Page 74 of Devil May Lie
“You did not tell him I’m your boyfriend.”
“Not by name, but otherwise? Yes.”
“I am not—”
“You’re mine,” Madden cut him off. “I’ll call you what I like.”
“Listen carefully, Mad King,” Berga set the spoon down, “I do not belong to you.”
“Too bad. You’ve already publicly claimed me, Butcher, or have you forgotten that part of the story?”
Berga frowned.
“For the record,” he reached out and placed one of his hands over Berga’s on the countertop, “I’m protective of my things, too. Which is why you’re staying in tonight. If Flix needs help, I’ll take care of it. You just focus on recovering.”
“I’m fine.” Berga tipped his head. “And why would you help Flix? He’s Satellite, not Retinue.”
“It’s not like that’ll be the first time we’ve helped each other out,” Madden said. “Our groups are always getting involved with each other. We just like to draw the proverbial line in the sand in the off chance there’s a future war for the throne that divides us. Let’s be real though, that’ll never happen. Baikal doesn’t care about becoming emperor, and he and Kel get on too well for him to be plotting to take down the Imperial family.”
“Interesting that your assessment is of my leader and not your own.”
“That’s my job. Protect the prince. I’m just saying, our jobs won’t interfere with one another.”
“You’re making it sound like you did a lot of thinking.”
“I have.”
“Why?”
“Because,” Madden repeated, “you’re mine.”
“Just because we’ve fucked and I’ve protected you—”
“We’ve protected each other,” he corrected, and since he was technically right, Berga didn’t bother arguing there. “Tell me you haven’t noticed how beneficial having me around you can be.”
“What?”
“Like it or not, Butcher, you need me. So far, I’m the only one you’ve ever met that can help chase away your demons.”
“They aren’t demons,” he found himself insisting, if not a bit petulantly. “They’re ghosts.” The dream-memory he’d experienced before waking at the boathouse returned to him and he sighed in mild annoyance.
Because the Mad King was right.
“Are you ready to talk about it?” From the sounds of it, Madden already knew something he shouldn’t.
Berga’s eyes narrowed. “Bay.”
“He kept quiet for as long as he could,” Madden came to his defense. “But I am persuasive.”
“Did you—”
“Relax, Jekyll. I didn’t hurt him.”
“I still find that nickname ridiculous.”
“That’s why, for the most part, I try to just call you it in my head.”
“You call me things in your head?”