"Do you really remember us? Really?"
Adrian asked again, his voice carrying a mix of hope and disbelief. He hovered beside the swing bench like he had nowhere else in the world he wanted to be.
Lucien lifted his gaze from the book Silas had recommended, eyeing him with a puzzled look that slowly softened into something gentler.
"Should I answer it again? Really?"
Adrian nodded so earnestly that Lucien almost laughed.
The alpha rested his head on the back of the swinging bench, watching him with the devotion of a puppy waiting for praise.
Lucien sighed and leaned in slightly, brushing his cheek along Adrian's sharp jaw in a simple, familiar gesture that made the alpha's breath hitch.
"I remember you," Lucien said quietly. "You are Adrian Cross because when we were kids, you spent a whole year pretending to be that vampire hunter with the same surname."
"You would not respond to your real name unless someone bribed you with snacks."
