingly. “You don’t understand.”
“That’s right,” Adam said. “I don’t. I don’t understand who you are or why you are here, and you know the worst part?” He chuckled humorlessly. “A part of me doesn’t give a fuck. I want to keep you, with all your lies and half-truths.” He leaned his forehead against Harry’s, his hands cradling Harry’s face. “What the fuck did you do to me? I should fucking kick you out. I should call the police. I shouldn’t still want you.”
Harry barely registered his words, heat spreading through his body, delicious and sweet. After months away, having Adam so close was overwhelming.
“You’re trembling,” Adam said, his fingers stroking Harry’s cheek, his neck, making Harry shiver whenever they touched his skin. “Look at you,” Adam said, an edge in his voice. “Am I supposed to believe you have a fiancée? You’re mine.”
Harry couldn’t speak, swaying into Adam’s touch, and he needed—
“No,” Adam said against his ear, his breath harsh and irregular. “Not now. We have your friend waiting in the living room.” He removed his hands from Harry and stepped back.
Harry stared at him longingly. Then, his words finally registered. Right. Seyn. He’d completely forgotten about him.
Adam shoved his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. “Speaking of your friend,” he said, clearing his throat a little. He looked pissed off, but when Harry looked down, he could see Adam adjust the bulge in his sweatpants.
Harry licked his lips. “What about Seyn?”
“What is he doing here?” Adam said.
“Seyn helped me escape from home,” Harry said before he could stop himself, his mind still foggy with want.
Adam gave him a strange look. “You escaped from home? Why would you need to escape?” He suddenly stiffened, his eyes turning colder. “Harry, is your family... abusive?”
“No!” Harry said quickly. “My parents are just... very traditional. They really want me to marry my fiancée, and I don’t want to.” Harry dropped his gaze before looking at Adam from under his eyelashes. “I want to be with you, for as long as I can. Can I?”
A mix of conflicting emotions flickered over Adam’s face.
“For as long as you can?” he repeated, his expression going blank.
Harry winced, but he was determined to be honest about this. “I want to stay, but…” Seyn’s friend had removed their identification chips and replaced them with temporary ones so that only he could contact them and teleport them back home—if they wanted to go home. That was the one precaution Seyn had gotten right. But it didn’t mean they wouldn’t be found anyway.
“I can’t tell you more than this.” Harry met Adam’s eyes. “I know it’s not enough. I understand if you don’t trust me anymore. If you want me to go, I’ll go.”
Adam’s jaw worked. He glared at Harry before suddenly yanking him close, leaning down, and sucking hard on his neck, his mouth hot and possessive.
“You aren’t going anywhere,” he said harshly before walking out of the room.
Harry stared after him, breathless.