“Oh.” Warmth poured into my cheeks. This was awkward. “I . . . uh, haven’t seen you in here before.”

“It’s a pretty big garden. You could roam around here and never run into anyone, but that doesn’t mean others aren’t in here.” Colin lifted a hand and ran it through his black hair. He lowered his arm as he glanced around. “Do you come in here a lot?”

Holding my hoodie in my lap, I shrugged. “Sometimes.”

There was a beat of silence. “Like I said, it’s a good place to think.”

“Yeah,” I murmured. Goodness, I was a stellar conversationalist. It was kind of embarrassing, but I was just so . . . so drained—physically, mentally, and definitely emotionally. I mustered up some energy though. “So, you come in here . . . to think?”

Colin nodded and his brows knitted as the balmy breeze stirred the leaves. “I started coming in here a while ago, after Ares first came here.” He paused, glancing at the bench. “May I?”

I nodded.

He sat down beside me, resting his arms on his thighs. “My uncle on the pure side of the family used to be the Dean here. Pretty cool guy. Didn’t go along with all the bullshit politics, and my older brother was one of his personal Guards.” Clapping his hands together, he tilted his head to the side, gaze trained forward. “Ares got into the University disguised as another Covenant Instructor. He killed my uncle and brother in seconds. Literally ended their lives in seconds.”

“Oh my God, I’m sorry.” I blinked as I swallowed hard. “I know it doesn’t change anything, but I really am sorry to hear that.”

“It’s okay.” His lips kicked up in a faint, sad smile. “Sorry works, because you mean it. Anyway,” he said after a moment. “My uncle loved these gardens. Walked every evening in them. Coming in here is like . . . like being close to him, you know?”

“Makes sense,” I whispered. If I was still around anything that reminded me of my grandparents, I’d be there every day.

He straightened as he stared down at his hands. “I never did thank you for that night.”

“Thank me for what?” Genuinely curious, I looked over at him.

Colin grinned again. “You stepped in, stopping things before they could get really ugly. Those pures could’ve done some damage and I would’ve been forced to defend myself. Even though the laws have changed, the mentality that pures can do whatever they want is still there and that they are better than us—that their lives matter more.”

“That’s stupid,” I stated. “And I don’t think Marcus would’ve allowed them to do whatever they want.”