Uno gave a small, humorless laugh. "I'm jealous because your loyalty isn't mine. You've given more of yourself to Victor and Elias than anyone has ever dared to give me. And I… don't like the feeling."
Connor's jaw tightened, but his voice stayed steady. "Then get used to it. I'm not yours."
Uno tilted his head, and for a moment his face looked young, boyish almost, but the blue of his eyes was the color of deep water, older than anything human. "I know," he said quietly. "That's what makes me angry."
He straightened, pulling his power back into himself until the air eased. "Adler is nothing new. A baby godling clawing at the edge of eternity. You, though…" He looked Connor over, his smile faint but not cruel. "You're just a man. And somehow you've made me hesitate and you've made me jealous in less than ten hours. That should terrify you."
Connor met his gaze without flinching. "Maybe it does," he said. "But it won't stop me."
