Alaric's POV
I've never cared about Cassian before. He was useful, reliable, kept his place among my people. Never once did I consider him a threat until now.
Lately, Enzo can't stop talking about him. Every time I see that light in his eyes as he recounts something Cassian said in the library, or how "easy" it is to talk to him, I feel it twist deep inside me like a blade.
I should be glad. Enzo has no friends here, no one his age, no one human. Cassian gives him someone to laugh with, to breathe around without fear. And still… every time I hear his name pass Enzo's lips, I want to silence it with my own.
I notice the little things. How Enzo's shoulders soften when he spots him across the hall. How his voice warms when he recalls their conversations. How he smiles, as if Cassian has offered him something I cannot.
And I hate it.
