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?”

“It would seem so,” he mused. “Let us hope Adrian does not come to regret it.”

“Why would he?”

He shrugged. “Because he chose not to teach you.”

“I don’t think Adrian can teach me to shift, Sorin.”

“Adrian can teach you anything,” he said. “The only reason he doesn’t is to keep parts of himself secret.”

I frowned. Secret from who? It seemed that Sorin had more knowledge of my husband than I did.