Elias fell silent, his brows drawing together slightly. He hadn't meant to be careful—it had been instinctive. Cassius was his master, yes, but in that moment, he had been something else. Someone else.
"You've had people try to remove it before?" Elias asked, glancing at him.
Cassius let out a quiet chuckle. "Many times. Some out of curiosity, some out of cruelty." He finally turned to meet Elias's gaze, his expression unreadable behind the mask. "You, however, did neither."
Elias swallowed, unsure of what to say to that.
They reached the edge of the garden, where the path led back toward the estate. The moment stretched between them again, and just when Elias thought the conversation had ended, Cassius spoke once more.
"Did you learn anything?"
Elias frowned slightly. "About what?"
Cassius's gaze never left him. "What you felt."
