“No. His pride in me apparently didn’t go that far.”

“I can probably find out where she is,” I said. “Or… or Dimitri could, I’m sure. Like you said before, they must let letters in.”

He almost smiled. “There you go again. Why? Why do you keep helping me?”

There were a million answers on my lips, everything from It’s the right thing to do to I don’t know. Instead, I said, “Because I want to.”

This time, I got a true smile from him, but there was something dark and introspective about it. He shifted closer to me again. “Because you feel bad for this crazy guy?”

“You aren’t going to go crazy,” I said firmly. “You’re stronger than you think. The next time you feel that way, find something to focus on, to remind you of who you are.”

“Like what? Got some magic object in mind?”

“Doesn’t have to be magic,” I said. I racked my brain. “Here.” I unfastened the golden cross necklace. “This has always been good for me. Maybe it’ll help you.” I set it in his hand, but he caught hold of mine before I could pull back.

“What is it?” he asked. He looked more closely. “Wait… I’ve seen this. You wear this all the time.”

“I bought it a long time ago, in Germany.”

He was still holding my hand as he studied the cross. “No frills. No flourishes. No secret etched symbols.”

“That’s why I like it,” I told him. “It doesn’t need embellishment. A lot of the old Alchemist beliefs focused on purity and simplicity. That’s what this is. Maybe it’ll help you have clarity of mind.”

He had been staring at the cross, but now he lifted his gaze to meet mine.

Some emotion I couldn’t quite read played over his features. It was almost like he’d just discovered something, something troubling to him. He took a deep breath and, his hand still holding mine, pulled me toward him. His green eyes were dark in the candlelight but somehow just as enthralling. His fingers tightened on mine, and I felt warmth spread throughout me.

“Sage—”

The power suddenly came back on, flooding the room with light. Apparently, with no concern for electrical bills, he’d left all the lights on when he went out earlier. The spell was broken, and both of us winced at the sudden brightness. Adrian sprang back from me, leaving the cross in my hand.

“Don’t you have a dance or a curfew or something?” he asked abruptly, not looking at me. “I don’t want to keep you. Hell, I shouldn’t have bothered you at all. Sorry. I assume that was Aiden texting you?”

“Brayden,” I said, standing up. “And it’s okay. He left, and I’m just going to go back to Amberwood now.”

“Sorry,” he repeated, moving toward the door with me. “Sorry I ruined your night.”

“This?” I nearly laughed, thinking of all the crazy things I contended with in my life. “No. It’d take a lot more to ruin my night than this.” I started to take a few steps and then paused. “Adrian?”