You're Strong—you're So, So Strong. It's Why

Thanks For Looking Out For Her, Sage. You're Okay. For A Human." I Almost Laughed. "thanks." "you Can Say It Too, You Know." I Walked Over To Latte And Paused. "say What?" "that I'm Okay...for A Vampire," He Explained. I Shook My Head, Still Smiling. "you'll Have A Hard Time Getting Any Alchemist To Admit That. But I Can Say You're Okay For An Irreverent Party Boy With Occasional Moments Of Brilliance." "brilliant? You Think I'm Brilliant?" He Threw His Hands Skyward. "you Hear That, World? Sage Says I'm Brilliant.

I Don't Suppose You Offered To Help?" "sage," Adrian Declared. "these Hands Don't Do Manual Labor." He Knocked Another Ball Into A Hole. "you Want To Play?" "what? With You?" "no, With Clarence." He Sighed At My Dumbfounded Look. "yes, Of Course With Me.

Is It True? You Had A Clean Getaway And Risked It All For Me?" I Swallowed. "it Wouldn't Have Been A Clean Getaway Without You.

I Opened My Eyes And Met His Dark, Earnest Gaze. "it's Okay," I Said. "it's Okay Now. I'm Here I'll Always Be Here For You.

In Fact I Was Fairly Certain There Was No One In The Entire World Quite Like Adrian Ivashkov.