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I matched his smile. “May I join you?”

He sat up straighter and closed his book. “Of course.”

I sat beside him on the cushioned bench.

“What brings you out of your bed at this hour?” he asked.

“I needed a break from Adrian,” I said, rolling my eyes.

Sorin chuckled, eyes glittering. “Exhausting, is he?”

“If you are referring to the words coming out of his mouth, then yes,” I said.

Sorin laughed louder.

“And you? Why are you out here?”

“Ah, well,” he said, smile fading, the cover of his book suddenly seeming far more interesting. “I am giving Daroc a break.”

“I have a feeling it isn’t his words you are tired of,” I said.

Sorin shook his head. “The only time he speaks is when I’ve done something he doesn’t approve of.”

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“I suppose you should be. It was your husband who put him in such a poor mood,” he teased. Then he paused for a long moment, adding, “Sometimes…”

He trailed off and I waited but he did not finish his sentence.

“Sometimes, what?”

“I do not know if I should say,” he said and met my gaze.

“If it is how you feel, it is valid,” I said.

It took him a moment, but finally he spoke. “Sometimes I wonder if he is in love with Adrian.”

I did not know what to say, and it took me a moment to find words. “Is it love or is it loyalty?”

He looked almost as though he were trying to make himself smaller as he sat forward, running a hand over his short, coarse hair.

“Maybe,” he said and paused. “Perhaps I am only jealous.”

I tilted my head to the side, studying him. “Or maybe you know a truth Daroc refuses to acknowledge because he also loves you.”

Sorin covered his mouth and offered a single, disbelieving laugh and dropped his arms, letting his elbows rest on his knees.

“Enough about me,” he said. “Adrian tells me you’ve turned into a beast.” Sorin grinned, his dark eyes alight with amusement.

I glared. “Careful or I’ll claw that pretty face of yours.”

“You’d have to catch me first,” he said. “And last I checked, aufhockers cannot fly.”

I sighed. “I think I’d have preferred flying.”

“There are few abilities greater than one another,” he said. “It is all in how you choose to use them.”

I met his gaze. “And you are the one to teach me?”