"No," Arik said.
Liam waited.
Arik, predictably, did not rush to fill the silence.
That was irritating. Most men in Wrohan filled silence immediately, usually with lies, promises, excuses, or some polished little sentence meant to make the listener forget they were being moved like a piece on a board.
Arik simply stood there and let the truth sit between them as if it had no reason to be ashamed of itself.
Liam hated that too.
"That," Liam said, "requires more explanation than one syllable."
"The contracts expired after I came to Wrohan."
Liam stared at him, trying to understand if this was a man or a machine.
"The contracts."
"Yes."
"Of course they were contracts."
Arik's mouth almost curved. "What else would they be?"
"I don't know. Romance? Desire? A deeply unfortunate imperial hobby?"
Arik took the seat opposite Liam with a deeply handsome and irritating smile on his face.
