Eridan nodded, dropping his gaze for a moment. “I have felt strange all day. Off. My mind feels fuzzy, my thoughts weirdly disorganized.”
Castien walked over. Taking Eridan’s chin, he made Eridan look him in the eye. “Have you seen a mind healer?”
Eridan scoffed. “Why do I need one when I have you?”
Castien said nothing for a long moment.
“You should not be so careless,” he said at last, his thumb pressing against Eridan’s telepathic point. “You know those are the symptoms of a foreign intrusion into your mind.”
Eridan leaned into the touch, his telepathic core pulsing with yearning. “Master,” he whispered, licking his lips.
Right. Eridan had forgotten about him, forgotten about the point he had been trying to make.
Javier shot him a strange look as he bowed to Castien and left.
As soon as they were alone, Castien removed his hand and regarded him coldly. “What was that?”
“What was what?” Eridan said, feigning innocence.
A muscle twitched in Castien’s jaw. “You know as well as I do that you lied to me. There is nothing wrong with your mind, Eridan.”
Eridan shot him a sullen look. “Maybe there is. How would you know if you don’t check?”
“I do not need to get inside you to know that your mind was not tampered with.”
Eridan looked at him in confusion. “What?”
Castien pursed his lips. “You thought I would allow such a potential security breach? Your mind is a virtual fortress, Eridan. No one can get inside it without your explicit encouragement. It is protected by dozens of mind traps.”
Eridan frowned. “That can’t be true. I have joint meditations with Master Tker and he has never encountered them.”
For some reason, Castien seemed irritated by the subject. “Your meditations with him are shallow. I warned him not to go too deep, and just teach you patience and tranquility. He knows better than to touch your mind in any meaningful way.”
Eridan considered it, not sure how he felt about his mind being full of traps. On one hand, he appreciated it: mind traps were incredibly difficult to set up and were considered the best form of mental protection out there. On the other hand, he would have liked to actually be asked for his opinion beforehand.
“You should have told me,” he said.
Castien looked unfazed. “I do not have to tell you anything. You are my apprentice. You know too much. Protecting your mind is a necessity, not an option. They do no harm to you, so why would you object to an additional layer of protection?”
Well. When put that way, his Master was right.
“Still,” Eridan grumbled.
“You are just unhappy your lie was discovered,” Castien said. His eyes were cold. “I do not appreciate being lied to and manipulated, Eridan.”
“Then why did you play along?” Eridan said, confused.
“I saw little point in discussing our private affairs in front of a servant.”
Eridan couldn’t help but smile, feeling viciously pleased. Our private affairs. That was proof that he was far more important to his Master than a servant. Javier could suck his Master’s cock, but it changed nothing. Castien was Eridan’s, in all the ways that mattered.
He still absolutely hated the thought of Javier touching his Master and having even a fraction of his attention. It should be only his, Eridan’s, always.
“So, enlighten me on what it was about,” Castien said.
Eridan dropped his gaze before lifting it again.
“I want you to fire him,” he said.
Castien stared at him. His face became blank, the bond between them going completely quiet as Castien brought his shields up.
Silence fell, thick and suffocating.
Eridan felt himself blush, his skin prickling the longer the silence stretched.
“You do not want me to fire him,” Castien said at last, looking him in the eye. “Trust me, that would be a terrible idea.”
Eridan swallowed. “Why?” he murmured, his heart pounding in his ears. Were they really finally talking about the unsaid thing that had existed between them for ages? Or was he imagining it? “Don’t tell me you are scared of breaking the rules, Master. I won’t believe you. You make those rules.”
Castien’s fingers brushed against Eridan’s thaal. “Some rules are there for good reason.”
Eridan grabbed his Master’s hand and squeezed it with his own, the touch sending pleasant shivers through his body. “Bullshit,” he said hoarsely, holding Castien’s gaze. “You don’t need him. I can give you anything he does, and more.”