Noctisardor Bypass What would I ever do with a rose?

Mercifully, Druid did not look his way. Anselm’s claws dug deep into the earth, four new scores of dirt upturned under them.

He quickly sucked in a breath. There was that delicate line he always had such difficulty treading — what was an appropriate level of concern to display for the man he most definitely absolutely certainly did not feel any intimate feelings for?

Druid mentioned almost word for word what Etienne had said the day before. Anselm’s skin prickled. How much, exactly, did Etienne share with her yesterday? He couldn’t possibly know, but he had always been a skeptic of coincidence.

This caused a total shut down. What had almost been the blossoming of a tender moment snapped shut; his walls thundered upward, the armor shoring up with a clamshell clap. Druid was studying the kids - Anselm studied his defenses.

All he could supply in answer was a noncommittal grunt.