“Nice words but you’re the one who choked Nora so hard one night she passed out and hit the floor and had to go to the hospital.”

“Oh, yes, that night. You mean the night she came to me and asked me to teach her how to do breath-play? The night we took turns on each other? I demonstrated on her. She practiced on me. That night between equals, you mean?”

“I’m sorry. I can’t accept that hurting another person is ever okay.”

Kingsley lowered his head until they looked at each other eye to eye.

“You apologize for not wanting to hurt another person? Little Prince, I think perhaps you’ve lingered in our world far too long. There is no honor in what we do. There is no evil, either. You think you know better about what your fiancée wants than she does. You insult her intelligence and maturity and ability to make her own decisions. You insult her, you insult us all.”

“I want her to be safe.”

“You don’t want her to be safe. She is safe with us. You want her to be saved. You can’t save someone—”

“I know. I know...I can’t save someone who doesn’t want to be saved.”

“No. You can’t save someone who doesn’t need to be saved.”

They locked eyes and Wesley knew Kingsley wanted to stare him down, make him blink first. Fine. He stood up and let Kingsley win. He’d go hang out with Laila or Grace, with anyone who didn’t loathe him. Even Søren made for better company.

At the door Wesley turned around.

“I want to help get Nora back. I will help if you’ll let me.”

“Your hands are clean,” Kingsley said, sitting back down behind the desk. “Keep them clean.”

“I know you think I don’t deserve her. Fine, I don’t. No one’s good enough for Nora. But at least...give me a chance to try to deserve her.”

Kingsley sighed and sat down in the chair behind the desk again.

“Sit down, Wesley.”

Wesley paused in the doorway and gazed at Kingsley suspiciously. Kingsley pointed at the chair and Wesley returned and sat down.

“What?”

“I want to tell you a story. A short one.”

“Fine. Okay. Tell me.”

“I have loved two women in my life. Only two.” He held up two fingers. “A thousand lovers but only two loves apart from him. The first was a woman named Charlotte. I called her Charlie.”

“Why?”

“I prefer women with men’s names. Satisfies a certain deviant side to me.”

“Of course. Sure.”

“Charlie, beautiful Charlie. One of the more sexually open-minded women I’d ever met. Anything I proposed she was more than willing to try. She was kind, too, caring, treated my staff well, adored me. But after a few months, I could tell she was restless. She wanted more than I could give her. She wanted to travel the world, have grand adventures, while I had to stay in the city and mind the Empire. Before me she’d been tied down to her job, her brother. Living with me in my world gave her wings. And so she flew away.”

“I’m sorry,” Wes said with genuine sympathy. Losing Nora that first time had almost killed him, had killed him for a few months.

“I’m not. I wanted something different than what Charlie wanted. As much as we adored each other, we were not a good match. While grieving over my lost love, I went to Haiti. I met my Juliette and in her I found the other half of myself, the half I thought I’d long ago lost and had learned to live without. Had I never met, loved and lost Charlie, I never would have met, loved and kept Juliette. My loss was the key to my greatest gain.”

“Yeah, when God closes a door He opens a window. I’ve heard it.”

“God or no God, it’s true. Welcome to the real world. Shit happens. You get over it. I don’t even miss Charlie and in my more honest moments I know she doesn’t miss me, either. You grow up. You move on. You find someone new. And for God’s sake, you don’t ask the first woman who lets you f**k her to marry you.”

“Shit happens? Move on? This is your big life advice?”

“It’s good advice. I take it myself. I suffered for years before I found real love with Jules.”

“Real love? If it’s real love, then where is she? I don’t see her anywhere.”

“She would be with me if I allowed it. I sent her away.”

“Romantic.”

“I sent her away for her own good. That should sound familiar.”

“Sounds familiar and stupid,” Wes said, his anger rising. Søren lent Nora to Daniel for a week. He shared her with Kingsley. Kingsley sent his Juliette away for God knows what reason.

“It wasn’t stupid to send Juliette away.”

“Why? Why is it right for you to send away someone you love? Trust me, I’ve been sent away. I know what bullshit that is. Søren tells me I’m paternalistic with Nora because I want to protect her. You act like I’ve committed some capital offense because I want her safe. Why do you get to decide what’s good for Juliette if I can’t decide what’s good for Nora?”

“It’s an entirely different situation. Worlds apart.”

“How is it any different? Why do you get to be paternalistic and I don’t?”

“Paternalistic is the right word for it. Juliette is pregnant. And yes, in case you were wondering, it’s mine.”

Wesley couldn’t speak. He just sat and stared at Kingsley. And Kingsley didn’t speak, either. He rubbed his chin with two long and elegant fingers, lines of worry crossing his brow.