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“You’re right,” he says. “But I know what love does to a person. It blinds them into only seeing what they want to see.Klaus may see you through rose-tinted glasses right now, but I want to see you for who you really are.”

This is the last conversation I want to be having right now.

But I see determination in Alaric’s eyes. He will do whatever is necessary to find out the information about me that I would rather keep hidden. And it’s better if he hears it from me.

“My father was a selfish coward,” I say. “He abandoned us when we needed him most. And I’ll never forgive him for that.”

“Can I ask what happened?” Alaric says.

I look at him. I really don’t know how to tell him the truth without breaking down.

“What’s going on here?” Klaus’s voice cuts through my gloom like a bright ray of sunshine. I turn to look at him.

He closes the distance between us and cups my face in his hands. His eyes frantically search my face before they snap to his best friend.

“What did you say to her?” he demands.

Alaric rolls his eyes. “Calm down. We were just talking.”

“Why is she on the verge of tears, then?” Klaus asks, wrapping his arm around my waist. I rest my heavy head against his chest. And with that simple act, everything feels right in the world again.

“I’m okay,” I say, pressing a kiss over his chest. “I just got a little emotional.”

“What were you talking about?” Klaus asks, narrowing his eyes at his friend.

I look up at Klaus. In this single moment, I see what everyone else seems to see.

I see a man in love.

I don’t know how we ended up here, but this affection between us grew until it became the single most important thing in my life. It’s become something I can’t live without.

“I was asking about her childhood,” Alaric says.

“Is that true?” Klaus looks back at me.

I nod. “Yeah. I just don’t like talking about it.”

“Don’t talk to her about anything that upsets her,” Klaus tells his friend.

“Okay, my bad,” Alaric says, looking at his friend and then at me.

There’s no animosity in his eyes, but I catch a hint of frustration. I get the feeling that Alaric has been burned by love in the past. He doesn’t want Klaus to go through heartache because he knows what it feels like.

“I’m sorry,” Alaric says to me.

“It’s fine,” I reply.

Klaus clears his throat. “When did you get here, Alaric? Also, why are you here?”

“Wow,” Alaric says. “It’s great to see you too.”

“Seriously, what are you doing here?”

“I don’t need this energy,” Alaric says. “I’m leaving.”

Alaric walks back toward the house.

“Where are you going?” Klaus calls out.