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“Finn?” I asked, surprised. “Do you interact with him much?”

“Enough.” Norman narrowed his eyes. “How do you know Finn? Does that mean that Damen did say something?”

“No…” I answered cautiously. From his expression and voice, I suspected Norman might not like Finn very much. “Finn was my best friend for a long time. And now he’s not.”

Norman seemed to grow more suspicious at my words, and when his mouth opened, I had already braced myself for his reaction.

But his response surprised me.

“When did he have time for a friend?” Norman asked.

My retort died on my lips, and I tilted my head. “Don’t you hate Finn because he’s a terrible human being, a condescending jerk, and a lying liar that lies?”

“No…” Now, it was Norman’s turn to draw out the word ca utiously.

“I hate Finn because he’s abandoned his responsibilities.

He’s left his quintet in disarray, and I have been forced to perform his duties with them, as well as my own, while he did whatever the hell he wanted.

But despite that, he’s still Er Bashou while I was demoted to second-in-command. ”

“That’s right,” I muttered. Damen did say this before. I was beginning to grasp these rankings. “You’re Damen’s Jiangjun.”

“Yes.” Norman continued to watch me with distrust. “The better question now is, who are you? I’m getting the impression you aren’t just one of Damen’s girls. You’ve already been around too long for that.”

But I’d barely been around a week…

Julian came up beside me. Like Michelle, he was carrying a paper-wrapped parcel. He nodded his head at Norman in greeting. “Fancy seeing you here. Are you all gathering today?”

“I’m working,” was Norman’s much more subdued response. “And it’s time for me to move along anyway.” He moved back to the door but then paused.

“Tell Damen she’s squirrelly,” he told Julian. “But that’s it so far. I don’t know why he continues to distrust her, but he’s wasting my time. I have more important work to do.”

“Why don’t you tell him yourself?” Julian shifted, moving closer to me. “He’ll want to know why I’m intervening.”

“He won’t listen to me.” Norman shot Julian an almost pleading look. “Can you at least do me a favor since I’ve entertained the munchkin?”

Julian hummed in response. “I’ll see what I can do. But if Damen thinks he’s on to something—”

Norman waved him off. “I’m only asking that you mention it. Thank you.” He glanced at me, his lips thinning, and nodded in my direction. But he didn’t say anything else before leaving the building .

By the time we went outside, Norman was long gone.

I waited until we were in the car before asking, “Why was Norman asking you to talk to Damen?”

Julian began to drive, and he was silent a moment, considering. Finally, he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. “I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but Damen can be a little…”

He paused again as if unsure how to continue.

I wanted to be helpful. There were many things we could say about Damen. He was extremely attractive but also a tad bit obnoxious and a terrible flirt.

But none of those sounded like things Julian would say, so I waited.

“Damen is brilliant,” Julian said finally. “He’s the brightest of us, except for Titus. He’s smarter than me, in any case. But he’s also impulsive and eccentric. His mind is always active.”

“Titus?” I watched Julian in surprise. Damen was smarter than him? But Julian was in medical school. That made him basically a genius. And what was he saying: Titus was the most intelligent one of them all?

My world was imploding.

Julian laughed softly. “Yes, Bianca. Titus is scary smart. He has two doctorates right now, and he’s working toward a third. Dragons like to collect things, including knowledge. He’s book-smart, and he is well-versed in fighting. But he’s socially awkward. Especially with women.”

What in the world?

“But why?” So many questions came to mind: What were his doctorates in? What was his end goal?

“Ask Titus yourself. He’d probably like it.” Julian was still grinning. “But back to the topic at hand. While Damen is extremely intelligent, his weakness is that he overestimates his ability to see what’s in front of him. ”

I watched Julian quietly.

“He’s sometimes oblivious to the little things. He focuses on the larger picture and overlooks details if he’s not careful,” he continued. “It’s a trait that can hurt people.”

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“I’ll tell you a secret. I didn’t always like Damen,” Julian admitted. “Even now, we still butt heads. In another life, I’m certain I hated him. He’s impulsive, and once he decides on something, he’ll go after it regardless of the consequences.”

My heart was thundering, and denial stirred inside me. I instinctively longed to defend Damen. I wanted to tell Julian he was wrong. Damen was my savior. He’d brought the others into my life and was helping me now.

But at the same time, I knew Julian wasn’t incorrect. Besides, there was nothing wrong with what he was saying. Damen wasn’t perfect—none of us were—and that was okay.

So why did I want Damen to be different? I knew he was pushy. He’d stalked me in the library when we first met. He tricked me into letting him help me. I’d already admitted he was overbearing and commanding.

Yet, having this pointed out made the illusion shatter.

“Don’t misunderstand,” Julian interjected, studying my face.

“Damen can be patient. Once he’s aware of a situation, he remains focused and attentive.

But fire will also consume everything if unchecked.

He doesn’t intentionally push limits, but he’s excitable and stubborn.

It’s my job to keep him in line. I can stop his moods. ”

“So,” I said slowly, “Norman doesn’t think Damen will listen to him, so he’s asking you to talk to him instead?”

Julian nodded, and I sighed, slouching into my seat.

“But now it’s not only me.” Julian’s voice was almost imperceptible. “I’m meant to control him, so he doesn’t harm himself or others. But consider what you know already. Who do you think has the greatest influence on the direction of his passion?”

I wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

It was one thing to coach Miles, to make sure he went to classes and cleaned up. But this… This sounded like a different level of responsibility.

So, I didn’t say anything at all.